Shopgirl

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by Steve Martin

Steve Martin, one of our country's most recognized and well-loved performers, has written a novella that is surprisingly insightful about relationships and life. When it comes to the inner workings of the human heart, Martin is incredibly smart.

Mirabelle is the title's "shopgirl," a young woman with a wall-flowerish beauty who works behind the glove counter at Neiman Marcus "selling goods that no one buys anymore..."

Mirabelle fascinates because she isn't glamorous, forceful, or self-aggrandizing. She is somewhat lost, slightly off-kilter, and very bashful. Still, there's something about her that I can't get enough of.

Ray Porter, a rich businessman nearly twice her age, is captivated by Mirabelle. As they hesitantly begin a relationship, they both struggle to understand the language of love, with humorous and devastating results. Shopgirl is a work of disarming sensitivity, filled with the type of sharp, insightful remarks that have garnered Steve Martin critical acclaim.

Our thoughts on Shopgirl

Our favourite quote from Shopgirl

...it is not the big events that hurt the most but rather the smallest questionable shift in tone at the end of a spoken word that can plow most deeply into the heart.

Book Summary

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...it is not the big events that hurt the most but rather the smallest questionable shift in tone at the end of a spoken word that can plow most deeply into the heart.

— Steve Martin, Shopgirl