The Pleasure of My Company [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio CD]

Steve Martin (Author), Author (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2, 2003

Daniel resides in his Santa Monica apartment, living much of his life as a bystander: He watches from his window as the world goes by, and his only relationships seem to be with people who barely know he exists. He passes the time idly filling out contest applications, counting ceiling tiles, and estimating the wattage of light bulbs. It is through Daniel's growing attachment to Clarissa, and to her son Teddy, that he finally gains the courage to begin to engage the world outside, and in doing so, he discovers love, and life, in the most surprising places. Filled with his trademark humor, tenderness, and out and out hilarious wordplay, THE PLEASURE OF MY COMPANY is a tour de force sure to delight all of Steve Martin's fans.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Readers expecting something zany, something crudely humorous from Steve Martin's second novel, The Pleasure of My Company, will discover much greater riches. While the book has a sense of humor, Martin moves everywhere with a gentler, lighter touch in this elegant little fiction that verges on the profound and poetic.

Daniel Pecan Cambridge is the narrator and central consciousness of the novel (actually a novella). Daniel, an ex-Hewlett-Packard communiqué encoder, is a savant whose closely proscribed world is bounded on every side by neuroses and obsessions. He cannot cross the street except at driveways symmetrically opposed to each, and he cannot sleep unless the wattage of the active light bulbs in his apartment sums to 1,125. Daniel's starved social life is punctuated by twice-weekly visits from a young therapist in training, Clarissa; by his prescription pick-ups from a Rite Aid pharmacist, Zandy; and by his "casual" meetings with the bleach-blond real estate agent, Elizabeth, who is struggling to sell apartments across the street. But Daniel's dysfunctional routines are shattered one day when he becomes entangled in the chaos of Clarissa's life as a single mother. Taking care of Clarissa's tiny son, Teddy, Daniel begins to emerge from the safety of logic, magic squares, and obsessive counting.

Martin's craftsmanship is remarkable. The tightly packed novella paints rich portraits with restraint and balance, including nothing extraneous to Daniel's world. The book does not try for pyrotechnics but is contented with a Zen-like simplicity in both prose and plot. Avoiding the crushing bleakness of much contemporary fiction, Martin insists through Daniel--a man haunted by horrors of his own making--that there is possibility for compassion, that broken lives can actually be healed. --Patrick O'Kelley --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Martin's first novella, Shopgirl (2000), was a revelation, a compassionate yet cool, meticulously crafted tale of a young woman's affair with an older, successful man not what most readers were expecting from the famed comic actor and author of Pure Drivel. Martin's second novella continues the enjoyment, offering another story with a conscience, one funnier than Shopgirl but put together just as smartly, if very differently. Martin forgoes the distanced omniscient narration of Shopgirl by plunking readers into the head of one the odder yet more charming protagonists in recent fiction, Daniel Pecan Cambridge, a gentle soul suffering from a mild mix of autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Daniel, 33, lives in a rundown Santa Monica apartment, his life constricted by an armor of defensive habit (all the lightbulbs in his apartment must equal 1,125 watts; he can't step over curbs so can cross streets only where two opposing driveways align, etc.), his dull days punctuated only by imagined romances and visits by his student social worker, lovely and kind Clarissa. Daniel's ways (a product of child abuse, Martin shows with subtlety) are challenged when Clarissa and her infant son, Teddy, move in to escape an abusive husband; when Daniel wins a contest as "Most Average American" and must give a speech to claim the $5,000 prize; and when his beloved grandmother dies, sending him on a road trip of discovery back home. This novella is a delight, embodying a satisfying story arc, a jeweler's eye for detail, intelligent pacing and a clean, sturdy prose style. What's most remarkable about it, though, is its tenderness, a complex mix of wit, poignancy and Martin's clear, great affection for his characters. Many readers are going to love this brief, big-hearted book.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Hyperion; Unabridged edition (October 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401397506
• ISBN-13: 978-1401397500
• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (180 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,948,843 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Pleasure of Steve Martin's Company, December 23, 2003

By 

Robert Wellen (CHICAGO, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Pleasure of My Company: A Novel (Hardcover)

I really enjoyed Shopgirl, but fell in love with the Pleasure of My Company. I often hestiate to buy a novel in hard cover (one might call me budget conscious? ) that is this short--however, it worth it. I read the book in just a few hours, but it will stay with me for a long time. Daniel is a wonderful, warm, and slightly sad character. I loved the first person narration. Daniel is obsessive-complusive and Martin nails down his inner life. His hilarious attempts at romance, his nutty essay, his road trips are all spiced with humor and a twinge of realism. Martin's writing is warm and honest. The ending is so wonderful, it might move you to tears (I will say no more so as not to ruin it). I was quite impressed by a modern man who works to solve his own problems instead of blaming others (his attempts at therapy are also humorous). Martin dispels, intentionally or not, so much of our addiction based culture. Daniel learns strength and tries to conquer the world on his own terms--with a quiet heart. A beautiful little story. Martin is fantastic.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Quite a Character, February 1, 2004

By 

Timothy Haugh (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Pleasure of My Company: A Novel (Hardcover)

All seems to be going well for Steve Martin these days. His movie career continues apace with the occasional hit and he continues to develop as an author. The Pleasure of My Company is a distinct improvement over his debut story, Shopgirl.

Though not noticeably longer, The Pleasure of My Company gets tagged "a novel" whereas Shopgirl was "a novella;" still, I'm willing to forgive since this book has the depth. Martin has made a wise move by focusing on a single character, Daniel, this time around. Martin's main talent lies in characterization and wry commentary and Daniel gives him an opportunity to do both. This streamlines the story and makes it much more interesting.

Daniel is a mentally disturbed young man whose ability to leave his apartment is very limited because of his obsessions and phobias--his inability to step off of curbs, for instance, or his obsession with thinking of things in terms of magic squares. Still, he attempts to reach out to the world around him: entering essay contests, joining MENSA, trying to meet the realtor across the street or the pharmacist at the Rite-Aid. Eventually, as his obsessions shift and he gets a little luck, his world begins to open up.

Admittedly, I'm a little tired of the mentally disturbed protagonist but Daniel is an engaging character mainly because he is basically a nice guy and he struggles to overcome his problems instead of giving into them. And the observations of the unbalanced often hold more truth than the lives of the "normal." Though there is nothing mind-bendingly fantastic here, this brief read is a good one.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Story, October 7, 2003

By 

N. Gargano "nokegchris" (Waynesville NC and Bradenton, Fl) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Pleasure of My Company: A Novel (Hardcover)

I really enjoyed this book, and I must say, while I was reading it, I kept saying to myself.."I can't believe how talented Mr. Martin is." I have always been a big fan of his,and I really enjoyed his first book, the Shopgirl. But something about this one grabbed me even more than his first, and I read it without putting it down, I was so involved with Daniel,the main character, and his life.
I have to admit, at first I felt a little guilty laughing at the main character's behaviors, but then I decided I wasn't laughing at him, kind of with him. I started thinking about the things I do that are strange, (I won't go into them here, anybody that knows me, feel free to ask, I'll explain), and realised I am just lucky any strange behaviors on my part have not been the kind to interfere with my leading what some people call a "normal"life. Then after I got over my guilt, I allowed myself to laugh at everything I found funny, which was a good thing, I laughed out loud quite a lot.I also had a couple of places with some tears. So what I am trying to say is, read this book and enjoy. I will probably read it again one day, just because I enjoyed it so much, and I am finding that I really miss Daniel.