An Object of Beauty

A Novel

By: Steve Martin

Narrated by: Campbell Scott

Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

Lacey Yeager is young, captivating, and ambitious enough to take the New York art world by storm. Groomed at Sotheby's and hungry to keep climbing the social and career ladders put before her, Lacey charms men and women, old and young, rich and even richer with her magnetic charisma and liveliness. Her ascension to the highest tiers of the city parallel the soaring heights - and, at times, the dark lows - of the art world and the country from the late 1990s through today.

©2010 Steve Martin (P)2010 Hachette

Critic reviews

"Martin compresses the wild and crazy end of the millennium and finds in this piercing novel a sardonic morality tale." ( Publishers Weekly)

"[A] clever, convincingly detailed depiction of NYC’s art scene." ( Booklist)

Interesting, Alluring and Fun

Steve Martin's book is a lovely glimpse into the art world. Full of ambition, lust and beauty. Martin's language, turn of phrase and character descriptions lyrically move us through the growth of contemporary art, world history and the excesses of the privileged of the 21st century. I was not certain I would like this book after I heard the publicity campaign, because I didn't imagine that Mr. Martin could produce such a luminous work. I am pleased to say I was wrong. It reminded me of the joy I get strolling through a great gallery and imagining the stories of the people around me. This is a great book and Campbell Scott provides a lovely reading of it! Enjoy it!

Terrible.

I can't believe I made it through this one. Martin presents the recent history of the art world in a 101 manner, a lot of facts given over in an almost didactic tone. I found the lead female character so ridiculously flat and unbelievable. She is a sexual fantasy of a character, and absolutely devoid of any real complexity. All of the characters were flat and cartoonish. ! found myself annoyed to the point of grunting out loud to some of the worst passages. I don't think I'll be able to try another book by martin.

Did not enjoy

I wanted to like the book, and was interested in learning about the NY art scene. But although I listened to more than half, finally gave up. I did not care about any of the characters or the art, and found the narrator (who sounds very similar to Martin) to be equally boring.

Too many punches pulled.

I am a fan of Steve Martin's previous work.

I found the first and last hour of this book interesting, but getting through the middle was a struggle.

I hate not finishing audiobooks, but I really had to force myself to keep listening, hoping for a payoff that never eventuated.

Whenever the story started to become interesting, Martin pulls his punches - frustrating to say the least. I spent the first 5 hours wondering where this book was going and then how it could possibly get there in the 2.5 hours remaining.

I imagine those in the art world may find this tale of interest, but I was left disappointed.

BORING

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I'VE WRITTEN A REVIEW IN 5 YEARS- THIS WAS THE MOST BORING BOOK I'VE LISTENED TO AND THE FIRST I HAVEN'T FINISHED- THE READER WAS SO MONOTONE THAT I COULD HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP. I'VE LOVED ALL OF STEVE MARTIN'S OTHER BOOKS

Interesting slant on the art word, but.....

Love Martin's vocabulary and descriptive sense but this story bogged down and was a touch boring.

Flat

I found this book slow, flat, predictable, with shallow characters, and read in a monotone boring way. This is against a lot of reviews I read before purchasing it, but it's my honest opinion. If you are not very interested in the NYC art world, consider the purchase well before making it.

Not Steve Martin's best work

I love Steve Martin's comedy, and I moderately enjoyed the novel Shopgirl. He's a talented writer when it comes to the actual prose, but I found this novel difficult to get into or even care about.

First of all, the main character (Lacey Yeager) is hardly likeable and terribly hard to identify with. I just didn't care about her. In fact, I just didn't care period. She's a self-serving narcissist who really doesn't have many redeeming qualities other than the fact that nearly every heterosexual man she meets wants to sleep with her. (She is not, by the way, a cardboard character; just seriously dull.)

The best thing about this book is that it delves deeply into the pretentiousness of the art world of New York City. If that's what you're looking for, the book is for you. But if you're looking for a novel with captivating characters that you might care deeply about, I wouldn't recommend it.

On the plus side, Campbell Scott does a wonderful job, deadpanning his entire way through. (In some ways, I realize that Scott and Martin have similar-sounding voices.)

did not finish book!

What would have made An Object of Beauty better?

If the plot were more foucused on telling a story than explaining to reader the details of the art collectors world...

What could Steve Martin have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

knowing that steve martin is a huge art collector, it felt as if he was showing off his knowledge about this world and less concentrating on the "human" aspects of the story. i read Shopgirl and enjoyed it very much. So I expected more of the same.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Campbell Scott?

yes I would

I so wanted to like this book...

Steve Martin is so talented as a comedian, though, his talent didn’t come through in this novel. It is tale of New York art gallery dealings. It reminded me of “The Goldfinch”, without any of the intrigue, emotion, or warmth. Cardboard characters walked through boring restaurant and fashion references. They had dull sex and a very hum drum little art crime. I only stuck with it because it was my book club selection. You can skip this book. Try the “Goldfinch” instead.