Almost everyone has heard of Steve Martin. He's a widely known comedian, actor and television writer ' but an author?

Yes, he has proven himself to be a brilliant author as well. 'Shopgirl' is his second bestseller, the other one being 'The Pleasure of My Company.'

The novel is centered around Mirabelle, a shy and lonely saleswoman who works behind the Neiman Marcus glove counter.

Mirabelle is 28 years-old and lives in Los Angeles, where she is without many friends. The few friends she does have are distant and unreliable. Although beautiful, she usually remains unnoticed because of her reserved manner.

She soon begins a casual relationship with a younger man named Jeremy, but realizes she does not truly like him. This leaves her open for wealthy businessman and, very much her senior, Ray Porter.

Ray and Mirabelle begin dating and both have a very different opinion of their relationship. Ray is never completely faithful to Mirabelle, while she believes they're a serious couple.

Ignorant of how vulnerable Mirabelle is, Ray continues to see her without committing. Although he cares about her and provides her with security and money, he never believes her to be his soul mate. Mirabelle is reassured by the older, more stable man, but doesn't fall for his nonsense for long.

'Shopgirl' tells the story of Mirabelle's struggle to find love and, in the end, herself. Although not exactly a romantic comedy, 'Shopgirl' explores different relationships in a witty, compelling and sometimes melancholy way.

It shows how people grow and mature through different relationships with themselves and others. 'Shopgirl' displays how even unhappy relationships can alter us for the better and how, in the end, they can help us find happiness.

Although hesitant at first, I enjoyed 'Shopgirl' greatly and would recommend it to others. It is a story about love, and both the sadness and happiness that comes with it.

For those of you who already have too much reading for classes, don't despair. The movie of 'Shopgirl' comes out Oct. 21.

In the movie, Steve Martin not only wrote the screenplay, but he stars in it as well. He plays Ray Porter, while Mirabelle is played by Claire Danes and Jeremy is played by Jason Schwartzman.

All three actors are very talented and they will undoubtedly portray their characters with accuracy. It will be interesting to see how the film portrays the story lines of the novel.

If anything, it will be changed for the sake of film, which is usually the case for most book-to-movie conversions. But, if the movie is even close to the novel, it will be a hit.