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May 29, 2011

King Dinösaur rated it:

Two things stand out about Steve Martin's latest novel, "An Object of Beauty": 1) His continuing insight into human emotion/interaction and 2) His ability to take something I am completely ignorant about and not really interested in (New York's art community) and make it both understandable and engrossing.

I've read other reviews that called this book "cold," probably based on the perceived aloofness of the art world and its sycophantic devotees, but I don't thi More...

0 comments like (33 people liked it)

Jun 18, 2011

Malbadeen rated it:

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7 comments like (5 people liked it)

Aug 25, 2011

Mon rated it:

Here's the million dollar question:
Without googling the respective http://www.goodreads.com/review/edit/790... of the below artworks, what do you think is the similarity between them?

First off, paintings!

Now sculptures.

Ok I'm tired, I originally planned to do an installation, mixed media art comparison as well. Like I said, TIRED.

Ready?

For the paintings, t More...

0 comments like (8 people liked it)

May 02, 2011

Stephanie rated it:

what an amazing novel. Martin wrote with a beautifully prosaic voice, and kept me spellbound throughout. I highly recommend this novel, if not for the characters, story line, or art history lesson, then for the pictures, which I loved him adding. It sure saved me time from Googling them online, in order to refresh my memory.
Martin's descriptions of the art, and the era, were more than apt; they were precise and unerring. He knew the art world like he'd LIVED the art world, and knew al More...

0 comments like (6 people liked it)

Nov 29, 2010

Brian rated it:

The working title for this could have easily been N.Y. Story, which is a little bit of a surprise from the very-Californian Steve Martin. The book is a tour through close to two recent decades of NYC life, as seen through the prism of the city's art world. At times it seems like the art history lessons and plot/character bits were written separately and spliced together, but more often than not they hang together well enough. The book is a quick, enjoyable read that's especially tailored for New More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Apr 24, 2011

Danny rated it:

As a giant Steve Martin fan, and one who loved his novels "Shopgirl" and "The Pleasure of My Company," I found his newest novel absolutely disappointing.

Taking place in the stuffy New York City world of fine art collecting and dealing, "An Object of Beauty" follows Lacey Yeager through her nearly two-decade career in Manhattan. The result is rather dull. While Martin's writing is well done, the story itself is forgettable in just about every way.

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2 comments like (10 people liked it)

Jun 22, 2011

Kelly rated it:

About three-quarters of the way through this, I decided this book reminded me of something. The question of what it was started to bother me more than actual questions arising from the novel. At first, I thought it must be its resemblance to other novels written by smart men about fascinating, terrifying women they cannot either understand or, despite numerous injuries, quite break free of. The women where one can never completely decide if they are a heroine given their time and milieu, if they More...

21 comments like (25 people liked it)

Mar 21, 2011

Mary Ronan rated it:

At the Academy Awards they always introduce the winners as “multi-talented.” Normally that means they can walk and chew gum at the same time. But in the case of Steve Martin, author of An Object of Beauty, an Emmy, Grammys, a very successful career as a comedian and actor, and two excellent books of fiction, not to mention a stageplay, screenplays, a children’s book, a comedy collection, and pieces for the New Yorker and the New York Times, qualify him as a 21st century Renaissance man.

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2 comments like (5 people liked it)

Jan 13, 2011

Gail rated it:

Reading Steve Martin's new book is a pleasure best reserved for someone with an interest in art. Someone who can tell a Cezanne from a de Kooning. Not familiar with either? A Pollack from a Picasso, then, at the very least.

Being an art lover myself, I was quickly wrapped up in a storyline that, along the way, seemed less concerned with the outcome of its main character as in cluing readers in to the inner workings of the art industry (high-stakes game of curators, collectors, auctio More...

7 comments like (5 people liked it)

Jul 05, 2011

Heather rated it:

It's true, I like Steve Martin's books. I like that this made me interested in lots of art world details that normally I couldn't give a hoot about. And how the real world and events in it (of the 90s etc) impact it.

I love that it was read by Campbell Scott (is he one of the best audiobook readers ever? Yes. Yes he is. Good at it AND you can remember how cute he is whenever you hear his voice), who is clearly a favorite for Steve Martin book reading.

Story = told from the More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 08, 2011

Christine added it

I tend to like Steve Martin's writing. He has a very upfront style. Good description, but not flowery - very straightforward. I liked the narrator's voice in the novel, though occasionally got very frustrated of his tolerance for Lacey - his friend, and the focus of the book. She's an ambitious woman with little regard for anything other than what she wants. She uses sex and sexuality, as well as a fairly sharp wit, to get what she wants, and the men in her life seem to be flummoxed by this More...

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Feb 19, 2012

Meg rated it:

I was totally engaged with this book and when I wasn't reading it, I often found myself thinking about the main character, Lacey Yeager and what she was up to. Martin's story of Lacey's career in the art world is interesting, exciting and entertaining, and includes more than 20 photographs of some of the important works in the novel. If you are not an art lover, don't let the subject matter turn you off from reading this book. Somehow, Martin makes the information fascinating as he weaves art h More...

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Feb 11, 2012

Nate rated it:

This book blew me away very softly. It's gentle, lyrical, sad and sweet. Steve Martin has always shown himself to be a good writer but this one definitely is a surprise. Perfect reading for morning coffee or tea, and with some amazing art and NYC details thrown in (not to mention beautiful reproductions of works ... Thank goodness for W.G. Sebald and the trend of image insertion that followed). Theres a delicate but well done act of using this story to point at bigger events in the world, but it More...

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Feb 04, 2012

Jennie rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Jan 27, 2012

Carol rated it:

Lacey Yeager is the young woman who graduates from art school and goes to work for Christies. She learns as she is relegated to begin at the bottom and measure prints. She works literally at the bottom in the basement in the bins of artworks. Lacey is on her way in the Art World but makes an error that will haunt her until the end of her story. She is a person who is always going to be able to rationalize criminal behavior. Lacey's blooming success in the business of art is self-driven by a More...

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Jan 21, 2012

Scot rated it:

The more reviews I do the more liberal I become with these stars because I find that so much of what I encounter falls in the range of average - not so much mediocre, which implies dull, but average as in, that was a fun, unchallenging read that didn't feel like a waste of time, but neither felt like something I'll give much consideration to again in the future.

An Object of Beauty is a clever book. It is, like it's author, witty, wry, and bit dry, and full of insights of the entertain More...

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Jan 05, 2012

Wanda rated it:

Lacey Yeager and Daniel Chester French Franks are young, art history majors beginning their careers in NYC. Lacey starts off in the bins at Sotheby's (equivalent to the mailroom). The novel is written from Daniel's perspective, like he is documenting Lacey's life. Lacey knows how to use her talents and her body to climb the ladders she needs to in order to achieve what she wants in life.

Martin does an excellent job of portraying the characters in "An Object of Beauty." More...

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Dec 20, 2011

Laura rated it:

I thought that the book itself was an object of beauty as having the art in the text was a great strategy. I like the narrator's voice, but couldn't stand the main character. "She started converting objects of beauty into objects of value." Beautiful, scheming, and almost emotionless I worried about how Lacey would next hurt those around her. She seems to have no moral code, no regrets about her thefts. "If events that have yet to happen but probably will can be counted More...

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Nov 24, 2011

Tony rated it:

Since it's by Steve Martin, you might think it's a comedy, but it's not, though there are a few funny lines in there. The story is about a young woman who works her way up in the art world as told by a friend of hers, but what makes this not just good is the descriptions of people, the art world, and the world generally, as well as some wonderful but sometimes subtle themes. It becomes apparent that one theme is taking a piece of art and turning it from an object of beauty to an object of moneta More...

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Nov 07, 2011

Sheri rated it:

Prior to reading the reviews of this novel, I knew Steve Martin was a gifted writer in addition to being a hilarious comic, a skilled banjo player, and an actor wont to playing sad movie characters. I didn't know he was a highly knowledgeable art historian and art collector, which is the subject of this novel. You might wonder who actually majors in art history these days when jobs are so hard to come by for liberal arts majors. Well, the two main characters of Martin's novel start out there, More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 03, 2011

John rated it:

Is there anything Steve Martin can’t do? I knew about the acting (TV & movies) and the stand up and the music, but I did not know he wrote novels too. Maybe I should not be surprised since he wrote screenplays. But, what works on screen does not necessarily work in a novel.

The book was not what I expected. I expected humor, even if the book was not a comedy, I expected it to be funny. Instead I found a pretty serious story that turned out to be a page turner. I kept wanting to More...

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Sep 13, 2011

Dean rated it:

The Cost of Pretty
At a recent memorial service for a dear woman of our church, among photos of the woman’s 90+ years hung a couple of landscape paintings. Pastor Becca commented, “She used to offer some of her paintings for sale at the Fall auction. But usually they didn’t sell. It made me sad.”
I recently finished reading a novel about the art world, An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin (Grand Central Publishing, 2010). The book covers the New York art scene from the 1990’s to the prese More...

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Aug 20, 2011

Lianne added it

Steve Martin is a modern Renaissance man: comedian, banjo player, screenwriter, playwright. He surprises us by also becoming a novelist,and does so on his own terms. This book begins like his previous novel Shopgirl, with a seemingly shallow ambitious young woman. Although the story promises mere romance and confection, it also an art mystery and a moral commentary on New York before and after 9/11. Steve Martin is a serious collector of fine art and this plot gives him a chance to use what he h More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 11, 2011

Carol rated it:

I absolutely love this book and for that matter all the books I've read by Steve Martin. Not sure how it's possible for one individual to be so multi-talented but Mr. Martin sure is one gifted fellow. If you know anything about the world of art collecting, you'll love this book. If you've ever had a work colleague who is totally driven, calculating, and opportunistic to a complete and total fault, you will also love Steve Martin's insight into the professional psyche of Lacy Yeager. She's sort o More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jun 23, 2011

Joel rated it:

The trouble with a Steve Martin novel is that it takes more effort to distract yourself from Steve Martin than it does to read the novel. The stories are tight, well-constructed, and with only a handful of characters but I could never shake the feeling that I was reading about Steve Martin, not the narrator / protagonist. It's also just a bit smug, as though Steve Martin wants to impress the reader with how much he's learned about art. Maybe that's just me.

Then there's the problem o More...

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Jun 21, 2011

Kerry rated it:

At first glance, Steve Martin's latest novel, An Object of Beauty, is a portrait of one Ms. Lacey Yeager, an up-and-coming art dealer in New York City. Our narrator, Daniel Franks, tells us that he is writing down her story only to remove it from his head; the book begins,

"I am tired, so very tired of thinking about Lacey Yeager, yet I worry that unless I write her story down, and see it bound and tidy on my bookshelf, I will be unable to ever write about anything else." (p. More...

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Jun 01, 2011

Tai rated it:

It never ceases to amaze me what a great writer Steve Martin is...I guess it shouldn't, considering he broke into showbiz as a comedy writer, but the particular nuance of his understanding, the facility and sparkle of his language and insight, (combined with the kind of playful, entertaining humor you would expect from such a funnyman) creates works of true literature, not simply some comedian's entertaining but limited attempt to write a book.

Lacey Yeager (the focus of our tale) is a More...

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May 21, 2011

Gregg rated it:

I had a hard time liking most of the characters in this novel, especially the main character. Lacey Yeager is an ambitious young woman trying to climb the career ladder in the unpredictable New York art world. She was just a little bit too self-serving and people-using for me to ever be very sympathetic towards her.

What I really did like about this book was the glimpses into the world of art dealers, art collectors, and artists. We are taken behind the scenes at Manhattan art auctio More...

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Apr 30, 2011

Elizabeth rated it:

An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin (pp. 292)
Martin’s tale of Lacey Yeagar, an upstart New York art gallery girl may be a perfect story. Following her character through her lowly starts as an office girl at Sotheby’s through her aspirations to become a self-made, gallery owner is over simplifying the deftness of Martin’s words.

Chapters are concise, yet rich with image, insight, and deep defining strokes into many of the main characters. There’s a cold aloofness to Lacey tha More...

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Apr 15, 2011

Tommy Bat-Blog rated it:

Steve Martin ( Yes, the Silver-Haired Movie Actor & Comedian ) is pretty well known inside the Art World. In real life he's an extremely serious Art Collector. He buys those masterpieces that none of us regualr people could ever afford. But, good for him! At least he's not wasting his money, ha! So, when I heard about this book I knew I had to read it. I thought it would be - a great read! OK, it is a good book with a very nice story. It is worth reading & has a lot of heart plus some funny humo More...

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