false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1184527774m/1513868.jpg 10867 21 Readers expecting something zany, something crudely humorous from Steve Martin's second novel, <I>The Pleasure of My Company</I>, will discover much greater riches. While the book has a sense of humor, Martin moves everywhere with a gentler, lighter touch in this elegant little fiction that verges on the profound and poetic. <p> Daniel Pecan Cambridge is the narrator and central consciousness of the novel (actually a novella). Daniel, an ex-Hewlett-Packard communiqué encoder, is a savant whose closely proscribed world is bounded on every side by neuroses and obsessions. He cannot cross the street except at driveways symmetrically opposed to each, and he cannot sleep unless the wattage of the active light bulbs in his apartment sums to 1,125. Daniel's starved social life is punctuated by twice-weekly visits from a young therapist in training, Clarissa; by his prescription pick-ups from a Rite Aid pharmacist, Zandy; and by his "casual" meetings with the bleach-blond real estate agent, Elizabeth, who is struggling to sell apartments across the street. But Daniel's dysfunctional routines are shattered one day when he becomes entangled in the chaos of Clarissa's life as a single mother. Taking care of Clarissa's tiny son, Teddy, Daniel begins to emerge from the safety of logic, magic squares, and obsessive counting. <p> Martin's craftsmanship is remarkable. The tightly packed novella paints rich portraits with restraint and balance, including nothing extraneous to Daniel's world. The book does not try for pyrotechnics but is contented with a Zen-like simplicity in both prose and plot. Avoiding the crushing bleakness of much contemporary fiction, Martin insists through Daniel--a man haunted by horrors of his own making--that there is possibility for compassion, that broken lives can actually be healed. <I>--Patrick O'Kelley</I> 1401713 book 2003 The Pleasure of My Company: A Novel total:3561|5:751|4:1436|3:1058|2:266|1:50| 3561 13255 4473 516 10867 0786888016 9780786888016 3217 453 3.72 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166334505m/10867.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10867.The_Pleasure_of_My_Company_A_Novel 5 4 false Wed May 20 19:32:12 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 11 17:54:22 -0700 2007 Wed May 20 19:32:12 -0700 2009 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 ca...more...]]> 10867 0786888016 9780786888016 3217 453 3.72 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166334505m/10867.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10867.The_Pleasure_of_My_Company_A_Novel 5 2 false Thu May 15 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Apr 23 16:20:53 -0700 2008 Thu May 15 17:50:02 -0700 2008
I am so glad I did. This book is obviously less meditative, and certainly more outright sappy--but I loved almost ev...more...]]> 10867 0786888016 9780786888016 3217 453 3.72 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166334505m/10867.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10867.The_Pleasure_of_My_Company_A_Novel 5 2 true Sat Feb 23 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Feb 20 05:41:24 -0800 2008 Sat Feb 23 23:03:34 -0800 2008
The novel tells the story of Daniel Pecan Cambridge, a neurotic obsessive-compulsive, as he tries, in his own straight-jacketed way to find love. Daniel has rules for his life: He can not cross the ...more...]]> 10867 0786888016 9780786888016 3217 453 3.72 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166334505m/10867.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10867.The_Pleasure_of_My_Company_A_Novel 3 1 false Sun Aug 24 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Jan 03 21:04:20 -0800 2008 Sun Aug 24 22:23:48 -0700 2008
Daniel, the character whose head the reader ...more...]]> 10867 0786888016 9780786888016 3217 453 3.72 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166334505m/10867.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10867.The_Pleasure_of_My_Company_A_Novel 4 1 false Tue Feb 03 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Dec 16 08:48:09 -0800 2008 Tue Feb 03 15:40:55 -0800 2009 more...]]> 10867 0786888016 9780786888016 3217 453 3.72 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166334505m/10867.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10867.The_Pleasure_of_My_Company_A_Novel 5 1 false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Wed Oct 17 05:43:28 -0700 2007 Tue Apr 01 10:35:10 -0700 2008
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. Mart...more...]]> 256028 0786869216 9780786869213 236 39 3.72 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173198812m/256028.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/256028.The_Pleasure_of_My_Company_A_Novel 4 0 false Sun Feb 12 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Mon Jan 19 20:13:09 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 19 20:13:09 -0800 2009 more...]]> 256028 0786869216 9780786869213 236 39 3.72 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173198812m/256028.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/256028.The_Pleasure_of_My_Company_A_Novel 4 0 false Fri Jun 12 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 14 08:21:40 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 14 08:36:16 -0700 2009 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 Ple...more...]]> 10867 0786888016 9780786888016 3217 453 3.72 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166334505m/10867.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10867.The_Pleasure_of_My_Company_A_Novel 5 0 false Fri Nov 21 13:50:30 -0800 2008 Fri Nov 21 15:11:38 -0800 2008 more...]]> 10867 0786888016 9780786888016 3217 453 3.72 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166334505m/10867.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10867.The_Pleasure_of_My_Company_A_Novel 3 0 true Sun Feb 15 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 11 08:48:35 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 16 07:04:21 -0800 2009 more...]]> 1513868 1401397506 9781401397500 31 10 3.72 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1184527774m/1513868.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1513868.The_Pleasure_of_My_Company 4 0 false Tue Apr 07 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 08 21:13:54 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 08 21:30:35 -0700 2009 The Pleasure of My Company more than Shopgirl. Every so often there is a description or metaphor that just takes my breath.
Daniel is an isolated thirtysomething so impaired by obses...more...]]> 10867 0786888016 9780786888016 3217 453 3.72 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166334505m/10867.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10867.The_Pleasure_of_My_Company_A_Novel 4 0 false Sun Oct 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 13 15:46:29 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 21 15:45:51 -0700 2009
Funny, mostly light, and better than I expected. I read Shopgirl in high school and it just didn't click. This is bett...more...]]> 10867 0786888016 9780786888016 3217 453 3.72 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166334505m/10867.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10867.The_Pleasure_of_My_Company_A_Novel 3 0 false Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Feb 07 10:59:23 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 16 06:11:36 -0800 2009 more...]]> 10867 0786888016 9780786888016 3217 453 3.72 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166334505m/10867.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10867.The_Pleasure_of_My_Company_A_Novel 4 0 false Fri Dec 05 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Nov 26 06:51:32 -0800 2008 Fri Dec 05 21:19:07 -0800 2008 1 Picasso at the Lapin Agile, I was absolutely entranced by this book. The writing style is raw yet real - it felt more like reading the character's journal than an actual novel - a technique that may not have worked in a...more...]]> 10867 0786888016 9780786888016 3217 453 3.72 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166334505m/10867.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10867.The_Pleasure_of_My_Company_A_Novel 5 0 false Tue Jun 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 09 10:54:48 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 23 11:18:43 -0700 2009 more...]]> 10867 0786888016 9780786888016 3217 453 3.72 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166334505m/10867.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10867.The_Pleasure_of_My_Company_A_Novel 4 1 false Thu Jul 02 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 03 09:53:18 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 03 10:29:37 -0700 2009 more...]]> 10867 0786888016 9780786888016 3217 453 3.72 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166334505m/10867.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10867.The_Pleasure_of_My_Company_A_Novel 5 0 false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Wed Dec 17 08:01:39 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 17 08:07:55 -0800 2008
Once again, Martin's language is wonderful. His descriptions of a man with OCD were fascinating and, at times, heart-wrenching. The characters ...more...]]> 10867 0786888016 9780786888016 3217 453 3.72 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166334505m/10867.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10867.The_Pleasure_of_My_Company_A_Novel 4 0 false Fri Apr 24 08:25:01 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 19 04:25:17 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 24 08:25:01 -0700 2009 more...]]> 10867 0786888016 9780786888016 3217 453 3.72 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166334505m/10867.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10867.The_Pleasure_of_My_Company_A_Novel 3 0 false Mon Jan 26 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 22 19:50:07 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 26 06:55:29 -0800 2009 more...]]> 10867 0786888016 9780786888016 3217 453 3.72 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166334505m/10867.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10867.The_Pleasure_of_My_Company_A_Novel 4 0 false Sun Jan 04 13:24:10 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 04 13:26:24 -0800 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=1513868