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360th out of 1,663 books
—
2,419 voters
Cruel Shoes
by
Steve Martin
Hardcover, 128 pages
Published
June 28th 1979
by Putnam Publishing Group
(first published 1979)
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At work I have the task of reviewing books and then writing short, pithy reviews that normally say nothing more than what a book is about or why I liked or disliked it. The parameters of my reviews are tight; limited in such a way that I never get to say what I really want to express because of fears something might be said that offends a patron. I understand; I really do. But when did we get so cloistered in our thinking? When did it become wrong to review a book in a manner that truly reflects...more
What a letdown. I was so giddy to find this book in a bookstore, a crumpled, coffee stained original edition from the 70's, obviously well-worn and loved. Surely this must be a sign of awesomeness, and considering I have Martin's LET'S GET SMALL album memorized and PURE DRIVEL is my favorite short story collection of all time, I practically floated home from the bookstore. What I found unfortunately was a book with two good stories out of almost 30. Not only did they not make me laugh but they b...more
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"When I woke up that morning, it didn't take me long to realize there were dogs in my nose."
Cruel Shoes by Steve Martin. Before becoming a big box office movie star Steve Martin rose to the top of the stand-up comic ranks. He was a frequent guest host for the original cast Saturday Night Live, often he would be the first host of a new season, which is why some people mistakenly think he was the first to ever host SNL. That honor my friends goes to George Carlin. Anyway it was during this time (l...more
Cruel Shoes by Steve Martin. Before becoming a big box office movie star Steve Martin rose to the top of the stand-up comic ranks. He was a frequent guest host for the original cast Saturday Night Live, often he would be the first host of a new season, which is why some people mistakenly think he was the first to ever host SNL. That honor my friends goes to George Carlin. Anyway it was during this time (l...more
some folks reviewing this, seem to not get this book at all.
unfortunately, steve martin's knack for making some pretty droll movies the past 15-20 years makes it pretty difficult for a reader today to read this without already expecting something else entirely.
i haven't gone back to this book in years, but as a teenager, and even into my twenties, i would come back to this book again and again and it always slayed me.
this is quite simply absurdist humor of the highest order. some of it is mor...more
unfortunately, steve martin's knack for making some pretty droll movies the past 15-20 years makes it pretty difficult for a reader today to read this without already expecting something else entirely.
i haven't gone back to this book in years, but as a teenager, and even into my twenties, i would come back to this book again and again and it always slayed me.
this is quite simply absurdist humor of the highest order. some of it is mor...more
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My wife warned me away from this book. "It isn't funny," she said, after briefly perusing it. I had purchased it for her at the library bookstore because I know she is a Steve Martin fan, and so to hear her say it wasn't funny was pretty significant. Of course, when my wife throws down that sort of gauntlet I am compelled to rise to the challenge, and so I decided to read this slim volume, if only to prove to her that it was funny and that she just didn't get it. As is usual in such cases, she w...more
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Cruel Shoes is no joke. Steve Martin is a known funny man, especially when this quick read hit the scene. In the late 1970s, everybody knew who he was thanks to the help of SNL and his critically acclaimed show. But, this ditty is classic Martin, more wit and nonsense then jokes. Only one of these had me literally laughing out loud, the profoundly silly "Society in Aspen". But like his act, the pieces here have little meaning and instead cleverly find a way to mesh the most unrelated things you...more
Jun 12, 2012
Christopher
added it
Gift Of The Magi Indian Giver
Carolyn wanted so much to give Roger something nice for Christmas, but they didn’t have much money, and they had to spend every last cent on candy for the baby. She walked down the icy streets and peered into shop windows.
“Roger is so proud of his shinbones. If only I could find some way to get money to buy shinbone polish.” Just then, a sign caught her eye. “Cuticles bought and sold.” Many people had told Carolyn of her beautiful cuticles, and Roger was especially p...more
Carolyn wanted so much to give Roger something nice for Christmas, but they didn’t have much money, and they had to spend every last cent on candy for the baby. She walked down the icy streets and peered into shop windows.
“Roger is so proud of his shinbones. If only I could find some way to get money to buy shinbone polish.” Just then, a sign caught her eye. “Cuticles bought and sold.” Many people had told Carolyn of her beautiful cuticles, and Roger was especially p...more
I write a lot of flash fiction. Like a lot. Okay, like I'm not actually writing any at the moment (neither this exact moment, of course, nor the larger meta-moment), but you know, look, trust me that in the larger meta-moment beyond THAT, say, the tertiary field of moments within which one exists, that yeah, I write a lot of it.
(Flash fiction.)
And for some reason, although I don't read a lot of flash fiction other than the copious amount that I write myself, on the odd occasion that I wander out...more
(Flash fiction.)
And for some reason, although I don't read a lot of flash fiction other than the copious amount that I write myself, on the odd occasion that I wander out...more
Steve Martin's first book, the long-out-of-print "Cruel Shoes" from 1979, reads today as something of a cross between the more absurd parts of his comedy albums from the same era (some jokes from those records are repeated almost verbatim here) and his later Shouts and Murmurs columns from The New Yorker, collected in his 1998 book "Pure Drivel."
This book isn't as consistently funny as that one -- and neither one is nearly as brilliant as his 1977 album "Let's Get Small," perhaps the funniest li...more
This book isn't as consistently funny as that one -- and neither one is nearly as brilliant as his 1977 album "Let's Get Small," perhaps the funniest li...more
I felt I needed to put this book somewhere on my list. It was the first gift I ever gave to my husband. He would, like, talk about this book all the time, and then I found it at The Crow used bookstore in Vermont, and well...it became his Christmas gift.
i remember finding this book in a friend's house in 1979. i was 8 and it was very confusing. it was much much better this time around. the book reminds me of woody allen's early stories, only more absurdist and experimental. not all the pieces really work, but even when they don't, they sparkle. my favorites were "demolition of the cathedral at chartres" (which is actually kind of heartbreaking), "the bohemians" (which is just genius), "dynamite king," "how to fold soup," and "the day the dopes...more
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Possibly one of the great classics of English literature. These are some of the most hilarious short pieces written in the second half of the twentieth century. Hyperbolic? Ante up with something better.
Way back when I was a high school sophomore, my English teacher read selections from Cruel Shoes to our class. Among the selections was the famous "Folding Soup" story. When it was over, a classmate of mine leaned over and said to me that he could imagine me folding soup in the way Martin describes. I'm not sure exactly what he meant, but I've always liked that memory.
So now, lo these many years later, I finally got around the reading the book in its entirety. It doesn't disappoint.
These very s...more
So now, lo these many years later, I finally got around the reading the book in its entirety. It doesn't disappoint.
These very s...more
Calling this a book depends almost exclusively on the definition of a book being a bound collection of printed pages, ostensibly united by a common theme. The 128 pages include several full-page photographs of Martin performing on stage, as well as select photos of his backstage dressing room. The print, spacing and margins are so large that today, a publisher would tell even a star of Martin's stature this is little more than a pamphlet.
By now, you're wondering what Cruel Shoes even is. There a...more
By now, you're wondering what Cruel Shoes even is. There a...more
I will take my love of Steve Martin's early comedic works to my grave, but even a life-longer like me felt challenged by the utterly bizarre Cruel Shoes. It's a slim collection of very short musings, stories, and poetry with no apparent connection between any of them other than sheer absurdity. I'm not familiar with everything Steve Martin did on stage as a stand-up comic, but I love his albums from that era, and I'm pretty sure none of the stuff in this book appears on either one of those recor...more
May 19, 2008
Matthew
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
I think Maursupial would like the chapters that I liked.
This is a strange little book. When I picked it up at the used book store I thought, (The following quote is a sample of actual thought that I regularly and painstakingly record for posterity-- or anyone who will listen.) "Hmmm. Steve Martin. $2. Hmmm. I enjoyed Shopgirl and The Pleasure of My Company. This one was written in 1977-- which puts it in the King Tut, and the Wild And Crazy Guys era. I might like it. Hmmm. But, 1977 also puts it in a frenetic drug-induced haze era. Hmmm. We'll see."...more
Back before he was a more serious comedian, Steve Martin was the king of the absurd. He would work hard to be serious about a subject, then set you up for the funniest thing possible out of that situation.
"My cat ran up my credit cards...and you can't return used pet toys, they have spittle on them!" is a perfect example of this. (I may have the exact routine quote wrong, but you get the idea.) If that's funny to you, then you'll howl like I did at this short, pithy collection of shorts that wor...more
"My cat ran up my credit cards...and you can't return used pet toys, they have spittle on them!" is a perfect example of this. (I may have the exact routine quote wrong, but you get the idea.) If that's funny to you, then you'll howl like I did at this short, pithy collection of shorts that wor...more
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I found this book on my Dad's shelf and gave it a go. Quirky is the best adjective I can think of for this.
I was expecting a "Seinlanguage" type of book, a verbatim book of his stand up comedy. Instead it's little short stories about a page or two long and poems.
They are mostly kind've dumb and not that funny, but it gets 4 stars because a handful of them are genius, just brilliant.
My favorite is a Gift of the Magi parody.
This is a very quick read - I got through it in about half an hour.
I was expecting a "Seinlanguage" type of book, a verbatim book of his stand up comedy. Instead it's little short stories about a page or two long and poems.
They are mostly kind've dumb and not that funny, but it gets 4 stars because a handful of them are genius, just brilliant.
My favorite is a Gift of the Magi parody.
This is a very quick read - I got through it in about half an hour.
A quick read this evening. A mixed bag, but I laughed pretty much the whole way. From bland suburban "bohemians" to dogs with serious literary taste to the infamous masochistic "cruel shoes," Martin plays with everyday cliches and sets up expectations that he dashes with complete absurdism. This is my kind of humor.
The whole book is posted on an online forum (rife with typos, alas), at:
http://www.lemmingtrail.com/mb/238783/
The whole book is posted on an online forum (rife with typos, alas), at:
http://www.lemmingtrail.com/mb/238783/
I was pretty much head-over-heals for Steve Martin when I was a kid. I loved this book, but reading it now just doesn't seem as funny as it was back then (it's still funny though). I started thinking about it: how many people can you name that are authors, comedians, musicians, and actors ALL IN ONE? This is one talented guy - worthy of being my childhood hero. I'm glad I held on to this book.
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I was a huge Steve Martin fan. Saw him in high school at the hialai stadium in Hartford(anyone from Connecticut knows how long ago that was) My girlfriend at the time(now my wife, Terry) made me the bunny ears, I made her the arrow through the head. He was a wild and crazy guy. You need anymore reason why I still own this very ame book I bought in High School
This may be the fastest reading adult book I have ever read; 30 to 45 minutes is all it took to go cover to cover.
The random thoughts, half baked stories and tongue-in-cheek poems from the chaotic, maniac, and avant-garde stage performer. A memorable example is "the last thing you were thinking about." Well once you start thinking about the last thing you thought about, you begin to think of previous thoughts, and those in turn become the "last thing" you thought about. Steve also pokes fun at p...more
The random thoughts, half baked stories and tongue-in-cheek poems from the chaotic, maniac, and avant-garde stage performer. A memorable example is "the last thing you were thinking about." Well once you start thinking about the last thing you thought about, you begin to think of previous thoughts, and those in turn become the "last thing" you thought about. Steve also pokes fun at p...more
So much of this book is great. The stories have punch. Martin is simultaneously able to poke fun at worlds of art, literature, business and comedy. Some require re-reading to catch where it is all coming from. Ultimately the satire is evident and laugh out loud funny. Most entries possess a lot of relevance today. Bravo.
Absurd and memorable. I read it at the age of 13 or 14 and it just messed me up. I'd never seen anything like that in print before and I'd read MAD magazine for ages. But this was shocking, like pornography. I still haven't forgotten the images. I still laugh when something reminds me of one of those goofy stories.
This is one of the best collections of short humor I've ever read. This is Steve Martin at his strangest, the Steve Martin who did balloon animals of venereal disease during his stand-up act. As with any collection, some stories are funnier than others, but it's definitely worth a read.
Why I bought this in hardback when I was fifteen, I don't remember. It must have been because the guy singing "King Tut" on SNL was so funny. It didn't prepare me at all for this book, which is very dark and odd, and somewhat funny. But I still remember the title story decades later.
I felt like every story in this book could have been in an issue of McSweeney's. So like McSweeney's, some stories were a hit... and others were a miss. I am still incredibly happy that I was able to score this out of print book at the Eugene library book sale.
There was a time when Steve Martin was an absurdist comedian extraordinaire, and this is his once fertile comedic insanity at its best. As a kid, I used to read this and laugh so hard that soda shot from my nose. This is anarchic absurdity at its finest.
This is the white-suited, stand-up comedian Steve Martin – in print. If you like Steve Martin, you’ve probably seen a short film or two that are from this book. You can hear his voice in the delivery of each written word, and it is funny funny funny!
How to fold soup. This book was written decades before they started selling soup in microwave plastic bags, now anyone can fold soup I suppose. But this book explains the traditional method. Great stuff.
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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
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That's what makes it so funny!
Apr 25, 2011 10:51am
Apr 25, 2011 11:10am