Rating: 
Summary: A superbly crafted character study
Review: Steve Martin's, 'The Please of My Own Company," reads like an exquisitely crafted character study that a top-notch actor would create while prepping for a role. Readers are treated with colorfully fleshed out character portrayal, smidges of interesting backstory and a skeleton of a story that manages to keep things just interesting enough without bogging down the light, effervescent flow of Martin's prose. Martin also proves that he's quite adept at culling the inner-voice of his characters as he meticulously brings to life everey bit of minutiae involved in the thought process of an OCD riddled character attempting to overcome obstacle after obstacle (in this case figuring out how to cross the street, the right amount of light bulb wattage to keep lit, etc.). The end of the tale might come across as a bit too Hollywood in its payoff but nonetheless it satisfied and made for a great read on a 2 1/2 hour flight across 4 states.
Rating:
Summary: Hopefully, the next one will be longer!!
Review: First of all, I really enjoyed Shopgirl, but it ended too quickly. I did have the same result with The Pleasure of my Company, but it was still an enjoyable ride. There are some people who do not find this book funny, and I guess that's understandable. Some people would not find someone with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder humorous. But, since some people have a little of it in us (making sure that nothing touches electrical outlets, not stepping on cracks, etc) there is a subtlety of humor that gets to you. It does feel, very obviously, Steve Martin but there are not tons of laugh out loud moments. There are chuckles, and it was fun to read, starting at the beginning, where the main character thinks that Mensa had a clerical error in his IQ score, when leaving the 1 off of the 90. This is obviously someone who thinks a bit much of himself. Daniel Cambridge lives in Santa Monica, right across from the beach. He would probably enjoy going there, if he was able to step off of the 8 inch curbs. Instead, he makes treks to Rite Aid, to pick up his prescriptions and stare at the pharmacist Zandy, while he enters an essay contest of why he is average, sponsored by Tepperton's Frozen Apple Pies. "I am average because... I stand on the seashore here in Santa Monica and let the Pacific Ocean touch my toes, and I know I am at the most western edge of our nation, and that I am a descendant of the settlers who came to California as pioneers. And is not every American a pioneer?" he writes. He doesn't do MUCH else except get visits from the student therapist Clarissa, staring at Elizabeth the realtor across the street, and slipping Quaalude into drinks for his upstairs neighbor, because, he believes that, when she gets drugged, her relationship with her boyfriend is better. Explain that logic. When I read the paragraph about his walking by Elizabeth the realtor, trying to impress her, I couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"When I hit the street, I encountered a problem. I had forgotten to wear sunglasses. So, as I walked by her, facing west into the sun, while I may have been an aloof figure, I was an aloof figure who squinted. One half of my face was shut like a salted snail, while the other half was held open in attempt to see. ...Elizabeth looked over (I intentionally scuffled my foot, an impetuous betrayal of my own plan to let her notice me on her own), I was half puckered and probably dangerous-looking." To me, this man seemed a very strange individual, and these are the best people to read about, because there was unpredictability at every turn.
Rating: 
Summary: Steve Martin Keeps Getting Better
Review: A charming, funny, mature (if I can say that without being too corny) little book. A thousand times better than Shopgirl. Way to go, Steve.
Rating:
Summary: Quite a Character
Review: All seems to be going well for Steve Martin these days. His movie career continues apace with the occasional hit and he continues to develop as an author. The Pleasure of My Company is a distinct improvement over his debut story, Shopgirl. Though not noticeably longer, The Pleasure of My Company gets tagged "a novel" whereas Shopgirl was "a novella;" still, I'm willing to forgive since this book has the depth. Martin has made a wise move by focusing on a single character, Daniel, this time around. Martin's main talent lies in characterization and wry commentary and Daniel gives him an opportunity to do both. This streamlines the story and makes it much more interesting. Daniel is a mentally disturbed young man whose ability to leave his apartment is very limited because of his obsessions and phobias--his inability to step off of curbs, for instance, or his obsession with thinking of things in terms of magic squares. Still, he attempts to reach out to the world around him: entering essay contests, joining MENSA, trying to meet the realtor across the street or the pharmacist at the Rite-Aid. Eventually, as his obsessions shift and he gets a little luck, his world begins to open up. Admittedly, I'm a little tired of the mentally disturbed protagonist but Daniel is an engaging character mainly because he is basically a nice guy and he struggles to overcome his problems instead of giving into them. And the observations of the unbalanced often hold more truth than the lives of the "normal." Though there is nothing mind-bendingly fantastic here, this brief read is a good one.
Rating:
Summary: A truly wonderful book
Review: I have been a huge Steve Martin fan ever since I saw Father of the Bride as a little girl. When I discovered that Mr. Martin was also an author, I raced to the book store and picked up copies of Shopgirl and The Pleasure of My Company. This book in particular (The Pleasure of My Company) absolutely blew me away. It is clever, sensitive, touching...just absolutely brilliant. Steve Martin really showcases his talent in this book by telling the story of a man living with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), using just enough humor to keep the story lighthearted and fun, but enough candor to provide a very insightful look into the lives of people living with OCD. Once I started reading, I simply could not put the book down. When I finished the book, I gave it to my mom and she couldn't stop talking about how much she loved it too!! I definitely recommend this book as an enjoyable read for anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Very pleasantly surprised!
Review: I've always loved Steve Martin and when I saw that he was writing books, my heart sank. "What if they're no good?" I thought to myself. Surely he couldn't be the comedic genius he is on stage AND write well. It's one thing to have zingy one-liners but another to sustain the complex and lengthy aspects of a book. But somehow the master genius has pulled it off, for "The Pleasure of My Company" is nothing short of brilliant! I'm usually one to stick with tried and true bestsellers like "Da Vinci Code" or "Bark of the Dogwood" but decided to give Martin's book a shot. And I'm glad I did!
Rating:
Summary: Many talents of Steve Martin
Review: I bought this book because I saw Ellen D. recommend it on her show. I got into the book very quickly, it was entertainting and interesting.
The main character Daniel, who's compulsive obsessive goes through a series of funny encounters with people at his appartment building as well as his case worker. In spite of all his rules and quircks Daniel falls in love 3 times, wins an essay contest (well actually 2 since his "alter" ego writes the other essay), baby sits for a little boy, learns to walk across a curb and figures out his life through mathematical squares. The book is quite entertaining with Daniel having to follow all the rules in his head. However, it seems like the ending was cut a little short. The whole story unfolds slowly and then the ending seems like it was written in one hour and only takes a page and a half to explain what happens to Daniel. I recommend this book, however if you do not like endings cut short you might want to steer clear of this one.
Rating:
Summary: A Surprise! Don't Miss It!
Review: Daniel Pecan Cambridge is a man with problems. Not only is he an obsessive-compulsive, unemployed, Mensa reject, but he is also a murder suspect, a near seducer of his only male friend's girlfriend, in love with one of three women (he hasn't decided which) and the winner of the Most Average American essay contest. Daniel embarks on a journey of self-discovery without the apparent advantage of being able to cross the street anywhere except where two driveways line up, the ability to travel any distance without restricting himself to words missing the letter "E," or speak to a woman without the horrifying image of himself as a murder suspect showing upon the television. Can Daniel pull himself together? Which woman will decide his faults are not as serious as they first appear? Will he ever be able to cross the street at a curb? These and many more burning questions are answered in Steve Martin's The Pleasure of My Company. Told in a very intimate first person viewpoint, The Pleasure of My Company is compelling, amusing, enlightening, and tender. Somehow Martin manages to take a man doing very little with his life and grip the reader. It is a trick worthy of a veteran novelist. This is a short book without any extra padding and is, therefore, a very easy read. There are no wasted words, no unnecessary scenes. The pace is fast, the characters lively. From a peroxide and plastic female real estate agent to an angelic shrink with more problems than her patients, the supporting cast is wild and wonderful. The setting is as odd as the main character, and the self-discovery is believable, well done, and very tender. The ending felt a tad rushed, but not bad. Generally speaking, I avoid books written by celebrities, but this one is frankly amazing. At various points, I laughed out loud; I empathized; I cried; I questioned my own sanity. This is not at all common for me. I hope you will enjoy this one too. Another offbeat Amazon quick-pick I recommend is "The Losers Club" by Richard Perez
Rating:
Summary: READ THIS BOOK
Review: How many more dimensions of true talent can this man master. This work is much better than Shopgirl and would make a great film. The only thing disappointing about the book is that it was not longer. It is fiction that captures OCD like a first hand case study.
Rating:
Summary: tour de force
Review: Martin is a comic genius and this book is just as good as his last warm character study, Shopgirl. Actually, the guy is getting better and better, which is a surprise because he was pretty great when he started.
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