An Object of Beauty

book cover for An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin

Ready for another book review?  I know, I can’t believe how fast I’m reading them either.  This one is the next book selection for Artful Readings (the book club I belong to).  And amazingly, I finished reading the book a mont before book club.  In nine years, this has never happened.  A month after book club, yes.  But never this far in advance.

This is the second book we’ve read by Steve Martin (yes, that Steve Martin).  The first one was a play called Picasso at the Lapine Agile.  That book was pre-Goodreads for me, so I only have a vague recollection of it.  It was good, but didn’t stick in my head like other books have.

This book, on the other hand, I loved.  I thought it was witty and well-written, and the story and it’s characters just engaged me from the first page.  Our main character is Lacey, who is a young woman working at Sotheby’s.  Upon reading this, my first thought was “huh, I never thought about working at an auction house with my Art History degree”.  It was kind of a “duh” moment.  A little flash of the road not taken.  But I digress.  Lacey is joined in the story by our narrator, who is at times a part of the action and at times steps into an omniscient role of the observer.  I loved how the story took the reader on a virtual tour of the art world and how it changed over a 10-15 year span while still showing influence of the decades before.  The book had some unexpected turns that kept me wondering what else might come to light.

Steve Martin is a really engaging writer and this book makes me want to return to my previous read with a new eye.  I would highly recommend his work, and if you’ve only known him as a comedian and actor until now – get to know him as a writer.

Since I have so long before I get my next book club selection, I thought it would be a good time to pick up something I can take my time with.  I decided to start The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  My mom read the first two books in this trilogy and lent me her copy.  I’ve heard very good things, so I’m anxious to see what all the hype’s about.

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