Negative Positive
Title: Not quite there....
Review: I thought this book was marginally entertaining and couldn't put my finger on why I didn't like it as well as Shop Girl. It wasn't until I read Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime that I knew the problem. The main character lacks authenticity. You find empathy for Haddon's autistic character even though he's not asking for it. Steve Martin's attempt to promote empathy in the reader is contrived. It is not bad but if you read Haddon's novel you will see the difference between good and brilliant writing.
Is the review positive or negative? 