A review by offbalance80
An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin

4.0

Martin continues to be an engaging writer, and fans of his should definitely pick this up. However, he still doesn't quite know how to bring his characters in from arm's length - the narrator was basically a cipher, and Lacey Yeager, the center of the piece, also feels as flat as the paintings she's dealing in. He spends ages talking about the art world, relaying small anecdotes and vignettes, but I wish he'd spent more time on the intrigue that was flirted with, promised, and eventually mentioned towards the end. That would have definitely made for a five-star title. But the artworks printed on the pages amongst the story, as colorful as Lacey Yeager wishes she was, as well as Martin's gift with prose make this worth reading.