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Interviews | April 16, 2012

Jill Owens: IMG Leni Zumas: The Powells.com Interview



Leni ZumasLeni Zumas's writing crackles. Her books are sharp, bleak, funny, and possibly dangerous. When her collection of short stories, Farewell Navigator,... Continue »
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eBook editions

Shopgirl

by Steve Martin

Shopgirl Cover

 

Review-A-Day

"Readers should be grateful to have such an elegant and insightful guide to the human heart. That it is wrapped in such a tender and enchanting story makes it all the more valuable." Georgie Lewis, Powells.com read the entire Powells.com review

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

From the actor, comedian, and New York Times bestselling author comes a bittersweet story of modern day love and romance.

One of our country's most acclaimed and beloved entertainers, Steve Martin is quickly becoming recognized as "a gorgeous writer capable of being at once melancholy and tart, achingly innocent and astonishingly ironic" (Elle). A frequent contributor to both The New Yorker and The New York Times as well as the author of the New York Times bestseller Pure Drivel, Martin is once again poised to capture the attention of readers with his debut novella, a delightful depiction of life and love.

The "shopgirl" is Mirabelle, a beautiful aspiring artist who pays the rent by selling gloves at the Beverly Hills Neiman Marcus. She captures the attention of Ray Porter, a wealthy, lonely businessman. As Ray and Mirabelle tentatively embark on a relationship, they both struggle to decipher the language of love — with consequences that are both comic and heartbreaking. Filled with the kind of witty, discerning observations that have brought Steve Martin incredible critical success, Shopgirl is a work of disarming tenderness.

Review:

"A delicate, poignant modern romance about a shy shopgirl." Richard Corliss, Time magazine

Review:

"Wryly omniscient, ruthlessly truthful, [Martin] calls to mind Austen with an up-to-date, masculine spin." Vogue

Review:

"Steve Martin's most achieved work to date." New York Times

Review:

"Shopgirl has some of Chekhov's autumn light about it: a story remembering all the really fine recent things." Talk

Review:

"Shopgirl reads as smoothly and pleasurably as the novels of the late W.M. Spackman..." Los Angeles Times

Review:

"Shopgirl is an Audrey Hepburn of a book: slim, lovely, and ever so old-fashioned." People

Review:

"A tender love story." Entertainment Weekly

Review:

"It's the signature combination of exhilaration and vulnerability that Martin offers us with extraordinary confidence." Elle

Review:

"His prose is almost Zen-like and his revelations superb." New York Post

Review:

"The action moves quickly, yet the narrative takes its time to develop, which is a very skillful bit of writing business. Martin's literary fable of a novella is disarming, particularly for those who come to it expecting the biting, zany humor of Pure Drivel, but it may mark a new direction in a noteworthy writer's career." Booklist

Review:

"Shopgirl's pacing is gentle and accomplished, its tone tender-hearted." Washington Post

Synopsis:

Mirabelle is the "shopgirl" of the title, a young woman, beautiful in a wallflowerish kind of way, who works behind the glove counter at Neiman Marcus "selling things that nobody buys anymore..."

Mirabelle captures the attention of Ray Porter, a wealthy businessman almost twice her age. As they tentatively embark on a relationship, they both struggle to decipher the language of love — with consequences that are both comic and heartbreaking. Filled with the kind of witty, discerning observations that have brought Steve Martin critical success, Shopgirl is a work of disarming tenderness.

About the Author

Steve Martin is one of today's most talented performers. He has had huge success as a film actor, with such credits as Roxanne, Father of the Bride, Parenthood, The Spanish Prisoner, L.A. Story, and the recent Bowfinger, for which he also wrote the screenplay. He's won Emmys for his television writing and two Grammys for comedy albums. In addition to his bestselling collection of comic pieces, Pure Drivel, he has also written a play, Picasso at the Lapin Agile. His work appears frequently in the New Yorker and The New York Times. He lives in Los Angeles.

Product Details

ISBN:
9781401308278
Author:
Martin, Steve
Publisher:
Hyperion Books
Subject:
General
Subject:
Humorous
Subject:
Young women
Subject:
Medication abuse
Subject:
General Fiction
Subject:
Love stories
Subject:
Humorous fiction
Subject:
Humor : General
Copyright:
Edition Description:
TradePB
Publication Date:
20050931
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
160
Dimensions:
8 x 5.5 in 6.48 oz
Age Level:
from 18

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Related Subjects

Arts and Entertainment » Humor » General
Fiction and Poetry » Literature » A to Z
Fiction and Poetry » Romance » General
Languages » Foreign Languages » Spanish » Fiction and Poetry » Literature » A to Z
Languages » Foreign Languages » Spanish » Fiction and Poetry » Romance » Contemporary

Shopgirl Used Trade Paper
0 stars - 0 reviews
$2.50 In Stock
Product details 160 pages Hyperion Books - English 9781401308278 Reviews:
"Review A Day" by , "Readers should be grateful to have such an elegant and insightful guide to the human heart. That it is wrapped in such a tender and enchanting story makes it all the more valuable." Georgie Lewis, Powells.com read the entire Powells.com review
"Review" by , "A delicate, poignant modern romance about a shy shopgirl."
"Review" by , "Wryly omniscient, ruthlessly truthful, [Martin] calls to mind Austen with an up-to-date, masculine spin."
"Review" by , "Steve Martin's most achieved work to date."
"Review" by , "Shopgirl has some of Chekhov's autumn light about it: a story remembering all the really fine recent things."
"Review" by , "Shopgirl reads as smoothly and pleasurably as the novels of the late W.M. Spackman..."
"Review" by , "Shopgirl is an Audrey Hepburn of a book: slim, lovely, and ever so old-fashioned."
"Review" by , "A tender love story."
"Review" by , "It's the signature combination of exhilaration and vulnerability that Martin offers us with extraordinary confidence."
"Review" by , "His prose is almost Zen-like and his revelations superb."
"Review" by , "The action moves quickly, yet the narrative takes its time to develop, which is a very skillful bit of writing business. Martin's literary fable of a novella is disarming, particularly for those who come to it expecting the biting, zany humor of Pure Drivel, but it may mark a new direction in a noteworthy writer's career."
"Review" by , "Shopgirl's pacing is gentle and accomplished, its tone tender-hearted."
"Synopsis" by , Mirabelle is the "shopgirl" of the title, a young woman, beautiful in a wallflowerish kind of way, who works behind the glove counter at Neiman Marcus "selling things that nobody buys anymore..."

Mirabelle captures the attention of Ray Porter, a wealthy businessman almost twice her age. As they tentatively embark on a relationship, they both struggle to decipher the language of love — with consequences that are both comic and heartbreaking. Filled with the kind of witty, discerning observations that have brought Steve Martin critical success, Shopgirl is a work of disarming tenderness.

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