An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin

Synopsis from Goodreads:  Lacey Yeager is young, captivating, and ambitious enough to take the NYC 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. 

Scheduled for release November 2010

My thoughts:  This is my first time participating in a blog tour through Crazy Book Tours.  They have some great titles on tour, you should check them out.  This title interested me because I'd heard good things about Steve Martin's Shopgirl.  

This book was different from everything that I've been reading.  For someone who is not as familiar with the history of the art word it was educational.  As this was an ARC the photos that are going to be in the finished copy were not all included in this copy, but ones that were in there were lovely. I might have to make a trip to the Denver Art Museum in the near future. 

The problem that I had with this book is that it left me feeling indifferent.  I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it.  I was constantly waiting for something to happen, something to draw me in.  I was never emotionally involved with the story or any of its characters, like I was a distant observer.  We spend a lot of time learning about Lacey's experience in the art world, but we never get to know her.   We are introduced to Daniel, the narrator and he appears periodically but  I never figured out why he's there other than to talk about Lacey.  


The bottom line, I think this story had potential.  Lacey could have been an intriguing character.  The relationship between Daniel and Lacey could have been expanded.  There could have been drama in any of the relationships that were briefly mentioned.  


Each person that views a work of art experience it a different way.  Their view altered by their own life experiences.  The same is true for books.  While my own experience with this book wasn't what I thought it would be, I will still remember it for what it was.  If you choose to experience this work for yourself, I'd love to hear what your experience is like.