Monday, April 17, 2006

Book Review: Shopgirl


Shopgirl by Steve Martin

Via the publisher’s podcast, I had a chance to listen to Steve Martin read an excerpt from this short novel and found myself intrigued. Of course I’m reluctant to embrace anything by an actor-turned-author (is he only getting published because he’s famous), but I thought I’d give it a chance. It was initially difficult to get Martin’s voice out of my head. This is no comedy. His wit finds its way in, but this is no SNL skit. The tone of the writing is dry and melancholic, and moving because of it. The characters may be somewhat exaggerated or stereotypical, but I really enjoyed my time in the world Martin creates. When Martin takes the time to write a full-length novel, my guess is that it will be worth the read and a little better than this short book.

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