Gus Dantas Dantas থেকে Razmetelevo, Leningradskaya oblast', রাশিয়া, 188686
I love Steve Martin's comedy, and I moderately enjoyed his novel Shopgirl. He's a talented writer when it comes to the actual prose, but I found this novel difficult to get into or even care about. First of all, the main character (Lacey Yeager) is hardly likeable and terribly hard to identify with. I just didn't care about her. In fact, I just didn't care period. She's a self-serving narcissist who really doesn't have many redeeming qualities other than the fact that nearly every heterosexual man she meets wants to sleep with her. (She is not, by the way, a cardboard character; just seriously dull.) The best thing about this book is that it delves deeply into the pretentiousness of the art world of New York City. If that's what you're looking for, the book is for you. But if you're looking for a novel with captivating characters that you might care deeply about, I wouldn't recommend it. Incidentally, I listened to the unabridged audiobook version of this novel, narrated by the actor Campbell Scott. He does a wonderful job, deadpanning his entire way through. (In some ways, I realize that Scott and Martin have similar-sounding voices.)