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242nd out of 1,037 books
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12,164 voters
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Shopgirl
by
Steve Martin
Lonely, depressed, Vermont transplant Mirabelle Buttersfield, who sells expensive evening gloves nobody ever buys at Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills and spends her evenings watching television with her two cats. She attempts to forge a relationship with middle-aged, womanizing, Seattle millionaire Ray Porter while being pursued by socially inept and unambitious slacker Jere...more
Mass Market Paperbound, 130 pages
Published
September 1st 2006
by Hyperion
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OH, what an utterly FASCINATING look into the totally important and equally fascinating stereotypes regarding heterosexual sexual relationships. Everyone in this book could have died in a fire, and I wouldn't have cared. The girl, I hate her. I refuse to believe this girl is smart, everything she does indicates that she is a complete idiot. But the reader is supposed to accept that she is smart because Steve Martin cleverly includes this in the narration by saying something like "She is s...more
A haunting tale...in that I am still haunted by Martin's borderline misogynistic caricatures of women (and what he thinks we do in public restrooms (page 101)). He writes like a child who got a thesaurus for Christmas but has never read a great book, or been allowed to use the f-word, or met a woman, owned a pair of testicles (page 18), or employed an editor.
Don't believe me? Check out how he named his main character: Mirabelle Buttersfield. No one is named Mirabelle Buttersfield! U...more
Don't believe me? Check out how he named his main character: Mirabelle Buttersfield. No one is named Mirabelle Buttersfield! U...more
I picked up Shopgirl at the Strand for $4.95. I had heard of it vaguely as the movie with Steven Martin in it as an adaptation of the book Steve Martin wrote. I purchased it as a book that I could take with me on vacation and have it be ultimately disposable. Sometimes this trick backfires on me as I end up really liking a book and toting it home with me regardless of my original intentions. This is not one of those times.
Shopgirl tells the story of depressed, artist Mirabelle who w...more
Shopgirl tells the story of depressed, artist Mirabelle who w...more
Steve Martin is surprisingly adept at prose. A master of the comedic genre, Mr. Martin manages without pretentiousness to imbue the story of a slightly imbalanced shopgirl, Mirabelle, a veritable everyday girl with little to do of anything, with a mirth and understanding that undercuts all of his celebrity and stand-up.
Mirabelle meets both a fledgling creature Jeremy and a middle-aged millionaire Ray Porter. The short novella explores with a flat, unflinching, and sometimes almost du...more
Mirabelle meets both a fledgling creature Jeremy and a middle-aged millionaire Ray Porter. The short novella explores with a flat, unflinching, and sometimes almost du...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I read this book out of curiosity because I'd always wondered what kind of writer Steve Martin is. (I mean, I'd used his quote "I think I did pretty well, considering all I started out with was a bunch of blank paper" for YEARS in writing classes, at the tops of syllabi, etc. I could at least see what he'd done with that blank paper.)
I was pleasantly surprised. I *really* liked this novella. It was the right size for the story. I think too often writers cram a lot into ...more
I was pleasantly surprised. I *really* liked this novella. It was the right size for the story. I think too often writers cram a lot into ...more
This book was a surprise to me, loaned for on-the-plane reading after I'd finished the book I'd brought on the trip.
I had low expectations of the writing and the story. Both were pleasant surprises. Written in almost elegant prose, the characters in their small lives unfold. Vignettes of their lives are neat and complete, stacking on top of and inside one another, until the chain of experiences moves each character to a different place. It may seem insignificant or that the chara...more
I had low expectations of the writing and the story. Both were pleasant surprises. Written in almost elegant prose, the characters in their small lives unfold. Vignettes of their lives are neat and complete, stacking on top of and inside one another, until the chain of experiences moves each character to a different place. It may seem insignificant or that the chara...more
I love Steve Martin. <---This was how I was going to begin this review. Cushioning the harsh criticism with true admiration. Before I continued ...after that first line I decided I was much too harsh and I went into other goodreads reviews of this book to see how close my opinion was with the general public...and I found what I had predicted I would find. A whole bunch of people who loved his book. In between those admirers i found a few, who like me, love his work and want to make known how ...more
"She knows that she needs new friends but introductions are hard to come by when your natural state is shyness." p.4
"However, Jeremy does have one outstanding quality. He likes her. And this quality in a person makes them infinitely interesting to the person being liked." p.8
"She is offering herself to him on the outside chance that he will hold her afterward. She feels very practical about this and vows not to feel bad if things don't work out. A...more
"However, Jeremy does have one outstanding quality. He likes her. And this quality in a person makes them infinitely interesting to the person being liked." p.8
"She is offering herself to him on the outside chance that he will hold her afterward. She feels very practical about this and vows not to feel bad if things don't work out. A...more
I re-read this during the snowstorm and liked it almost as much as the first time. I have not seen the movie, because it can't be as good as the book. I have not written down any favorite quotes, because I would have basically been transcribing the book. The novella is short and the story is quiet, with only three (maybe four) main characters. I've probably never identified with an adult character as much as I do Mirabelle (even though she suffers from clinical depression and I do not). How Stev...more
Steve Martin, how I love you.
But please, please, please don't write anything ever again.
Kisses,
Laura
PS: Please stop being in movies involving the words "dozen" or "bride" in the title. K thanx.
PPS: Also, if you specifically note on one page that your character does not have a couch, only a FUTON OH MY GOD HOW CLICHED IS THAT, as a really lazy way of saying she "isn't grown up yet," and then later say that a visi...more
But please, please, please don't write anything ever again.
Kisses,
Laura
PS: Please stop being in movies involving the words "dozen" or "bride" in the title. K thanx.
PPS: Also, if you specifically note on one page that your character does not have a couch, only a FUTON OH MY GOD HOW CLICHED IS THAT, as a really lazy way of saying she "isn't grown up yet," and then later say that a visi...more
The story wants to be deep. It wants to paint a delicate picture of the world and wow you with its simple truths. It wants to sing straight into your heart, but it doesn't realize that it's tone deaf and, well, stupid. The only thing you can really do is pat it on the head and say, "Poor thing," and then maybe give it a piece of pie because its life will be filled with nothing but disappointment.
The eponymous 28-year-old shopgirl of this book, Mirabelle, works in the stultifyingly dull job of selling gloves at Neiman's in Beverly Hills and yearns for love but isn't sure how to go about it, accepting what she can get, including the affections a well-to-do 50-year-old traveling businessman. Even though he should know better, he wants to play both ends against the middle; hurt on all sides is inevitable. There's plenty of arrested development to go around; the 50-year-old knows as little a...more
Shopgirl is a novella of good intentions that manages to fall flatter than the fluorescent lighting at Neiman Marcus it's always waxing unpoetic about. Ray, a rich divorced 50-something businessman, meets Mirabelle, an poor depressive 20-something, over a glove counter. They start a non-relationship in which Ray buys her lots of stuff and insists they remain casual and Mirabelle wants more undergoes the mood rollercoaster. It ends badly, but the experience teaches Ray about responsibility (and p...more
Main theme I gathered from this book is that "pain changes our lives." or is what makes us grow.
When I first started this book, I was like "oh, brother." But I kept reading because a friend recommended it to me and I trust his opinion on things. I ended up really enjoying the read. And, although it was a bit racey and graphic, I found myself identifying with some of the characters thoughts and feelings.
Here is one of my favorite about how one per...more
When I first started this book, I was like "oh, brother." But I kept reading because a friend recommended it to me and I trust his opinion on things. I ended up really enjoying the read. And, although it was a bit racey and graphic, I found myself identifying with some of the characters thoughts and feelings.
Here is one of my favorite about how one per...more
There are a handful of writers I've come across who've successfully broken the "show, don't tell" rule every writer is taught. Kurt Vonnegut was one, and Steve Martin is another. It'd be hard to imagine Vonnegut in "Breakfast of Champions," for example, giving the reader all the information he wants to convey about Kilgore Trout, Dwayne Hoover and Eliot Rosewater through action and dialogue alone. Similarly, Martin in "Shopgirl," which is almost completely lacking i...more
I don't know why, but I almost want to perceive the story of the relationship of Mirabelle and Ray Porter as the author's parable of all relationships between older men and younger women.
A shy young woman toils in relative obscurity, unseen and unappreciated by her contemporaries (men and women alike), still emotionally a child waiting to bloom; an older man takes notice of her and is able to appreciate her youth and freshness and need for someone to notice.
Of course, t...more
A shy young woman toils in relative obscurity, unseen and unappreciated by her contemporaries (men and women alike), still emotionally a child waiting to bloom; an older man takes notice of her and is able to appreciate her youth and freshness and need for someone to notice.
Of course, t...more
Bored, I checked this out of the library one day, and I have to say, I found it surprisingly affecting. It's easy to sneer at Steve Martin for being a lit-pretender, but this wasn't a pretentious book in the least. It's a melancholy (not depressive), wise, and well-drawn portrait of a young woman in a sad, tender, no-strings-attached relationship with a wealthy older man who cares for her, but does not love her, and while this may sound banal, there's something extraordinary about this ability...more
Almost everything about this book works surprisingly well. The tone and style of the narration brings the reader very effectively into the life of Mirabelle, a girl who is lonely and longing to connect with other people. She doesn't get the opportunity to do so very often since she is both shy and employed at the glove counter of Neiman Marcus that seldom has any customers.
It is at the glove counter that Mirabelle meets Ray Porter. Ray Porter is a well-appointed older gentleman who t...more
It is at the glove counter that Mirabelle meets Ray Porter. Ray Porter is a well-appointed older gentleman who t...more
Dawn Michelle
rated it
Recommends it for:
NO ONE
Recommended to Dawn Michelle by:
Saw the movie first
Shelves:
books-i-will-never-read-again
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Shopgirl may be thin, but it's not light. Some might think that Martin, in his debut novella, would go for the easy laughs of his earlier books, Cruel Shoes<i/> and Pure Drivel. Instead he draws a stunningly lifelike portrait of a young woman, Mirabelle, and the two suitors who don't so much win her heart as force it to change alliances.
There's humor--how could there not be--but it's found in characters and not situations. This is not a book populated by props who stumble into ...more
There's humor--how could there not be--but it's found in characters and not situations. This is not a book populated by props who stumble into ...more
How can a movie that seemed so horrible and so sad be such an amazing book when the novel and screen play were written by the same person? Shouldn't they be, i don't know.. the same? It just doesn't make sense. Anyway, this was a wonderful book. Yes, it made me cry just as much as the movie did but the book was just so much better. The book leaves you more at peace with the ending. The movie just throws the ending at you and expects you to accept it. Thankfully, my favorite movie line was in the...more
You know that thing that stand up comedians do where they describe a situation that everyone has been through but no one ever verbalizes, so it's very funny when they, on stage, verbalize what they take as every person's thoughts on the subject and you think "hey - he's right!" That's what this book does - and does very well in a pretty refreshing style (It is Steve Martin, after all). I wasn't big on the story itself, but seriously loved the writing. Book is short and sweet - pick i...more
Taylor
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
women everywhere, men who think there are no good women
One of my all-time favorite books, absolutely. The plot isn't anything remarkable or ground-breaking - a woman is mis-treated by men, they eventually come around, one sooner than the other - but how he handles it is really just so emotionally moving, which is, to me, vastly more important. Even though I know the ending, even though I've read it a handful of times (and seen the movie, which was surprisingly well-translated, though still not quite so good as the book), the last 20-30 pages still m...more
Chocolate_0124
added it
In Steve Martin’s novel, Shopgirl, he establishes a relationship between two men: a 26 year old boy, Jeremy and an older man, Ray with the young women, Mirabelle. Mirabelle draws the attention of Ray Porter, a rich businessman who is twice as much as her age. Afterwards, they start to fall into a complicated relationship, and Jeremy is also involved. This book creates a unique “love triangle” between the three characters.
As a review from Wikipedia states that according to Martin...more
As a review from Wikipedia states that according to Martin...more
I don't have big expectations when picking up this book - out of sheer curiosity, and last evening I just wanted to read something short and simple (other choices are all based on tough subjects: Jodi Picoult's Perfect Match, Amy and Isabelle, and Duncan's Birth of Venus). In the end I stacked the other three books aside and picked this one.
I've watched the movie. Slow and painful at first, but in the end I really loved it. Same thing with this book. Long narration without dialogue m...more
I've watched the movie. Slow and painful at first, but in the end I really loved it. Same thing with this book. Long narration without dialogue m...more
Lorraine
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
people reflecting on love and relationships
Recommended to Lorraine by:
Adam
Shelves:
i-own-it
Who knew dumb-comedy actor Steve Martin could write something so insightful? The novella has the appearance of chicklit, but really offers a reflection on three (or four) different types of people who are looking for love. Mirabelle is the "average" girl with little self-esteem; Ray is a 50-yr-old playboy who thinks he's looking for love; Lisa thinks her self-worth lies solely in her sexual abilities; and Jeremy represents the 20-something guy whose emotional maturity needs to catch ...more
I was reshelving this book at the library, when I happened to peek at the first couple of pages. Brought the book home with me (happens a lot; occupational hazard). The first half was captivating. But then about two-thirds in I was starting to get tired of the pace and the non-events. Perhaps Mr Martin was as well, because the story kind of swooped up and wrapped itself tidily in the last 10 to 15 pages. Still, I liked the rhythm of the prose. There are a few gems in there from start to finish.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I've read this twice now — the first time for myself, and the second time out loud to my fiancé. The book stood out for me as it's the first truly literary work I've read in a long, long while; most of the books I've been reading exist either for commercial/entertainment value or for educational value, genre books or non-fiction. Shopgirl is mostly a character-based story that would make a great small, independent film. Each of the three main characters have their own arc; they grow in their jou...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| class-less | 2 | 32 | Jul 27, 2011 10:06am | |
| Does anyone know the quote of what is said at the very end of the movie? | 1 | 47 | Dec 21, 2008 09:57am |
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 th...more
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“It's pain that changes our lives.”
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316 people liked it
“...it is not the big events that hurt the most but rather the smallest questionable shift in tone at the end of a spoken word that can plow most deeply into the heart.”
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172 people liked it
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Dec 29, 2010 01:44pm
Oct 26, 2011 09:06am