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kristianawithak's review against another edition
4.0
Yes, that Steve Martin. I had no idea he knew so much about art.
It is interesting to read about the financial crisis in a novel that also frames 9/11 in its discussion of the art world.
It is interesting to read about the financial crisis in a novel that also frames 9/11 in its discussion of the art world.
stephanie_opp's review against another edition
2.0
After really enjoying Shopgirl and The Pleasure of My Company, I guess my expectations were just way too high for this. Bah.
alyssa_104's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
It can drag at times
rheading's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed Martin's writing style and engagement with the modern and contemporary art world and commentary on art history at large. The storytelling is set perfectly in New York and Martin exquisitely describes the richness and complexity of where the city's elite thrive. Lacey Yeager is a fascinating protagonist who exudes confidence and grabs onto power and wealth however she can. However, the narrator Daniel feels a little dull at times.
lauraborkpower's review against another edition
3.0
A fairly solid novel novel all around. Martin's play with point of view--the narrator telling the protagonist's story as a close friend--gave the benefits of both first person as well as third. He justified the non-Lacey scenes by having the narrator tell us up front that he took some imaginative liberties. This point of view also let me like the narrator and dislike Lacey, the main character, who is manipulative and self-serving for about 99.9% of the story. She wasn't unpleasant, but unsympathetic, and I never did get a real sense of her as a truly flawed character--of course she had obvious flaws, but she was rarely, if ever, vulnerable, and this made her not just unsympathetic, but unrealistic. This may have been a downfall of the point of view or the writing, or both.
I enjoyed the art world Martin took us into, and I think that it's authentic, not only because he is a part of that world and got the book checked by some of the real life characters he included, but because I've experienced some of it myself. I have a basic knowledge of art history and gallery life--enough to get most of the references--but I think my husband, manager of an art gallery, enjoyed it on another level, perhaps enough to look past some of the character and story inadequacies (we listened to it in the car on an out-of-town drive).
Martin also treated the time period in a way I truly appreciated: he linked the story to the historical events with honesty and restraint. Because this story starts in NY in the mid '90s and continues until about 2009, ignoring September 11, 2001, and the 2008 real estate/financial crisis would have been impossible. So Martin makes these events very important parts of Lacey's life without defaulting to making hers a "9-11" story or a "foreclosure" story, or some bastard hybrid reflecting the events as morals or messages. I, for one, was thankful for this.
As a side, if you're a fan of audio books, listen to this instead of reading the hard copy, because Campbell Scott does a truly fantastic job.
I enjoyed the art world Martin took us into, and I think that it's authentic, not only because he is a part of that world and got the book checked by some of the real life characters he included, but because I've experienced some of it myself. I have a basic knowledge of art history and gallery life--enough to get most of the references--but I think my husband, manager of an art gallery, enjoyed it on another level, perhaps enough to look past some of the character and story inadequacies (we listened to it in the car on an out-of-town drive).
Martin also treated the time period in a way I truly appreciated: he linked the story to the historical events with honesty and restraint. Because this story starts in NY in the mid '90s and continues until about 2009, ignoring September 11, 2001, and the 2008 real estate/financial crisis would have been impossible. So Martin makes these events very important parts of Lacey's life without defaulting to making hers a "9-11" story or a "foreclosure" story, or some bastard hybrid reflecting the events as morals or messages. I, for one, was thankful for this.
As a side, if you're a fan of audio books, listen to this instead of reading the hard copy, because Campbell Scott does a truly fantastic job.
coranada's review against another edition
4.0
This is so close to a 6 star book that a 5 seems unfair. Steve Martin does an amazing job of describing things with both the art and the changing economic climate of the art world ... and does it while being INTERESTING. "Economic climate of the art world" sounds like a deadly boring subject but I promise it wasn't.
monicakuryla's review against another edition
2.0
I was a bit disappointed after all the hype this book got. I can envision it more as a movie than a novel. Read like a screenplay.
headingnorth's review against another edition
3.0
http://blog.threegoodrats.com/2010/12/object-of-beauty-review.html