- Paperback: 176 pages
- Publisher: Phoenix; New Ed edition (1 July 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0753817683
- ISBN-13: 978-0753817681
- Product Dimensions: 12.9 x 1.7 x 19.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 173,111 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Of all the celebrities who've tackled novels in recent years, one of the most conspicuously successful in the field is comic actor Steve Martin. In books such as Picasso at the Lapin Agile and Shopgirl, Martin showed the same dazzling wordplay that marks his film and TV work, and his new novel, The Pleasure of My Company, builds on the earlier work to produce a book that is both effortlessly entertaining and beautifully wrought.
Martin's protagonist is Daniel Pecan Cambridge, a thirtyish loser whose life is wrecked by a whole slew of neurotic compulsions and tics. The small, irrational fears that plague most of us are the bane of Daniel's life, but he resolves to shed these straitjackets and move into something like normality. One of his aims is a normal relationship with a woman and there are several potential targets in sight: his therapist Clarissa, struggling to relieve him of his demons, Zandy, the beguiling assistant in the chemist's shop, and Elizabeth, selling apartments in his street.
But his compulsions are only one of his problems; his neighbour Bob has been murdered and Daniel is in the frame for the crime. The attention of the media seems set to keep him living an abnormal life for quite some time, which might undercut his hopes of winning the "Most Average American" competition.
Novels by comedians can often collapse into a series of one-liners, and while there are some zingers here, Martin is a real novelist--this quirky black comedy has both a solidly realised structure and a sharply etched cast. Daniel is a wonderfully characterised anti-hero--a natural, perhaps, for Martin himself to play when the inevitable movie is made. --Barry Forshaw --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'Martin' s prose shows that he still has comic talent to burn.' (THE TIMES )
'Witty, wry, clever and ultimately uplifting, this is a work of real talent.' (SHE )
'This svelte and wickedly funny novel.' (DAILY MAIL )
'a string of entertaining, Martin-style riffs about a retarded man trying to get a date.' (THE INDEPENDENT )
'The poised prose and acute humour make this an immensely entertaining, laugh-out-loud funny read.' (THE OBSERVER )
''Don't miss out on an extraordinary outing.' (DUBLIN EVENING HERALD )
'A gentle tale with the premise that no man is an island.' (THE SCOTSMAN )
'Witty, wry, clever and ultimately uplifting, this is a work of real talent.' (SHE )
'This svelte and wickedly funny novel.' (DAILY MAIL )
'a string of entertaining, Martin-style riffs about a retarded man trying to get a date.' (THE INDEPENDENT )
'The poised prose and acute humour make this an immensely entertaining, laugh-out-loud funny read.' (THE OBSERVER )
''Don't miss out on an extraordinary outing.' (DUBLIN EVENING HERALD )
'A gentle tale with the premise that no man is an island.' (THE SCOTSMAN )
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
This all started because of a clerical error. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
This all started because of a clerical error. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A couple of days ago, I was sat on a train from Edinburgh to London for 5 hours. It was hot and cramped, and there were so many screaming children on board it sounded more like a zoo. But I didn't much care or even notice, because I had this book! It absorbed me from page 1. The characters are fabulous and the vivid, cringe-worthy descriptions of surprisingly believable situations had me suppressing snorts of laughter and drawing alarmed looks from the fellow passengers of Coach D. It manages to be a touching description of a man with a potentially life-altering mental illness at the same time as being a love story, a slapstick comedy and a self-effacing look at American culture. Maybe it's just because the words of Steve Martin are so distinctive, but I think this would make a wonderful film.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is the kind of book that you can read all in one go. Preferably on a Sunday afternoon when it's raining. It's brilliantly written, but although some have said it to be laugh out loud funny, I think the true strength of this novel is Martin's ability to make you fall in love with a crazy, and probably very annoying, man. You can't help but be captured by Daniel. I finished this with a little sob, glad for the character and Martin but kind of disappointed that my time with them was over.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
These the words printed on the reverse of quite simply the best book I've ever read.
Being a student I don’t have much time to read, or more
realistically, don’t want to. I have been a huge fan of Steve Martin's films for a long time now, "Bowfinger" being my favourite. So, I thought I'd try out one of his books. This book is brilliant, witty, ingenious and extremely clever. It has opened my eyes to the joy of reading, as I am currently reading another of his books "Pure Drivel". The storyline is based around a neurotic 30 something year old male who is torn between 3 women, each extremely different, beautiful in their own way. Being very shy he finds various different ways to see them, without the torment of having to ask them out. It follows his weird and wonderful journey as he gets to know them better, encountering endless obstacles, such as the dreaded kerb, and the much feared light bulb!
Beautiful storyline, superb humour, good job it all started because of a clerical error!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Sensitive and perceptive
A book club recommend. "Like Wodehouse on acid or Monty Python on Valium", suggests The Observer... Another says it is "laugh out loud funny".
A slow start. Read more
A slow start. Read more
Published 2 months ago by jacw2000
A rare comedy novel....
...that's actually funny. Fans of Steve Martin's slightly-bizarro humor will enjoy this one. Intelligent, weird, self-referential and strangely insightful. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Parmesh Singh Rikhraj
Good reading, even better with the audiobook
I first listened to this book buying the audiobook, it was great so i decided to read the book myself and enjoyed it aswell as I did with the audiobook.
Published on 11 Mar 2009 by siennavskate
Really funny book, surprised me!
I finally read this book after a friend recommended it to me as one of her favourites. Three years later, I agree - it's really sweet, funny but not in a 'knock knock' kind of way,... Read more
Published on 3 Dec 2008 by A girl
Nothing short of brilliant
I must confess I read this book over a year ago and always meant to sit down and write a review but life got in the way somehow. Read more
Published on 8 Mar 2007 by T Rogers
Completely Sublime
Once again our know-nothing publishers, terrified that no one will buy a book unless it's got "laugh-out-loud funny" plastered on the cover, have done us a tremendous disservice. Read more
Published on 17 Sep 2006 by Jonathan Posner
A funny read also very knowledgable about anxiety .
It tells the story of an introverted man who worries wbout almost everything in his life however it is written in a humourous way . Read more
Published on 10 Jan 2005 by Teabag
A truly fabulous book!
I thought this was a fabulous book. I read it on a long flight from Australia to London and it took my mind off the cramped economy seat! Read more
Published on 14 Oct 2004 by S. Horton
Far More Moving Than I Expected
Now this is a book that you will read through non-stop and you will be happy to have spent the time on it. When I finished, I was left with one overriding thought. Read more
Published on 28 Sep 2004 by Paul Johnson
even if you aren't a Steve Martin fan, you should love this
I wondered what to expect and found that Steve Martin writes *really* well. It doesn't feel like a book written by somebody who is just 'trying' to write despite being famous for... Read more
Published on 28 April 2004
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