Reviews

The New Yorkers by Leanne Shapton, Cathleen Schine

esselleayy's review against another edition

3.0

Pleasant, non-challenging read for my library's almost non-existent book club. I chose it for the pit bull on the cover, but enjoyed the dog-centric romance as well.

hk848's review against another edition

4.0

I know it's a spoiler but I wish I'd been warned that the dog died! Didn't like the 'speaking directly to the audience' style of writing, and there were many moments that were a bit pointless. The constant switching between characters, sometimes within the same sentence, was jarring and rather confusing at times. Simon was creepy and Everett was a selfish douche. However I still very much enjoyed it, loved the rest of the characters (except Doris of course) and the end 50 pages really brought the book up from 3 stars to 4 x

jessejane306's review against another edition

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

sunshineariel's review against another edition

1.0

I did not enjoy this book at all - I only made it about 30 pages in. The story was dry and depressing, much like the characters. I couldn't see how it was going to get much better, and I didn't want to feel depressed.

myreadingreflections's review against another edition

funny informative lighthearted reflective relaxing

5.0

jmeston's review against another edition

5.0

So lovely. Satisfying and spot on and often made me laugh. The description of a boyfriend falling in love with his girlfriend's dog was a hoot.
"The dogs danced at the ends of their leads, barking at potbellied squirrels who bustled off like prosperous burghers, opulent in fur."
"Mostly these days, he ordered Chinese food and ate in bed, something he had always disapproved of, watching Animal Planet.
Alison is getting married today, he thoughts, watching a llama give birth, as he ate fried rice with a spoon, and he felt even more like an ex-husband than usual."

biaseelaender's review against another edition

4.0

Cathleen Schine just gets me. I’m not so happy about some of the decisions regarding plot, but this is a book about dog people. Last time I read a novel by Schine, it was a book about grammar and My Fair Lady. What can I say, we are kindred spirits and I could read her novels forever as long as she keeps writing them because we care about the same things.

flogigyahoo's review against another edition

2.0

If only it were like this

Cathleen Schine's The New Yorkers is a wonderful, funny, witty read. One street, one year, a bunch of neighbors and their dogs all vying for love some of them finding it in the strangest of ways. Schine's pen is benevolent and wicked. Her book is a joy. I laughed out loud. Read it.

howifeelaboutbooks's review against another edition

3.0

I wasn't sure I'd like this book because the way it started: "We'll begin our story with Jody." I usually don't like books that stress you're reading, as this one does at the beginning of almost every chapter. There are also occurrences of statements like "As the reader may have noticed, …" appearing mid-paragraph. It really took me out of it when that happened. For some reason, I stuck with it and found the overall story pretty compelling. Set in a New York City neighborhood, the characters and their dogs all run into each other often, and their lives become tangled together. Once you're a few chapters in, complex and honest relationships are explored - and that is the best part of the book.

lbw's review

funny lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Such a nice book. I want to live on that block! The little dog drawings throughout have nothing to do with the story—not the dog currently featured, don’t give anything away about the plot—but they are so charming.