Book Review: Shopgirl by Steve Martin

You know that moment when you realize you should've paid more attention to your parent's and grandparents' taste in music, film, and books? Maybe I'll never like the same kind of music they do, but there are a few little things popping up here and there that make me think back to my younger self and realize maybe they knew what they were talking about. One of those things I should've paid more attention to is Steve Martin.

My mom and dad used to watch The Jerk by Steve Martin on a regular basis to the point they practically memorized it. I cannot tell you how many times one of them would interrupt a unrelated conversation by saying, "I was born a poor black child." Now, without having developed a mature sense of humor, I always thought the movie was dumb. That's right. Dumb. I just didn't get it. I didn't get the dry witticisms; I didn't really get Steve Martin. 

Fast forward 7-10 years and here I am as a 26 year old strolling through Barnes and Nobel looking for something to read. I should probably spend more time strolling through my bookshelves at home for something to read, as our collection of books is pretty impressive (we own over 500 books--and just donated around 400 to a local used book store about a year ago), but I digress. Anyway, so I see a special table set aside for Steve Martin publications because he had just published his book of Tweets (which is a hilarious concept unto itself, much like Sterling's Gold from the Mad Men producers). Never knowing much about Steve Martin other than he-was-the-guy-my-parents-liked, I flipped through some of the books and did my usual, Should I Read This? process. 

I ended up picking up Shopgirl, because honestly, I knew it had been made into a movie that I had never seen and also because it was the shortest of all his books. I'm never one to grab "the shortest" on the shelf, but I know that it takes much skill for a writer to hone their craft into so few pages. I figure, if Steve Martin considers himself to be a writer, I'll be able to figure out if he's as skilled as he thinks since a writer has to be pretty poignant when working with only 130 pages. 

It took me a few days to finish the book because I would read a few pages before bed here and there. Finally, my first night of Spring Break allowed me a few hours to dig into it. I woke up early yesterday morning to finish the read, because I was eager to see how Mr. Martin was going to tie together Mirabelle's emotional and relational "strings." 

Here's the deal with Shopgirl. We've all been Mirabelle. We've all had the relationships that make you feel icky inside even though you can't seem to leave. We've also had the relationships where you so desperately want everything to work out, but it just won't or can't. We've all had lackluster phases in our lives that we feel will never end. She's real, not a stereotype. I appreciate that.

The other thing I appreciate is the contrast between male and female perspectives that is delicately illustrated throughout the text. Ray and Jeremy's mentality is just as Cory describes the "male brain" to me whenever we're discussion our respective points-of-view with one another. Nothing in Mr. Martin's book shocked me other the very realness of it all. In the end, I'd much rather enjoy a work of fiction that doesn't feel so fictional, than a piece that does. 

Shopgirl is an easy read. It's nice. It's like hanging out with your college girlfriends after a few years apart; you catch right back up and you completely understand each other. Now, don't get me wrong, Mr. Martin is no lackadaisical writer. This isn't smut and it's not contrived. I probably didn't learn any new vocabulary words or get a different view of the world, but I enjoyed my time nestled inside those 130 pages.  

So would I recommend this book? Let me put it to you this way, I've already picked up his most recent fiction publication, An Object of Beauty to add to my to-read pile. 

Want to see what else I'm reading? Go here.

Want more book reviews? Go here.

Happy Reading!

Book List

Because the next few days are crazy busy for me after school (Meet the Teacher night, training, getting ready for my show this weekend, etc.), I decided to invite Cory on a little date tonight. I cooked baked ziti and paired it with red wine for when he got home and then we headed straight to the bookstore to pick up our new Book Club book.

Book Club? Yep. Cory and I decided when we first started dating that every few months (usually once or twice a year) we'll read the same book. We alternate turns choosing--but our tastes are so similar that it's never that hard.

We each pick up a copy and once we finish it, one will take their copy to school or donate it to Good Will or give it to a friend, and then we'll keep the other copy. Sure, it's frivolous spending. Seriously though--there's not much else we could do for just $16 per person that involves such rich discussion and time together. Right?

So our current Book Club book is... drum roll please...

One of the major rules we have about the Book Club is that the book needs to be published in paperback. Franzen's best-seller from 2010, Freedom, was finally published in paperback today, so the timing of this special date was perfect :)

While we were picking our our books, I noticed a few that I'm totally adding to my birthday/holiday wish list. If you happen to own them or have seen them and have any comments, please share! I'd love to hear what you thought about:

What's on your Book List?

xo,

Liz

...A little Gatsby update

Remember over the summer I held a mini Gatsby book club? John Green finally posted a follow-up video! Enjoy :)

The Great Gatsby Book Club 3

Hi! I haven't forgotten about you book clubbers out there, I promise!

Essentially, I needed to wait to hear from John Green before we could go on. Fortunately, his review of The Great Gatsby appeared online today. I strongly encourage you to spend the next 5 minutes enjoying such a brilliant author discuss another brilliant author from the past.

What do you think?

Comments?

As you finish the book, pay close attention to how the men begin to view one another. How do the men see and treat one another? How does this differ from the way the women are viewed and treated? Any similarities?

Follow the link for more Gatsby Book Club posts!

<3

The Great Gatsby Book Club 2

Good morning, class :)

A Trusty Point of View

To begin the novel, our protagonist, Nick Carraway, begins by flashing back to a brief moment with his father. His father advises him that "whenever you feel like criticizing any one, just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had." As Nick mulls over this advice, he realizes that he has always been "inclined to reserve all judgments..."

This is crucial, because it allows the reader to understand that Nick is a character we can trust. Nick is neutral and prides himself on lacking judgment. This is important, because we know that whatever Nick tells us is going to be true and his actions are reliable.

Nick lives in a modest home in West Egg, next to a mansion of Jay Gatsby. West Egg is settled across a lack from a wealthy development, East Egg. Essentially think of this as the Hampton's in New York. There's the really rtizy side (East Egg), and then the more middle-class side (West Egg). Although Nick experienced a comfortable childhood, he understands he will not have a large salary, and in fact, will always struggle a bit. He is okay with this and doesn't seek handouts. Instead, many people begin to force their wealth upon him.

How we see why we need to trust Nick. When Daisy and Gatsby begin to thrust their rich and famous lifestyle upon Nick, he becomes uncomfortable. Instead of judging them, he silently observes and allows teh reader to create their own opinion. Because of Nick's humble personality and lifestyle, Dasiy, Gatsby, and Tom's a seen as being ludicrous and over the top. They are spoiled and stuck-up. The contrast between Nick and the rest of the characters allows Fitzgerald to emphasize a major theme in this work: the hallowness of the upper class.

The Green Light

Remember last time we met, John Green told us to keep an eye out for the green light? At the tail end of chapter 1, the first reference is made to the green light when Nick spots Gatsby watching him from his yard. Nick says:

"I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glaned sea-ward--and distinguished nthing except a single green light, minute and far way, that might have been the end of a dock. When I looked once more for Gatsby he had vanished, and I was alone again in the unquiet darkness."

Nick is confused by this green light, not knowing it's source or purpose, until chapter 5. (Muahaha, now you have to keep reading!)

Gatsby & Daisy

 By the end of chapter 4 we realize that Gatsby has been carrying a secret in regards to Nick's cousin, Daisy. Nick learns that Daisy and Gatsby once knew each other and that Gatsby has been enduring a heated crush ever since. In fact, it is assumed that Gatbsy purposefully bought such a luxorious mansion right across the bay from Daisy's house just so she could one day see him and his wealth. Gatsby assumes that as soon as she sees his wealthy lifestyle, she will immediately want to be with him instead of her husband, Tom.

We can assume that since Gatsby orchestrated Nick moving into his particular home just so Gatsby would have a chance of reconnecting with Daisy. In fact, it is brought to Nick's attention at the end of chapter 4 that he is serving as a type of pawn for Gatsby to play. Nick is under instruction to invite Daisy over for tea, only to bait her in traveling to West Egg and visiting Gatsby! Tricky, tricky.

What is real? DISCUSSION!

There's a special scene in chapter 3 when Nick visits Gatsby's house for the very first time in hopes of meeting him and getting to know this strange neighbor. While walking throughout the house with Jordan, Nick's secret crush, they encounger a stout man in a library exclaiming that the books are real. He is so excited and cannot believe that all the books are real within the library.

This is fairly representative, because at this point in the chapter, Nick has not yet met Gatsby and is questioning his authenticity. Nick questions whether the stories he has heard of Gatsby in regards to his lifestyle and past are real.

So, knowing that Fitzgerald purposefully wanted to speak of the hallowness of the upper class, in what ways could Nick's confusion in regard to Gatsby's lifestyle and authenticity be reflected in this scene in the library? In what other ways is the hallowness of the upper class shown throughout the novel so far?

ASSIGNMENT:

Read Chapters 5 & 6 by Tuesday!

The Great Gatsby Book Club 1

Hopefully my last post about The Great Gatsby inspired you to pick up the novel and start reading.

I'm going to be totally honest, although I am a high school English teacher and have a degree in English, I haven't read Gatsby since high school. Many teachers I know struggle to read during the school year outside of the novels we read in class, let alone fine works of literature. I definitely fall into that category and use summer break to bulk up on my lit analysis. That's why this book club inspired by John Green is so perfect!

A few Reading Strategies for you:

1) Read it aloud!

When it comes to reading literature, especially Fitzgerald, it's often easier to read it aloud at first to find the rhythm the writer intended. A lot of strong readers can find the rhythm easily, but old-school literature often has commas placed in places we're not familiar with and modifiers behind the nouns they're describing. It took me a while to feel comfortable with Gatsby, I'm not going to lie. I started reading it aloud to Cory in the car and to myself in our house. Now that I'm a few chapters in, I don't need to. But I definitely needed to hit my stride, and it reading it aloud was the quick fix I needed!

2) Keep track of character relationships:

Identify your narrator and what he or she is like. Are they reliable? What is their name? I put together this little chart of characters you will meet in Chapters 1 and 2. There's a tiny spoiler, but it's not a big one, on the chart ;).

3. Notice things:

A lot of times author's put A LOT of information in the first few chapters to set the stage for the rest of the book. Our pal, John, wants us to take note of anytime the green light appears and also when anyone appears wearing glasses. If you notice that something appears more than once (a detail: color, scenery, the way something is described [positive, negative], or even a specific word), write it down or just try really hard to remember it. It's probably important.

Okay, that is all for now.

Your Assignment:

Read chapters 1-4

by Friday 7/8.

I'll see you then!

Don't Forget To Be Awesome,

Liz