The Pleasure of My Company

The Pleasure of My Company

3.74 of 5 stars 3.74  ·  rating details  ·  9,438 ratings  ·  1,032 reviews
Daniel Pecan Cambridge, 30, 35, 38, or 27, depending on how he feels that day, is a young man whose life is rich and full, provided he never leaves his Santa Monica apartment. After all, outside there are 8-inch-high curbs and there's always the horrible chance he might see a gas station attendant wearing a blue hat. So, except for the occasional trip to the Rite Aid to ad...more
Paperback, 176 pages
Published October 6th 2004 by Hyperion (first published October 1st 2003)
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French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille GuilianoFanny Hill, or Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure by John ClelandHeadache Relief for Women by Alan M. RapoportThe Pleasure of My Company by Steve MartinBeyond the Pleasure Principle by Sigmund Freud
Pleasure or Pain
4th out of 42 books — 6 voters
Bossypants by Tina FeyIs Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy KalingBorn Standing Up by Steve MartinYou're Not Doing It Right by Michael Ian BlackShopgirl by Steve Martin
Written by Comedians
10th out of 62 books — 24 voters


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Community Reviews

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Min
I have read many of Steve Martin's novellas, as well as his previous novel, Shopgirl, and enjoyed them.
However, I think The Pleasure of My Company has to be my favourite. The pace, the characters, the humour and the quirks of the main character drew me in. It is a short enough book that it can easily be read in one sitting. But I found that I wanted to keep coming back to it, to once again see life through Daniel's eyes.
I am not keen on analysing books for the deeper meanings of life; I like t...more
Laurie
I have to say that after I read Shopgirl I was hesitant to give Steve Martin another try. Hesitant, but some moments of Shopgirl made me feel like I also sort of owed him.

I am so glad I did. This book is obviously less meditative, and certainly more outright sappy--but I loved almost every moment of it.

The difference? I loved and cared about the characters. Felt closer to them each time the main character reached just a little bit more out of his self imposed bubble.

Everything worked out almo...more
Joel Neff
Feb 23, 2008 Joel Neff rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Sentimentalists and those prone to melancholia.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Anthony
Feb 24, 2010 Anthony rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people who liked "Roxanne"
Recommended to Anthony by: Dad
Shelves: read-in-2010
I think Steve Martin genuinely wants to be a writer, as opposed to a celebrity who wants people to know schweet they are because their name is written in huge letters on a ghost-written book, which added points to "The Pleasure of My Company." I hope Martin has brushed up his writing chops a bit since this novella (I won't judge too harshly, pretty sure I have yet to get a single reader on this website) because despite a couple flaws, the story comes out heartfelt, funny, and sincere. The humor...more
Arthur Graham
I was first exposed to Martin's written work through his surreal/absurdist plays (Picasso at the Lapin Agile, WASP, etc), not Shopgirl, so naturally I was expecting something far different from this. Nevertheless, in spite of myself, I found the cold cockles of my heart surprisingly warmed by this humorous tale of boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets a whole hell of a lot more in return. It's probably fair to say that Martin isn't the most brilliant novelist around, but he's genuinely funny...more
Paula
I'll do my best not to compare or contrast this with Shopgirl since, for the most part, both books are completely different animals. Even though, like with Shopgirl, at times I was either very frustrated or very surprised by what I was reading.

Daniel, the character whose head the reader is in, is slightly off from normal, to put it in a nice way. One of the biggest frustrations for me in the book, however, was that it's not really clear why this is the case; I mean, we know it has to do with his...more
Roy
The greatest obtacles are those we impose upon ourselves. As for the deepest wounds, they tend to come from those who love us considerably less than by all rights they should. This wonderful little book eloquently expresses both of these points. It belongs to that popular category of fiction which is narrated in first person from the perspective of a character who is emotionally and/or mentally challenged, thus magnifying commonplace exploits to Mount Everest proportions. I'm looking for a short...more
Trish
This is such an optimistic story, and the experience of reading it is so joyful. The writing is lovely, the characters are fascinating, and the plot unfolds like a flower.

Obstacles and obsessions have narrowed Daniel's world. He doesn't have a job, he doesn't have friends. He can walk to the Rite-Aid by following a complicated route that avoids curbs. His grandmother sends him letters filled with love ... and checks. Twice a week, a student therapist named Clarissa stops by to ask him how he is...more
Mindy
I absolutely loved this book... even more so than Martin's first novel, Shopgirl. I'm pretty sure he's a genius.

The narrator, Daniel, has anxieties and compulsive behaviors that are completely absurd. He has many unlikeable qualities, but he is also kind-hearted, witty, and hopeful. Martin does a great job of humanizing him so that by the end, I empathized with all of his eccentricities.

I liked that the world was so tiny, rarely expanding beyond Daniel's apartment. Small things become monumenta...more
Kelly
The book jacket describes the main character as a "modern-day neurotic yearning to break free." At first, I wasn't that jazzed up reading about his various neuroses, but Daniel Pecan Cambridge grew on me. I loved Shopgirl almost instantly but I grew to love Martin's second novel as I read more of it, with my attachment to it coming to a crescendo just as I read the last page. (damn!)[return][return]While I don't join Daniel in his insistence on a constant total of wattage from indoor lighting, t...more
Mitch
I must have been living under a rock because I didn't know Steve Martin wrote fiction. I mean, I am pretty indifferent about him in movies (I'm not a fan but I don't dislike him either) but I was curious to see how his books were. So, the one that looked most popular was "The Pleasure of My Company". Well, I got it for Christmas as off it went with me to Starbucks to give it a go.

75 pages later I was still in Starbucks still nursing my cold venti or grande or whatever-the-hell weird ass sizes St...more
Anya
PROS
-Gentle, quiet, very slice-of-life, cute.
-The main character was fleshed out well. Despite his weird quirks that made me go 'Oh jeez, REALLY?', he was likable.
-The author's prose was likable.
-Everything was reasonable. Nothing really suspended my belief too bad, which is important!

CONS
-Not a page turner. I mean, I know it's not SUPPOSED to be, it's a slice-of-life type of book after all, but that doesn't mean it only held half my attention for most of the book.
-The other characters were one-...more
Tracy
I've been wanting to read "Shopgirl" for the longest time (as well as "Object of Beauty"), so when I found a nice hardback copy of "The Pleasure of My Company" in the bargain books section of my grocery store, I took it. I really wanted to like The Pleasure of My Company. The writing is spare and elegant in its simplicity, the worlds that the characters inhabit are small but real, the tone is just right. It reminds me of Shopgirl, I've seen the movie and both the movie and this book fall into t...more
Annabel Smith
I didn’t know quite what to expect in a novel by Steve Martin, star of countless generic comedy films. I must confess I was suspicious that Martin only found a publisher because he was already famous, however, after reading this small and quirky book, I have changed my mind. In fact, I found Steve Martin, the author, much more talented and interesting than Steve Martin, the actor; his humour far more witty, subtle and eccentric in his writing than in his films.

Martin has created an unlikely hero...more
Chy
Daniel Pecan Cambridge is an Obsessive/Compulsive man who can’t even make it to the Rite Aid without following a strict route based on how the scooped driveways line up. The book is full of his little habits, some of which make more sense than I’d like to admit.

The book is a love story of sorts, though it’s not like any love story you’ve ever read. You get to see the compassion and soul of this man so rooted in routine that he can’t see his way out. From one obsession to another, from one crush...more
Amy
Good! I enjoyed this book alot, much more than I expected to. Here are 3 quotes that I couldn't get out of my head:


Let me tell you about my mailbox. It is one of twelve eroded brassy slots at the front entrance of my building. It is also my Ellis Island, because, as I don't have a phone or a computer, and I disconnected my TV, everything alien that comes to me comes through it first.
The Pleasure of My Company, Steve Martin


Still upside down, I reminded myself I was in front of an audience who wa...more
christa
Daniel Pecan Cambridge lives in a prison of disorder. His life in Santa Monica is a highly structured life in which he must find a way to the Rite Aid that doesn't involve stepping off a curb. He is mentally unable to hold a job like the one he once had at Hewlett Packard. He is unable to use public transportation unless he can draw lines between passengers based upon the plaids and stripes they are wearing. He prioritizes his mail into three piles, savoring letters from his grandmother in Texas...more
Karen
This is the first book by Steve Martin that I have read. I was a little nervous to read one of his book because I know how terrible comedians' language can be. My fears were not realized.
This was a really wonderful book about a man who had some very serious mental roadblocks in his life. He had created so many rules about how he could and could not live his life, about what he could and could not do that he had made himself a prisioner in his own apartment. He could no longer work and he could...more
Brentney
I read Shopgirl, Martin's other bestselling novella, last weekend, and while I wouldn't call it "fantastic," the characters stuck with me all week. It was a mediocre story with exceptional heart (and yes, that is a bit of a nod to Martin's occasional turn toward the prosaic).

The Pleasure of My Company is the apple to Shopgirl's orange. There really is no comparison. While Martin's earlier work is occasionally funny, it is primarily somber and deals with heavy subjects (clinical depression, chea...more
Annie
A delightfully clever story, I thought this was a humorous book with a touch of sweetness. It has a great main character. Daniel Pecan Cambridge is extremely neurotic. He is full of obsessions, tics, and methods to calm himself down. He is brutally honest with himself/readers, a misfit but a very endearing one. Some of the antics he pulls are strange and could be gimmicky in another book, but I felt like Steve Martin (yes the comedian!) did a great job with the material and it was entertaining t...more
Shirley
Steve Martin being the goofball that he is, wrote a decent novella, and having narrated the audio book himself, made it even more enjoyable. I listened to the audio book while traveling and discovered unfortunately that I tend to fall asleep listening to audio books! (Could this be the answer to my insomnia? Just a thought....) Though this wasn't an all time literary prize winner, if you like Steve Martin, you'd enjoy this book.

The story begins as Daniel's lacking social life is dotted by twice...more
Michael
I am a huge fan of Steve Martin. His standup routines are excellent. His films are funny. I also enjoyed his autobiography, Born Standing Up. I was not impressed, however, with Martin's novella, Shopgirl. I found it to be lacking in substance, not very funny or entertaining, and unmemorable. The Pleasure of My Company has caused me to re-think Martin's ability to write fiction. The Pleasure of My Company is entertaining, funny, and heartwarming. The ending may be a bit sappy and too much of a "T...more
Jenny
Nov 21, 2008 Jenny rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of Garp
Shelves: favoritestuff
I decided to add this even though I read it ages ago because I'm currently watching Shopgirl. I have only seen snippets because CNN is more entertaining. I hated the book and I think I would like the movie even less. Some men can write women well, some can't. God knows I love Steve Martin, but Shopgirl sucked donkey balls. The Pleasure of My Company, however, is on my all-time favorites list. I adored this book and apparently I am not alone in either review. Shopgirl had an emptiness about it wh...more
Gillian
I loved this book, of course I went in with a bias because of my love of Steve Martin, but it was the first I'd ever read by him. I've read it twice now in less than a year, which is rare for me, I rarely re-read! But Daniel Pecan touches my heart, makes me burst out into raucous laughter on the bus and is one of my top ten favorite characters of all time!

He never really apologizes for his behavior or thoughts and why should he? You feel the fact that he cannot help the way his brain works- a f...more
Sabra Embury
I hold in high regard, the variance of output Steve Martin produces. He's a fascinating character who has been around, making himself known in trademark guises for decades now. As comedic actor, he's iconic; as a writer he's good at weaving cozy webs around sensitive, struggling characters.

In 1990's Shopgirl Martin sculpts Vermont transplant, and glove counter ingenue, Mirabelle Buttersfield, into a compelling LA heroine. Three years later in 1993The Pleasure of My Company follows the lonely an...more
Andrea
I'm crossing my fingers this is just as lovely as Shopgirl :)

IT iS!

Steve Martin is a beautiful writer. Who would have guessed? He is already so multi-talented. What an admirable guy! Now, I must read EVERYTHING by this brilliant man!

Some of my favorite lines:

"Philipa couldn't see that she was in the charmed part of her life when hope woke her up every day and put her feet into her shoes."

"The irony is that the one person who gives me money is the one person I wish I could hand the check back to...more
Philip
Many of my friends raved about Martin's best-selling novel "Shopgirl," but most had not heard of the novella I found in a used bookstore for $.99, although, it too, is a best-seller. I'll admit, I probably wouldn't have picked up the book if it wasn't such a large discount, no matter how much I love Steve Martin. The book summary, in my opinion, leaves much to be desired and I found the first few chapters to be the opposite of a hook; forcing it to turn into a chore for me to read. Once the plot...more
David
The Pleasure of My Company is a first-person narrative whose central character, Daniel Pecan Cambridge, is a little ... idiosyncratic? Odd? Neurotic? Abnormal? All of the above? You be the judge: He can only cross streets at driveways symmetrically opposed to one another, the total output of light in his apartment must always equal 1,125 watts, and in attempts to find love, usually comes across more stalker-like than Casanova.

Throughout the short novel, Daniel fantasizes about wooing three diffe...more
Elizabeth
This is a fun and witty novella from the perspective of a man living with OCD. I enjoyed the story and laughed out loud several times. I wasn't overwhelmingly impressed with the ending, but maybe only because I didn't think this was a love story and wasn't expecting it? In the end, its a worthy read.

Great Quotes:

I have a tough time just being myself, you know, at parties and such. I start talking to someone and suddenly I know I am no longer myself, that some other self has taken over.

Right now...more
Tung
I really want to like Steve Martin as an author since I have such affection for his movies. The Jerk, The Man with Two Brains, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels are three of my favorite movies from the 1980’s; I also liked his time at SNL and his early comedy specials. Unfortunately, I haven’t had a good experience with his written material. I found Shopgirl cute but mostly shallow, and I thought the plays in Picasso at the L’apin Agile were mixed to less than average. My frustration with Martin as an...more
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The Pleasure of My Company (Hardcover)
The Pleasure of My Company (ebook)
The Pleasure of My Company: A Novella (Audio CD)
Pleasure Of My Company, The
The Pleasure Of My Company

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Stephen Glenn "Steve" Martin is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, musician, and composer. He was raised in Southern California in a Baptist family, where his early influences were working at Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm and working magic and comedy acts at these and other smaller venues in the area. His ascent to fame picked up when he became a writer for the Smothers...more
More about Steve Martin...
Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life An Object of Beauty Shopgirl Pure Drivel Picasso at the Lapin Agile and Other Plays

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“I understood that as much as I had resisted the outside, as much as I had constricted my life, as much as I had closed and narrowed the channels into me, there were still many takers for the quiet heart.” 160 people liked it
“Or is it that I think too much?” 70 people liked it
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