Mirabelle Buttersfield is a shy, depressed, pretty girl who works at the glove counter in Neiman's department store and has never gotten over the fact that her father had an affair. Both lonely and a loner, she wishes she could put her fine arts degree to better use, and find true love. Ray Porter is a charming, commitment-phobic millionaire who finds himself attracted to Mirabelle. During the course of their bittersweet relationship, Mirabelle and Ray learn from one another; she discovers some independence from her family and addresses her fears about changing her life, and he learns how to care genuinely about someone. Martin's short novel is tender, hilarious, and highly insightful; he surrounds Mirabelle and Ray with wonderful, funny secondary characters like Lisa, the man-eating bimbo from the cosmetics department, and Jeremy, a clueless young twentysomething who aspires to date Mirabelle and sell amplifiers.
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The review of this Book prepared by A. J. Bell
Steve Martin is surprisingly gifted as a comedic writer of a book written mainly from a woman's point of view. At 28 years old, boring, shy, pretty little Mirabelle Buttersfield works as a clerk in the glove department at Nieman's hasn't found the right man, and feels inferior to the gorgeous LA women who work and live around her, namely Lisa, whose mission is to snag any man away from her competition. She's also haunted by a string of meaningless one-night stands, notably Jeremy, who was famous for making Mirabelle pay her way on every date they had together. When Mirabelle meets Ray Porter, a fifty year old wealthy businessman from Seattle, both of them are changed when they fall in love. Their age difference and social status plays a huge part in where their future lies, and they are both aware of it, but can't deny their feelings for each other. This is a very bright book, even through the heartbreaks, and teaches us "it's the pain that changes our lives". Only Steve Martin could have made pain this comical and enlightening.
The review of this Book prepared by Fins
