Object of Beauty chronicles the life of Lacey Yeager through the eyes of one of her many gentlemen admirers, Daniel Franks. Yeager is a dynamic and ambitious young woman who wants to make it big in the New York art world. Through out the novel, Franks serves as Yeager's convenient friend, sounding board and overall partner in crime. We first meet meet her fresh out of college, preparing for her first job interview at Sotheby's.
Yeager uses her charm and cunning to work her way up the ladder at Sotheby's and befriends gallery owner Barton Talley along the way. Talley recognizes Yeager is one of a kind and takes her on a business trip to Russia to look at paintings he is interested in. After getting let go from Sotheby's after some sort of "incident" occurs Yeager goes to work for Talley. He serves as her mentor for the next few years until she opens her own gallery, and eventually becomes his equal.
Martin chronicles Yeager's highs and lows in the New York are scene. We rejoiced with her when she acquired her first Warhol and opened her first gallery. We also felt pangs of loss as Yeager experienced 9/11 and the 2007 collapse of the stock market. The loyal Franks, who works as an art journalist, dryly narrates Yeager's vivid life. His uneventful tone provides a fantastic dichotomy to the constant stimulation of Yeager's adventures.
As with Shopgirl, Martin really captures the essence of what it is to be a young woman growing up in a vivacious and exciting world, and that is one of the major reasons that we liked this novel. Yeager is a fantastic character with many layers. She is someone who you want to be, yet you abhor at times. We look forward to Martin's next novel.
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