Customer Reviews

The Pleasure of My Company

5 star:		(88)
4 star:		(61)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I have been a huge Steve Martin fan ever since I saw Father of the Bride as a little girl. When I discovered that Mr. Martin was also an author, I raced to the book store and picked up copies of Shopgirl and The Pleasure of My Company. This book in particular (The Pleasure of My Company) absolutely blew me away. It is clever, sensitive, touching...just absolutely brilliant. Steve Martin really showcases his talent in this book by telling the story of a man living with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), using just enough humor to keep the story lighthearted and fun, but enough candor to provide a very insightful look into the lives of people living with OCD. Once I started reading, I simply could not put the book down. When I finished the book, I gave it to my mom and she couldn't stop talking about how much she loved it too!! I definitely recommend this book as an enjoyable read for anyone.

I L0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0VED this book! The first page engages the reader and keeps a tight hold of them throughout the book with only a slight interruption towards the end as one pauses to think, "Darn, I'm almost at the end."

The story is poignantly written with an undercurrent of sweet gentleness and compassion that Mr. Martin has mastered as his own unique style. It's also hysterically funny! This is the first book I've read where I found myself laughing obnoxiously out loud in quiet places. I've never "read" slapstick moments so vividly that I was able to see the hilarious action as if I were watching it on a movie screen. That's talent, real writing talent.

Most of the side splitting moments are so hysterical because our hearts go out to the main character, Daniel, who was written succinctly and brilliantly. I felt a kinship with Daniel. As I was laughing at him, I found I was actually laughing at myself and perhaps some of my own OCD behaviors. In between the humor and gentle, soulful moments are layers of thoughtful, intelligent insights presented skillfully as an integral part of the story. Steve Martin is a fabulous writer.

THIS BOOK ABSOLUTELY ROCKS! I couldn't give it a more than five stars...because you can't...so here are some more: stars, stars, stars, stars, stars, stars, stars, ad infinitum.

The Pleasure of My Company is a novel told from the point of view of the protagonist, Daniel Peca Cambridge. Daniel is an obsessive compulsive and a mathematical savant. He is completely benign, and even describes himself that way, albeit deprecatingly.

Daniel describes his days and the challenges of life for someone who can't step off curbs or allow the lights in his apartment to be switched such that the total number of watts lit at any time differ.

He describes his adventures, which include falling in love three times, winning a contest two times, and learning to love someone enough to overcome some of his obsessions.

Altogether, this is a charming narrative with memorable characters. I will add just a few words on the format. I like that the book is thin. Lots of books aren't really any longer than this one, but the publishers/printers make them look longer by putting fewer words on the pages and using thicker paper. This one is not deceptive--it's a quick read, but the boks is as long as it needs to be.

Steve Martin is one of the most talented, creative and intelligent individuals in Hollywood. Who else can lay claim to being such an exceedingly gifted comedien, actor, playwright and author?!

After reading The Pleasure of My Company, what struck me as most impressive was that not only did Steve Martin write a second terrific novel but this novel is nothing like his first! Far too many writers can work in only one style, and while their writing is solid each novel seems to mirror the first.

In The Pleasure of My Company, Steve Martin takes his talent in a decidedly different direction from Shopgirl. In fact, I wasn't even sure I was going to like the novel at first; the main character takes a bit of getting used to. His neurotic quirks and his tendency to overthink everything are, at first, fairly annoying. By the end of the novel, however, I was shaking my head in admiration. Steve Martin has constructed a story of sweetness and warmth; Daniel Pecan Cambridge ends up being one of the most likeable protagonists I've encountered.

Yes, he has his idiosyncrasies but he also completely lacks pretense. In and around Los Angeles, this makes Daniel a compelling individual of rare integrity -- the opposite of Get Shorty's John Travlota, Swimming with Shark's Kevin Spacey or The Player's Tim Robinson. Hollywood does come to Daniel, in the form of Crime Show, but he remains blissfully uncorrupted. His neighbors enjoy his company because he asks nothing of them.

Technically unable to function in society, Daniel is visited weekly by a young therapist. When her own life comes unraveled, its Daniel who provides the support and assistance she needs. Through this reversal of fortune, Daniel finds his focus pulled away from himself. Happily helping Clarissa and her young son, Daniel has less and less time to sustain his neurotic habits. As others begin to depend on him, Daniel's self-confidence grows.

You can't help but root for Daniel as the story develops, and he builds a life outside his apartment. When his selflessness is rewarded we all enjoy a happy ending.

Steve Martin has written the perfect novel here: Compelling, witty, gentle, and pure joy to read. Anyone tired of crime and violence novels will love Daniel Cambridge, Martin's first person character in PLEASURE. Though his mental stability keeps him confined to out of work status at his California apartment, Daniel finds attractive elements in each of the women he desires. Charming them each in his non-aggressive way, Daniel eventually finds the love of his life through selfless, altruistic acts by merely being his sweet self. Martin seems to know much about women with his honest observations and descriptions of their inner and outer beauty. You almost wish he would pass along his secret to being a gentleman, but he is subtler than that. Quite simply, Daniel is a man you wish you knew in real life.

What is delightful about this novel beyond the brilliant prose and soothing descriptions, is knowing that when Steve Martin tires of acting we will be enjoying his novels. I have been a Steve Martin fan for years, reading most of his offbeat books, and listening to all of his comedy albums. I found SHOP GIRL to be a surprisingly fun novel to read. Martin has raised the bar for himself with PLEASURE and I look forward to additional, and longer stories. Steve Martin is truly a talent to be cherished.

Read this book. You'll be glad you did.

Steve, write more and longer books!

When I saw Steve Martin had written his first novel (Shop Girl), I picked it up and read it, curious to see if he writes as well as he performs. And, yes he does indeed. What we see in his writing is not just funny wit and humor but genuine heart, understanding and compassion for his characters that become so real you will feel like you know them.

In this short novel, The Pleasure of My Company, we are taken into the strange world of a young man essentially trapped into living within the confines of one square block of Santa Monica. In this review I won't talk about the wonderful humor that is used to make this book so much fun since other reviewers have done that already. Instead, I'd like to address some key points that seem to be missed by other reviewers, especially some of the few negative reviews.

First, this is a story about a man, Daniel, trapped by not just by some neurosis with a catchy name. He is trapped by phobias so severe that he is unable to cope with something as seemingly simple as walking over a curb. He's trapped by damage done to him by unloving parents. He's trapped because the world has proved to be too hurtful and he has shut down in response. This is a story about how this most injured and disabled man touches the lives of others and essentially saves them. And it also a story about how others, for brief moments in time, enter into the life of Daniel, reach out with sincere love, and gently lead Daniel over the curb he couldn't cross and eventually help to enable him to a huge breakthrough in which he not only copes with life but outright conquers it.

Significantly, some of the characters in the book don't even realize the extent of Daniel's disabling phobias and don't even realize that they are leading Daniel out of the tiny little box he lives in. Yet, because they made themselves available to Daniel, great things happened without their even knowing it. And, isn't that true for each us? We touch and influence people in ways we don't know - either for good or for bad. And people likewise influence us in ways we may not recognize at the time, and may thereby affect the direction of our own lives. I don't want to spoil the story or the ending so I won't say more. But wow, some reviewers just didn't get it at all. I don't see how you can read this book without coming away feeling great. Steve Martin, thank you for sharing such humor and truth with us.

Steve Martin seems to have really hit the nail on the head concerning the struggles of dealing with obsessive-compulsive disorders and neuroses in this book. Given, some of the compulsions might seem a bit unrealistic, but most compulsions in truth are just that. Being able to watch a person fight everyday life in a struggle to just be is illustrated incredibly well in this book, and with a perfect blend of humor and compassion. The book might seem a bit dry at first, but it truly needs to be in order for the reader to understand the stresses that an often illogical and irrational world can place on a person who fears the illogical and irrational. As an obsessive-compulsive myself, I would like to offer my most heartfelt congratulations and thanks to the author for his just-delicate-enough handling of such a sensitive subject matter. This book truly proves that Steve Martin is too brilliant of a man to be restricted to one form of media. If I could give this more than five stars, I would.