Rating: 
Summary: Very Good
Review: Well worth the short period of time you'll need to finish this novella. I'm not surprised Steve Martin has written something this insightful, considering his acting and screenwriting credits. If you still think of him as a stand-up comedian or comic actor, there are a variety of fine films with strong dramatic roles from Martin, including "Grand Canyon" (circa 1990). "Shopgirl" follows the sad life of Mirabelle, an attractive and highly intelligent but shy and lonely woman who works as a clerk in the glove department of an exclusive Beverly Hills department store. Martin narrates as Mirabelle goes through the motions of her dreary job, talks to herself, cleans her tiny apartment, wishes she had friends and takes her anti-depressants. She meets two men along the way. One is Jeremy, essentially a [unsuccessful type] who stencils logos onto amplifiers for a small company. She has a brief fling with him as she searches for a friend and lover, and he disappears before returning late in the story. Ray Porter, however, is a rich, older man who means well but is utterly clueless about the meaning of relationships and unwittingly hurts Mirabelle deeply as their expectations take different paths. The other character is the incredibly shallow Lisa, a clerk in the prestigious cosmetics department who openly teases and taunts men in an effort to use as many as possible. You know Lisa will get hers somewhere along the way, but Martin is especially amusing in setting up and describing Lisa's comeuppance when she schemes to take Ray from Mirabelle. Martin offers keen insights about the Los Angeles culture, and his character sketches are deadly accurate in their portrayal of hopelessness, frustration, greed, lust and materialism. Mirabelle's return home to Vermont while her relationship with Ray is in trouble is especially touching, as yet another effort to reach out to her cold father (still hardened and silent after returning from Vietnam) is rebuffed. Both her parents still view her as their little girl, which renders the possibility of sharing her (attempt at) life in Los Angeles hopeless. There's wry humor throughout the story along with Martin's interesting and candid observations as he narrates. The language is coarse, and at times it's jarring enough to be noticeable. A minor complaint, however. Highly recommended, and it's my hope that Martin will give some thought to writing a full length novel. If "Shopgirl" is any indication, it would be worth his trouble.
Rating: 
Summary: Clever and entertaining writing
Review: Very entertaining and cleverly written novella. Reads very fast with great character development. WET Rating: (out of 5)
Writing quality - 5 Martin proves to be a witty and clever writer
Entertainment - 5 Reads fast and is enjoyable
Thought provoking - 4 Surprisingly gives you something to chew on days after you finish this novella
Rating: 
Summary: Depression, Ennui and Romance...
Review: Reviews I've read of "Shopgirl" so far call it everything from a latter-day Jane Austin novel(la) to an incredible book of self-discovery. I wish I could say quite as many nice things about it as so many others have, but I'm afraid much of the book fell short of its hype for me. The story is a fairly simple one, and, in fact, it only takes a hundred and thirty pages to tell. It's the story of Mirabelle, a depressive Neiman's clerk and part-time starving artist, her slacker almost-boyfriend Jeremy and her May-December romance with a fifty-something millionaire. It follows her life as she stumbles from revelation to depression to just plain ennui in a narrative style that I can't make up my mind about. As an ever-shifting present, the narrative style seems to reflect the characters' ennui half the time and seem like a bad freshman English composition the other half. While I appreciate Steve Martin's efforts at keeping the style consistent with the moods of the characters (almost always down), I feel like I have to stop myself from grading his work. The book takes place mostly in L.A., and for some of the book, reads like an anti-"L.A. Story", with people who live in a place the rest of us see as semi-surreal, but unlike the persistent (and possibly medically-induced) happiness of "L.A. Story", the characters here live in a perpetual funk. Furthermore, the narrator's viewpoint is such that the characters themselves are (almost) always laid bare, but the humor - most of it dark - has to be wanted to be found. Otherwise, you find yourself floating along in the same cheerless state as the characters. None of this makes for a necessarily bad novel, though, and, in fact, makes for quite the observant satire on L.A. life. If I have one main complaint for the book, though, it's Martin's use of supporting characters. In particular, Mirabelle's father and her co-worker (and unknown nemesis) Lisa are given interesting stories that are never resolved. They're simply forgotten when the main love triangle is patched up. On the whole, I find this a book not devoid of merit, but I would have liked a little more humor to balance the ever-present unhappiness the book seems dangerously close to drowning in sometimes. Likewise, I would have liked to see him experiment a little more with the narrative style. I can appreciate what he was doing, but, with me, it never quite worked. If you're a fan of Steve Martin's other work, you may like this as well - it has a tang of personal intensity that almost makes you wonder if it's inspired by real life. Just be warned that it may not be as comedic as you've come to expect from him.
Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly entertaining
Review: This book was a pleasant surprise. I don't usually read novels like this, but I found it very seductive. Good stuff.
Rating:
Summary: May be deeper than you think...
Review: Steve Martin obviously possesses strong comedic skills, and there are many parts of Shopgirl that will make one at least smile, if not laugh. I imagine (fear, really) these parts will be the focus in the upcoming film version. At the same time, however, Martin's depictions of the two main characters, Ray and Mirabella, are very realistic and very accurate, or so I found them. I may have been more affected by this book because of the extent that it was given to me by the woman who played Mirabella to my Ray Porter. I strongly recommend this book as both a "good read," as well as something much more, something that will compel introspection among some readers. Unfortunately, I imagine the people who will benefit from it the most would be the least likely natural audience. If you know a Ray Porter, they should probably read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Good for flying from Pittsburgh to Charlotte
Review: I first saw SHOPGIRL while waiting for a plane at Dulles International Airport. It caught my eye because of its color and picture on the cover. It was not until then, I realized that Steve Martin wrote it. After reading the reviewers' comments on the back cover - which I rarely believe - I purchased the book. By the way, their comments were a quite accurate description of the storyline. The strength of SHOPGIRL is the character development. Martin has the rare talent of getting inside the heads of the key characters. He seamlessly moves from thoughts to feelings, dialog with another, then moves on to the second person's thoughts, feelings and finally the reply of the second character to the first. He employs this strategy to illustrate emotional growth within ALL the personalities. This is a difficult writing task because each time one character speaks to another; Martin performs six complex writing tasks. When one analyzes his text, his writing is quite remarkable. The storyline is sentimental, but not mushy. The level of realism stifles any potential mushiness. In addition, I suspect that Martin's character, Ray Porter, is a reflection of Martin's own personal experience. This is a reasonable assumption since Ray Porter's character is quite profound. Martin offers a greatest amount of depth in Porter's personality. The realism of the storyline stems from the depth of the characters and corresponding personality development. All in all, SHOPGIRL is a good story. I highly recommend it - particularly if you are flying from Pittsburgh to Charlotte, North Carolina. You can complete the entire book within that timeframe.
Rating:
Summary: A Joyous Melancholic Ride
Review: Steve Martin is one of the most intelligent writers of our age, and his use of vocabulary enfuses the text with meaning I didn't know could be created. His humor is subtle, and his observations of life are so obvious that I doubt I ever would have noticed them without reading this book. This book requires intellectual reflection, which is refreshing. Martin presents a story of the growth of many personality types with such clarity and specifity that you feel he has lived each life at least twice. I don't know what to say, but his brilliant observational style is engaging. The slight contrasts of ideas and perfect timing make this novella a gem. While written in a simple style, this book delves deeply into many aspects of human persona. Again, I am at a loss for words. Martin is on the level of wit that Mark Twain introduced us to long ago. I read it in a day, couldn't put it down. And I had things to do!
Rating:
Summary: Great book!
Review: When I saw a book by Steve Martin I was intrigued since I admire him as an actor. I was also aprehensive about how well he would be able to pull off a book. I bought the audio book and took it on a cross country road trip thinking it would revive me with some of Steve Martin's comedic works. What I found was that it was well written and a much different side of the actor than I had thought. He was able to show the perspective of Mirabelle, who's 28, with a good grasp of the female mind and its thoughts. He also showed a male perspective that was just as good and thought provoking to me as to how different the male and female minds think differently in a dating situation. This book kept me on my toes and flowed well. I'd recommend it!
Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly Good..
Review: Steve Martin's "novella" about an otherwise annoymous shopgirl at Neiman-Marcus in Beverly Hills is a very well-written,unexpectingly touching story. The romance that she has with an older gentleman is realistic and the observations about the "rich & vapid" people that populate that particuliar area of real estate are well-drawn as well. The ending might catch you by surprize,but it makes the story more interesting and actually makes sense in a true-to-life kind of way. Yes,not only can Mr. Martin act,he can write as well..!
Rating:
Summary: Poignant romantic novel
Review: Note: this review refers to the audiobook, read by the author. Like many people, I was surprised to even see Steve Martin's name under the heading of a novel. Shopgirl, however, is a genuinely good book that deserves to be read quite apart from the celebrity of its author. This is a very short novel, though just the right length to tell its story. Martin has a precise eye and ear for nuances of character and since this is a character rather than plot-driven story, we get to know these characters quite intimately. The heroine is an introverted Los Angeles (by way of Vermont) young woman named Mirabelle. Her job behind the counter at the anachronistic glove department of Neiman Marcus perfectly reflects the low profile she keeps in her life. She is quite lonely and suffers from serious episodes of depression, but has the pluck to carry on, albeit with the help of anti-depressants. When a wealthy and much older man shows an interest in her, she is quickly swept away. Martin does an excellent job of portraying the uncertainty and miscommunication that often accompanies male-female relationships. The book is not perfect. At times, Martin's cerebral narration comes close to defying the old "show don't tell" rule of fiction. Yet his commentary is intelligent enough that it doesn't detract from the story. His attempts to interject humor at times seems forced. One character, a narcissistic girl named Lisa, who embodies the often parodied shallowness of West LA, is little more than a caricature. Overall, though, Shopgirl is a fine romantic story with some genuine insights into the world of relationships. Steve Martin also does a fine job of reading his book on this audio version.
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