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Cargando... The Pleasure of My Company: A Novella (edición 2004)por Steve Martin
Información de la obraThe Pleasure of My Company por Steve Martin (Author)
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Inscríbete en LibraryThing para averiguar si este libro te gustará. Actualmente no hay Conversaciones sobre este libro. Daniel Pecan Cambridge is a strange man haunted by his mental disorders that he makes rational excuses for. He goes out his way to find symmetrical driveways in order to cross the curbs because they are "illogical elevation[s] imposing [them]selves between the street and the sidewalk." There are many people in his life. A grandmother he hasn't seen in years because his fear of public transportation; his neighbor Phillipa, the actress, and her hulk of a boyfriend, Brian; Clarissa, his student therapist/social worker; Zandy, the attractive pharmacist who knows all his maladies; Elizabeth, the love of his life; and Lenny Burns, a pseudonym he once used to write an essay that returned to haunt him. But when Clarissa's personal life unfolds outside his apartment window, he finds himself in a new world. One that might allow him to shake his neurotic views and habits and actually become normal. I suppose, in many ways, (and I know how cliche this'll sound) I relate to Daniel because of his inability to function correctly in public. An unforeseen obstacle can send him into a state of hysteria that calls for his creating a magic square. But when something gives him purpose, he's able to shake those habits out and find balance in his life. I noticed that both Steve Martin novels have a theme of mental disorders lining them. It's probably the reason I loved his books so much. Steve Martin has so many talents! This is the story of Daniel, who has OCD and finds things like curbs and public transportation difficult. In spite of this, he manages to make friends with his neighbours, and with a student therapist assigned to monitor him. It's a heart-warming story, often laugh-out-loud funny; often touching. Steven Martin's sense of humour comes through when Daniel becomes two of the five finalists in an essay-writing contest. Maybe wraps up a bit to neatly and quickly in the end, but that's not a major fault in this book -- it's what I wanted for Daniel, after all!
The Pleasure of My Company is a delightful novel as warm as the California sun. Martin has managed to capture in Daniel, the essence of a likeable zany man. Daniel's eventual success at having a happy life despite his many handicaps, is uplifting because it reminds us that life is not all bad all the time. It is always fun to root for the underdog and have him win. It might take some doing but Martin shows us that there are indeed "takers for the quiet heart." At first, "The Pleasure of My Company" seems unlikely to amount to more than a conglomeration of moments and observations, which, however droll or moving they may be, do not a novel make. But Martin pulls it together... This novel, like its protagonist, is thoroughly engaging and entertaining, at least at first. Daniel's struggles to reacquaint himself with the pleasures of human interaction are at turns funny, heart-wrenching and inspiring. The ending of Steve Martin's new novella is so sweetly sentimental, it'd give John Steinbeck an ice cream headache. This doesn't spoil the book -- or even the ending, really -- but hard-bitten and hard-boiled readers beware: Martin's a softie at heart. ''The Pleasure of My Company'' is one of those small, appealing-looking books that promise pleasant diversions and few demands.
Fiction.
Literature.
HTML: From the bestselling author of Shopgirl comes the tender story of a troubled man who finds love, and life, in the most unexpected place. Daniel resides in his Santa Monica apartment, living much of his life as a bystander: He watches from his window as the world goes by, and his only relationships seem to be with people who barely know he exists. He passes the time idly filling out contest applications, counting ceiling tiles, and estimating the wattage of light bulbs. It is through Daniel's growing attachment to Clarissa, and to Teddy, that he finally gains the courage to begin to engage the world outside, and in doing so, he discovers love, and life, in the most surprising places. Filled with his trademark humor, tenderness, and out and out hilarious wordplay, The Pleasure of My Company is a tour de force sure to delight all of Steve Martin's fans. .No se han encontrado descripciones de biblioteca. |
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Google Books — Cargando... GénerosSistema Decimal Melvil (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999Clasificación de la Biblioteca del CongresoValoraciónPromedio:
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The story is about a man in Santa Monica who is mostly housebound due to his severe case of OCD. The book is told from his perspective and we learn about all of his odd compulsions (like his inability to step off a curb) and his impressions of all the people who live in his neighborhood.
It took awhile for me to decide if I thought he was a good person with some issues or a scary person who was putting a friendly spin on his bad behavior.
Ultimately, it becomes a book about friendship, trust and love.
With the exception of the undeveloped backstory about the main character's childhood that popped up out of nowhere nowhere (I'm talking about Dad here, not Granny.) I liked the book quite a bit. ( )