Rating: 
Summary: DIVERTING AND ENTERTAINING
Review: "The Pleasure Of My Company" is "Shopgirl (Mr. Martin's previous foray into literature) with pathos. Rather than an older man intrigued by a younger store clerk, we meet a neurotic; indeed, one who is almost certifiable. Daniel Pecan Cambridge ( we can only assume his middle name to be a reference to his nutty mental state) is a man whose age varies, depending upon his feelings on a particular day. He's a transplanted Texan who now rarely leaves his Santa Monica apartment. After all, there are 8 inch curbs everywhere and the chance that he might be forced to endure seeing a garage attendant in a blue hat. Now, there are one or two enticements that will draw Daniel out of the comfort of his apartment - one is the attractive clerk, Zandy, at the Rite Aid. Two might be a sale on ear plugs or the purchase of over a dozen lip balms (a practical purchase, he notes). Due to these ventures into the outside world our hero finds himself embroiled in a murder, and, of all things, an unsuccessful wooer. Mr. Martin again depicts loneliness and love with poignancy and humor. In addition, we'd expect him to read his story superbly, and he does. "The Pleasure Of My Company" is a diverting and enjoyable listening experience. - Gail Cooke
Rating: 
Summary: All Gloss
Review: If people could actually read this objectively without being enthralled by the idea of reading someone who is a known "celebrity" (largest dust jacket photo I've seen in a while), no one outside of the staff of Musso & Frank's would read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Story
Review: I really enjoyed this book, and I must say, while I was reading it, I kept saying to myself.."I can't believe how talented Mr. Martin is." I have always been a big fan of his,and I really enjoyed his first book, the Shopgirl. But something about this one grabbed me even more than his first, and I read it without putting it down, I was so involved with Daniel,the main character, and his life.
I have to admit, at first I felt a little guilty laughing at the main character's behaviors, but then I decided I wasn't laughing at him, kind of with him. I started thinking about the things I do that are strange, (I won't go into them here, anybody that knows me, feel free to ask, I'll explain), and realised I am just lucky any strange behaviors on my part have not been the kind to interfere with my leading what some people call a "normal"life. Then after I got over my guilt, I allowed myself to laugh at everything I found funny, which was a good thing, I laughed out loud quite a lot.I also had a couple of places with some tears. So what I am trying to say is, read this book and enjoy. I will probably read it again one day, just because I enjoyed it so much, and I am finding that I really miss Daniel.
Rating:
Summary: What just happened?
Review: Are small books sometimes awful because they don't have enough surface area to hold any meaningful print? The plots and characters in this novel are shaky. The binder barely holds this book together. I'm sorry, but it just wasn't all that good...at all. But, that's just my opinion right?...
Rating:
Summary: I almost died laughing!
Review: I read this whole book outloud to my girlfriend in one seating. The funny parts (which is 3/4 of the book) I had to read with tears running down my cheeks from laughing so hard. Before this I had read Shopgirl, and loved it! But, this one has blown me away, with it's perceptiveness and spontanaity. It's one the best books I've ever read, and the only other one that has made me feel this good is Will Durant's "History of Western Civilization", and I would say this one is allot easier and enjoyable than the latter. What do these books have in common they are all a glimpse into people and their practices. I think this needs to be made into a movie as well as "Shopgirl." Who knew Steve Martin had this kind of writing talent? He has the pure prose of Bukowski with that touch of inspiration that I could not ascribe to any other writer but Steve Martin. Read it and loved it!
Rating: 
Summary: Mature and Perceptive
Review: This is the story of Daniel Pecan Cambridge, his withdrawal from humanity and his return to the great masses. The book is not long, only 163 pages, but I found it both amusing and insightful. Daniel has some psychological problems (pecan...nut....get it?) He can no longer hold down a job or communicate easily with others. He lives an isolated life in Santa Monica, filling his days with obsessive-compulsive rituals. Likeable, gentle, with moments of great insight and others of total cluelessness, he has the fashion sense of Rain Man and the mathematical ability of John Nash. Daniel still finds other people interesting, and his desire to have a relationship with a woman leads him along a path that eventually helps him return to a richer life. This isn't an academically rigorous portrayal of specific mental health issues, but the character of Daniel works very well as a kind of neurotic Everyman. He is close enough that we can understand his world. He's interesting. We like him and cheer him on, for he is not tormented to the extent that we are alienated or repelled. The mathematical patterns and seemingly random rules that he uses to make his life bearable might be superficially amusing, but they serve much the same purpose as conventional social patterns. There is plenty of entertaining social commentary in this story, and more than a token jab at the egocentric who takes too much delight in his or her own company. Things occasionally seem a little glib and there are a few heavy handed moments. The ending, in particular, is glossed over. On the redeeming side, the story is imaginative and quirky, and it sustains enough pace to keep you interested. I also admired the author's skill in gradually moving Daniel into a more functional state as the book progresses. There are one or two moments of striking visual imagery, notably where the child Daniel imagines his father to be mathematically fractured. This writer is a keen observer of human behavior and has a finely developed sense of the absurdities of life. This humour and perceptiveness, combined with a thoughtfulness heavily influenced by undergraduate philosophy, makes for an interesting and unpretentious read that should have a broad appeal. Not as poignant as "Shopgirl", nor as sharply witty as the short stories written for the New Yorker, this quiet novella shows more technical maturity and consistency of style. As a writer of books, Steve Martin has a legitimate voice that is worth listening to.
Rating:
Summary: Loved it
Review: This is another work of genius from the great Steve Martin. I loved the fresh pace and quirky style it's written in, along with the incredibly funny and loving main character, Danie Pecan Cambridge. With only 160 something pages it's a quick read but well worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Side splittingly funny
Review: I loved this book ! Thoroughly recommend it to anyone in need of cheering up . The protagonist is a complete wacko but hysterically funny. Found the end quite touching . All in all a good read . Look forward to seeing the movie .
Rating: 
Summary: Martin's hero is a nut, and not just a "Pecan".
Review: I can't say I really enjoyed "The Pleasure of My Company", and much preferred Martin's first work, "Shopgirl". I'm not sure that many people would read this book, if it weren't for the author's fame in comedy. But it is worth a read, particularly if you know someone that has OCD, which generally escalates as people reach the age where they have to begin their own, independent lives. Martin has a light touch with his humor, although he has difficulty with the resolution of his stories, preferring to paint the characters in depth, and then just fade away. Since he can do that in comedy, but not in novels, he is not as successful here. The hero of Steve Martin's new novel (novella? only 163 pages) suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and has a tad of the autistic savant thrown in for good measure. Daniel's somehow ended up living alone in Santa Monica... "Santa Monica, California, where I live, is a perfect town for invalids, homosexuals, show people, and all other formerly peripheral members of society. Average is not the norm here." Living alone, Daniel doesn't have a job anymore, although he used to use his skills as a math wizard at Hewlett-Packard, where he was employed as a business communique encoder. He had to leave that job when he weaned himself off his meds and he could no longer allow himself to create a code whose ultimate end was to be decoded. Now Daniel lives on public assistance, with help from periodic cash infusions from his Granny. There are several wonderful treatises on Daniel's trips to the Rite-Aid, which is "splendidly antiseptic". We suffer through his neuroses every time he steps outside his apartment, in trips which must be planned perfectly, to not upset his equilibrium. Much of his inner voicing is consumed with his attraction to a variety of females who slide in and out of the periphery of his existence. Martin has a writing style that throws out the edge of Daniel's obsessions in a disarming way. "The next morning, I decided to touch every corner of every copying machine at Kinko's...", and he treats his hero gently, with feeling. Somewhat funny, and somewhat poignant, Daniel's life escalates quickly at the end of the book, in an almost too pat fashion, but then, without the happy ending, it would be pointless to explore Daniel's world and walk away unhappy. Recommended with reservations - don't expect it to be wildly funny. If you have or know someone with OCD, it offers a rare insight through humor.
Rating:
Summary: Okay, I give...
Review: When I saw this at the book store, I chuckled smugly: Gosh, I wonder how this guy got his book deal, and what unknown author did he push off the shelf with his big name and the publisher's money? And, so, not wanting to put any money in the pocket of a millionaire celebrity 'writer,' I checked it out at the library. Damn! It's so totally brilliant: sad, and real and exquisitely written. A great novel. I'm now purchasing a copy. Damn!
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