2.5 stars

This novella is like a lump of clay that a sculptor has only just begun to work on.

One can see the very basic form it will assume, the collection of ideas and impressions that Martin has bundled together. However, he simply hasn't added sufficient contours or details to any of it yet to enable us to know if it will turn out to be a car, an elephant, or something else entirely.

I would like to state that this is a pity, but I don't believe the characters as Martin has conceived them possess much potential as characters, even if he were to sculpt them more precisely. They are, well, just not very interesting. They are completely non-nuanced, flat-as-pancakes characters with rather generic problems that would require a whole toolkit to make them compelling.

An average 2.5 for this grey-brown lump.

This book, written by a movie star, is far better than one might expect. It is genuinely thoughtful and well-written.

At the beginning, it seems as if it's going to be horribly cliché and sexist. However, it then takes a turn and interrogates that very cliché.

But it only does so partially, and there are still some problematic aspects.

Nonetheless, this is my book club book, and it's just perfect for that. There is a lot to talk about, as it presents interesting ideas and challenges our preconceptions.

The author's exploration of certain themes, although not entirely without flaws, makes for engaging discussions and gives us the opportunity to think more deeply about various issues.

Overall, despite its shortcomings, this book has managed to capture my attention and has the potential to spark lively conversations within the book club.

It will be interesting to see what different perspectives and interpretations my fellow club members bring to the table as we discuss this unique work.

I purchased this book approximately 2 years ago. However, I am extremely glad that I made the decision to postpone reading it until now!

Disregarding the fact that the main character is without direction at the age of 28, for reasons that I will not delve into here, it had a much greater impact on me than it possibly would have at the age of 26.

This book is remarkable in its ability to oscillate between being sweet and funny while also conveying a profound sense of melancholy. It is never overly dramatic nor is it extremely miserable. Instead, everyone in the story is simply... not happy.

It is truly great! I believe that its length is one of its most significant strengths. If it were a full 300-something pages, it might have been unbearable.

Overall, it wasn't an outstanding piece, but it wasn't terrible either. I found the love triangle that emerged to be quite interesting. It added an element of drama and complexity to the story. The way the relationships developed and intertwined kept me engaged.

Thankfully, the ending was satisfying. It tied up the loose ends and provided a sense of closure. I was glad to see how things worked out for the characters.

Although it may not have been a masterpiece, it had its redeeming qualities. The love triangle was well-written and the ending was well-executed. It was an enjoyable read that I would recommend to others who are interested in this type of story.

Almost everything about this book functions surprisingly well.

The tone and style of the narration remarkably and effectively draw the reader into the life of Mirabelle. She is a girl who is lonely and has a strong longing to establish connections with other people. However, she seldom gets such opportunities. This is because she is both shy and is employed at the glove counter of Neiman Marcus, which rarely has any customers.

It is precisely at the glove counter that Mirabelle encounters Ray Porter. Ray Porter is a well-dressed and older gentleman who treats Mirabelle in the way she believes she desires to be treated. He takes her to nice restaurants, purchases expensive clothing for her, and even takes her to the doctor when she is hit by a bout of depression.

What is truly excellent about Martin's writing here is not only the pitch-perfect tone but also his profound and real insight into the nature of relationships and the manner in which we convey our needs and wants to one another. When Mirabelle and Ray Porter seem to be the perfect physical match, they never seem capable of connecting with each other on an emotional level. It is Martin's telling of this tale and its eventual and satisfying conclusion that will surely reward those readers who choose to pick up this novella.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to introverts, romantics, and anyone who has ever had a relationship with an older man.

I don't know why, but I almost want to perceive the story of the relationship of Mirabelle and Ray Porter as the author's parable of all relationships between older men and younger women.

A shy young woman toils in relative obscurity. She is unseen and unappreciated by her contemporaries, both men and women alike. Still emotionally a child waiting to bloom, she leads a rather unnoticed life. An older man, Ray Porter, takes notice of her. He is able to appreciate her youth and freshness and her need for someone to notice.

Of course, there's the sex. But furthermore, each fulfills some need of the other. She, this mild Damsel in Distress, brings out his "fatherly" qualities. She makes him feel protective. He satisfies her romantically, at least temporarily. And the fact that he's rich doesn't hurt either, as he's able to fulfill some of her everyday financial needs as well.

Maybe it's because of these (fatherly/patronizing) feelings that Older Man (Ray) has for Younger Woman (Mirabelle) that he inevitably realizes she'll never be what he's really looking for, an equal socially and emotionally. And it's only upon their separation from each other that she's able to mature emotionally and professionally to become a full adult.

Meanwhile, the Younger Man who threw away one chance already with Younger Woman has had time to ripen. He can now truly appreciate the qualities she's always had, as well as those she's gained from her experience with the Older Guy. He's now ready for her to lean on him for support, as Older Man watches lovingly and supportively from the background.

It'd be kind of rash of me to make assumptions about Steve Martin's personal background. But I really get the idea, perhaps unfounded, that there was a personal philosophy going on behind Shopgirl, and this roughly sketches it out.

"Shopgirl" is much like a midnight snack of nachos. It is indulgent, not especially healthy, but still impossible to resist.

The story, at times, can seem simplistic, with the characters sometimes being reduced to mere clichés. However, it does offer moments of true poignancy that stay with you long after you've turned the final page.

This book is adored by the 25-year-old version of myself. I might have once seen elements of truth in Mirabelle's underdeveloped character. After all, which of us was completely formed at 25?

Despite its imperfections, such as its occasional slips into the problematic or cringe-worthy, this is not a book that one reads only once. This is my third time reading it.

It's my guilty pleasure, like a nostalgic, slightly embarrassing but still beloved song that never quite gets taken out of the playlist.

Good stuff! It's not necessarily my absolute favourite, but it really had a plethora of great insights into real relationships. It's not that fluffy, idealized love that we often see in movies and books. Instead, it delves into the real heartbreak and the complex nature of relationships. I don't know how to quite put it into words, but it just feels so authentic.

“He apologizes for the way he handled everything. “Oh, no… don’t,” she corrects him: “it’s pain that changed our lives.” This simple exchange really sums up the essence of their relationship. The pain they have endured has not only shaped them as individuals but also changed the course of their lives together. It makes you realize that in real relationships, there are always going to be challenges and hardships, but it's how we deal with them that defines us.

I recently watched L.A. Story and was truly amazed. I thought to myself, "Holy mackerel. This Steve Martin fellow can write." That's precisely how Shopgirl ended up in my library queue.

At times, this novella is blunt, while at others, it is lyrical. It is a sparse and bittersweet tale about an affair between Ray, a 50-something divorced millionaire, and Mirabelle, the titular 20-something shopgirl. If you're seeking typical "chick lit" (and I really dislike that term, but it is what it is), then you should look elsewhere.

I've noticed that other reviewers have objected to this book, calling it (or the author) misogynistic due to the way Martin portrays the Ray/Mirabelle relationship, or Mirabelle herself and the other female characters. (Given the character of Lisa, they do have a point.) However, my view is this - a good writer creates characters that have their own internal logic, a strange kind of honesty that doesn't rule out the fact that they may be lying (intentionally or not) to themselves or their partners, or abusing one another's trust (again, intentionally or not). Good novels contain truths within them, waiting to be unearthed by the reader: truths about relationships, human nature, society, whatever you bring to the book. In this respect, Shopgirl was a treasure trove, at least for me.

Favorite sentence: "Mirabelle's mind floats in space, and the five fingers that pull her toward him are received into her heart like a psalm."

The language, as always, was beautiful and poetic.

It had a certain charm that could effortlessly transport the reader into a different world. His way with words astounds me.

It is truly remarkable how he can string together sentences that are not only grammatically correct but also filled with vivid imagery and profound emotions.

This was very sad, though.

The story took a tragic turn, and it left me with a heavy heart. I feel bad for all the characters.

They have all endured so much pain and suffering.

I hope they do better in the future.

Maybe there will be a glimmer of hope for them, a chance to turn their lives around and find happiness.

I will continue to follow their journey with great interest, eager to see what lies ahead for them.

The eponymous 28-year-old shopgirl of this book, Mirabelle, finds herself trapped in the stultifyingly dull job of selling gloves at Neiman's in Beverly Hills.

She yearns for love but is unsure of how to pursue it, settling for what she can get, which includes the affections of a well-to-do 50-year-old traveling businessman.

Even though he should know better, he attempts to play both ends against the middle, making hurt on all sides inevitable.

There is an abundance of arrested development in this story; the 50-year-old knows as little about love and true romance as the 28-year-old.

In this book, everyone is on a learning journey, and by the end, they all learn a valuable lesson and move forward.

I found the book to be charming.

The characters might seem to many as thinly defined ciphers, more like literary constructs than flesh-and-blood individuals.

However, as the narrative progressed, I didn't view this as a weakness.

Martin's contemplations on desire, romantic need, and the difficulty of satisfying those in a challenging world struck me as wise.

Martin writes from within a milieu he is familiar with, creating characters that mirror different stages of his own life, both as a struggling artist and as a successful one.

The world of Beverly Hills phoniness is given a wry drubbing.

So, despite the book's limitations, it spoke to me. Sue me.

Bad reviews have a tendency to drive away the good.

So many of the reviews of this book take the easy way out and attack Steve Martin for allegedly not understanding women, which really misses the point. After all, a novel is not a sociological experiment, regardless of what your MFA advisor might wish.

The issue isn't even that the interior life of the main character is underdeveloped; her fundamental blankness was clearly deliberate, though that's not really a defense. And opening up an interior world by not opening it up is an age-old literary technique.

The problem isn't that the sketch is minimalist and reluctant to share. The real problem is that the central romantic question is ultimately lifeless.

I actually find Mirabelle's quiet devastation at the end of the affair quite moving. She became too invested in an affair that, like many young people, she pursued despite all the signs that it meant little to the other party.

But at the heart of this novella, there needs to be some statement about what all of this means, beyond Martin's obvious distaste for shallow LA people. And unfortunately, there isn't.

I feel sympathy for Mirabelle, but I don't have any real thoughts or insights about her. This makes the little book interesting but ultimately inessential.