Shopgirl by Steve Martin

Quoteable: "...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."

Characters: I've known versions of each of the character types represented in this novella. Many of the trappings of modern day romance and growing up play out in these pages. I realize many people hated this book claiming they felt flat, but I found quite the opposite.

Writing Style: Martin's observations of human behavior may very well come from personal experience. While it's allowable to not relate, I feel many of the low ratings were given based on personal agenda rather than actual merit. I enjoyed his writing.

What I Enjoyed: This book made me feel, sometimes empathy and other times pity for different personas. Works like this are important - reminding us we're not alone in the confusing universe of dating and finding our center.

Deal Benders: The ending felt a bit unfinished. I'm not quite sure what else I expected to happen, but I was expecting more of a flourish. Also I seem to have picked up a few books lately that have random explicit content. I don't read romance novels because they're the equivalent of so-called 'girl porn'...I'm all for some sexual tension but it would be nice to see a bit more innuendo and less F-bombs. If you're writing erotica then just do that rather than masquerading amid an otherwise enjoyable storyline.

Overall Rating: 3-3.5 stars. I liked it, but have to adjust for the innaccessible pieces. If it were appropriate for a wider audience, I could give the main story more of a recommendation.