A review by nglofile
An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin
4.0
I shouldn't like this as much as I do. Aside from the fact that it takes place in a world rife with personal triggers, it centers on the kind of character for whom I have little tolerance: a young, gifted, golden girl, who gets nearly everything she wants because of her beauty and charm and how she shamelessly uses others -- and they love her for it. She doesn't struggle, not really, and she embodies the slightly older and more sophisticated manic pixie dreamgirl trope. This is even underscored by the fascination with which the narrator paints her antics.
So what is there to like? She is our gateway into the turns of the art world, but the culture and people and pretense and game of it all are really where the narrative is grounded. That's the closest I can come to understanding my own appreciation -- at least presently. Now please excuse me while I revisit [b:Seven Days in the Art World|6988014|Seven Days in the Art World|Sarah Thornton|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1358748500s/6988014.jpg|3502133].
audiobook note: Campbell Scott's reading is almost docile -- but in a manner that expertly fits the near dream-like tone of all that happens. The narrative voice is fittingly dazed -- by events, yes, but even more so by an unhealthy attachment that he knows holds himself back but he can't bring himself to quit. His performance earned the fourth star.
So what is there to like? She is our gateway into the turns of the art world, but the culture and people and pretense and game of it all are really where the narrative is grounded. That's the closest I can come to understanding my own appreciation -- at least presently. Now please excuse me while I revisit [b:Seven Days in the Art World|6988014|Seven Days in the Art World|Sarah Thornton|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1358748500s/6988014.jpg|3502133].
audiobook note: Campbell Scott's reading is almost docile -- but in a manner that expertly fits the near dream-like tone of all that happens. The narrative voice is fittingly dazed -- by events, yes, but even more so by an unhealthy attachment that he knows holds himself back but he can't bring himself to quit. His performance earned the fourth star.