Rating: 
Summary: Multi-talented Steve Martin
Review: I have been a fan of Steve Martin from the stand-up/SNL days until now when he's begun a career as a "serious" writer. In a sense, he's grown-up as I've grown-up and his current taste for more intellectual humor has matched my own. His play, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, is one of the most enjoyable I've seen in awhile and is collected in book form with some shorter plays that are also quite good. Additionally, his pieces in the New Yorker have been wonderful.This novella does not quite reach the heights of some of his other work, though it is an enjoyable read. It has its wry comic moments but this is a much more straightforward work than I've seen from him before. It is really a character study; mainly of the clinically depressed "shopgirl," Mirabelle but also of a number of other characters--boyfriends Ray & Jeremy, co-worker Lisa, and her parents. The plot is real and relevant enough, exploring the psyches and relationships of these characters. It suffers from the weakness of many an ambitious novella, however. It introduces intriguing points and doesn't take the time to flesh them out and resolve them. Her father's Vietnam experience and its repercussions, for example, is tossed out and left unexplored. More importantly, however, the story is rushed to its conclusion. The early relationship points are explored and then rushed to their finality. There is a lot more that could have been done with this book. Perhaps I would have been happier with this piece if I'd read it in a magazine. When I pay money for a book, however, I guess I want more of my money's worth. I'm tired of short works being put in hardcover when they don't qualify. This is a trend in modern fiction that is not to be encouraged. Novels are getting shorter and more superficial. It takes a brilliant writer to write a short novel of enough depth to deserve the hardback treatment. I don't think this one is quite there. Wait for it in paperback (and hope the paperback is relatively cheap).
Rating: 
Summary: A little weird, a little beautiful...
Review: This little book captured me and never let me go until the end. Steve Martin entertains us with the story of a young girl's odd relationship with an older man, while making us painfully aware of all the psychological inner workings and thought patterns experienced by the characters in the book..not a single one is without real problems. The language in this little gem is very harsh, and I tired of the four letter word, "f**k". Steven seems to enjoy that word. An interesting book, especially for those of us that are a little weird ourselves!
Rating:
Summary: Shopgirl
Review: A Robert Motherwell painting in written form: scintillating and ultimately satisfying. Thank you, Mr. Martin.
Rating:
Summary: The Quiet Beauty of Shopgirl
Review: The fact that Steve Martin is an icon in Hollywood and a household name to comedy is enough to make one slightly intrigued with the news that Martin had decided to pursue his literary talent with a small novella entitled Shopgirl. However, contrary to his hollywood début, Shopgirl does not contain laughably loud comedy that pushed Martin to the forefront of Hollywood's best. Yet, Shopgirl is worthy of attention and praise. Because it is a novella, rather than a novel, says something about the book itself. It presents itself with quiet mystery; in which, the main characters appear at first with vagueness while emerging slowly with grace and strength. This is seen in particularily with Mirabelle who grapples with the routines of life and the mysteries of love. Shopgirl's overall subdued beauty gives it a haunting effect that leaves a hunger for more.
Rating: 
Summary: What a Disapointment
Review: I found this book to be extremely depressing, and competely misrepresented as a romance. The pros drones on and on and on ... There is no emotional connection to the characters, and no drive to the plot. My advice ... pass this one up.
Rating:
Summary: Writing quality supurb.
Review: Steve Martin is not only a gifted comedian but a gifted writer. The first 30 pages grabbed my attention because of pure quality of the writing, every word, every sentance is carefully crafted so that they dance off the pages. After my excitement calmed about the writing I allowed myself to enjoy the story. Although not a fan of the Hollywood "older man meets 30ish girl" genre, I enjoyed the story and the development of the characters. The fact that it is a novella is perfect, I didn't want to read any more about the story, just to absorb the style. Mostly, Steve Martin's work is important for the simple truth that he is a gifted writer. Look for his articles in the archives of the New Yorker.
Rating: 
Summary: A look at the lovelorn
Review: "Shopgirl" is a novella about the lovelorn in Los Angeles. Centering around four emotionally-damaged main characters, the plot is essentially how their personality traits mesh and change through their interactions with each other - how they attempt to discover the things which will make them feel alright with themselves. It's a novella of personal compromise, where whatever is gained always involves the loss of something equally important. There's a sly sardonic humor at work here, and that's what makes this book so enjoyable. I am definitely impressed by Steve Martin's descriptive ability and the insight he brings to these characters. I would highly recommend reading the book in a single sitting as it is so cohesive and tight that it makes for a great experience. At 120 pages, setting aside a couple of hours shouldn't be that hard to do.
Rating:
Summary: Fine silk gloves
Review: The first time I read Steve Martin in The NewYorker, I thought, gee, a writer with the Steve Martin name, wonder if it opens or closes doors. But then, as his hilarious essays continued, somehow I finally figured out, it IS the same dude. Which makes perfect sense. His twisted brain is just taking another zig down the road. Shopgirl, is another zag. I bought it expecting funny but not really counting on it. Actually, I was hoping for more of what I did get, a dark peek into the flip side of comedy. Or more of a "Parenthood," dark look. Martin hits all the right notes with Mirabelle and describes the bleakness of depression as if, well, as if he knows of what he writes. He couldn't resist making her an artitst though. She couldn't JUST be a shopgirl. At least he didn't make Jeremey, her loser lover, a math savant on the side. Once I forgave him for the artist thing, I started to realize that I was enamoured of the character left undescribed, the narrator. He writes from an almost uncanny, knowing voice that leaves out as much as it puts in. It's not that you are left feeling let down after finishing 130 quick pages, but you are feeling, left out. You know Martin knows more about these people and you wonder if he's just trying to offer a snack or if he means to leave you feeling like they were only shadow people. For example. Why did Ray get divorced? If his wife left him out of sheer exhaustion, that is one thing. If he left her out of boredom(most likely) that is something else. What are his motives for his studied indifference to the women he courts and leaves? He takes care of Mirabelle, buys her things, woos her, is good to her, is the anti-jeremey. but he's doing it with the INTENTION of never becoming involved emotionally with her. Is Martin repulsed by Ray? It is hard to tell. There are no villians in this story. Lisa, while mostly pathetic, offers comic relief from the others. I hate to say it but her spunk and determination and the mistaken identity scene all offer at least a crumb of Martin's flip side. The bottom line? Buy it, read it, save it for another rainy day to re-read. There are more stories here than in a full size novel and yet, there are less than in a comic strip. Shopgirl is hard to pin down but like the fine silk gloves Mirabelle sold at Neimnan's, it is a classic tale of ageless human needs. The need to be loved, to be noticed and to love and notice back.
Rating:
Summary: A fantastic Read
Review: Shopgirl is a delicate, thoughtful, perceptive novella. Steve Martin's writing is truly beautiful. Mirabelle, his protaginist, is so detailed and familliar that I wondered if I knew her or if I am her!! There are sentences and observations that jump off the page and deserve to be read either out loud or over and over. My only disappointment is that it isn't a novel. I wanted to keep reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Emotionally Minimal as Well
Review: A few years back, I read Steve Martin's Picasso at the Lapin Agile, and I thought it entertaining enough, and at times funny. Standing in stark contrast to his stand up routine, the humor was much more intellectual and, in many ways, successful. It was therefore no surprise, when I noticed that Shopgirl, his latest attempt in literary dabbling had reached the best-sellers list. It is a sparse book, sometimes bordering on empty, but he does a good job of setting the mood describing the quiet life of the protagonist. Were it not for the million-dollar name attached to it however, its reception would not have been as glorious. The story, a novella that is easily read in a sitting, revolves around a lonely, talented woman, Mirabelle, who meets a wealthy older man while working at Neiman-Marcus. The older man, Ray Porter, a wealthy and socially powerful divorcee is trying to learn about himself and his failed relationships with women. Other than Ray, her only other prospect is Jeremy, a stereotypically portrayed slacker 20-something that doesn't even own a suit. If that's not bad enough, she has to compete for Ray with a stock character in Lisa, a vain woman hiding personality deficiencies behind her Barbie-like sexual appeal. It is precisely these simplistic characters that leave you feeling empty. There is no there, there, and thus you find that you don't really care what happens. Even Mirabelle is a generic, anxiety and depression drug taking twenty something year old. That Martin gives her the ability to draw seems kind of an after thought, since it doesn't factor into our understanding of her character. The book has a quiet simplicity highlighted with some laugh-out-loud observations that are Martin at his funniest. It is unable, however, to capture the beauty and complexity of the kind of mix-matched relationship done to great effect in LA Story. Shopgirl is a different beast altogether; whereas that movie was a comedy, this is an angst filled love story, which meanders around for a bit peaks, then recedes quietly, sorry for having taking up your time.
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