The New Yorkers is set on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, on a block with lots of dog owners.  Polly, in her early twenties, moves into an apartment and adopts a dog.  She has just broken up with her boyfriend, and she needs some change in her life.  She gets her brother George to move in with her to help with the rent.  Jody, soon to be 40 and still unmarried, has her beloved dog Beatrice to keep her company, but she bumps into 50-year-old Everett and develops a crush on him.  Everett is newly divorced and is getting used to his new life, but he dislikes animals.  Doris is an old busy-body who screams from her SUV at dog-owners because dogs pee on her car.  Chris, a lonely unmarried man lives nearby, and loves fox hunting. 

Schine puts this cast of characters together and sets them going in a cheerful romantic comedy that will appeal especially to dog lovers and Manhattan-ophiles.  The novel is engaging even when relationships don't work out and during unhappy trips to the vet.  Schine is particularly good at shifting from one character's perspective to another, mid-paragraph, which adds to the energy of the narrative.  There's no great drama here, but the book is firm in its conviction that dogs are wonderful and people can be transformed through learning to love a dog.

The unabridged audiobook is read by Nicole Roberts, whose performance fits well with the chicklit feel of the book.  She keeps her characters very distinct with different voices, maybe verging on the overly dramatic at points.  Nevertheless, she does manage to keep you listening. 

© 2007 Christian Perring

Christian Perring, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Dowling College, New York.

Categories: Fiction, AudioBooks