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    The New Yorkers
    The New Yorkers
    The New Yorkers
    Audiobook8 hours

    The New Yorkers

    Written by Cathleen Schine

    Narrated by Nicole Roberts

    3/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    New York is going to the dogs-and it's a good thing, too, since dogs are what bring together and keep together the mix of quiet, eccentric, struggling, and sometimes lonely humans that populate Schine's story.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHighbridge Company
    Release dateMay 1, 2007
    ISBN9781598874945
    The New Yorkers
    Author

    Cathleen Schine

    CATHLEEN SCHINE is the author of many novels, including The Three Weissmanns of Westport, andthe internationally best-selling The Love Letter and Alice in Bed, To the Bird House, She Is Me, and The New Yorkers.

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    Reviews for The New Yorkers

    3/5

    20 ratings17 reviews

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    • 3/5
      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.
    • 1/5
      I read this book but it just didn't seem to keep me captivated. The idea was good, but it needed more character development. I thought it would appeal to me as an animal lover and owner of a dog, but not so much.
    • 1/5
      The dogs in this book were more interesting than their owners. The human characters were shallow and sel-absorbed. It was hard for me to believe that they could exit their ennui long enough to find someone to date.
    • 4/5
      Lovely story of people interacting where they might not have - relationships developing unexpectedly, people supporting each other in the face of challenges, and people changing/growing perhaps because of interaction with other people. Love this author.
    • 4/5
      The "New Yorkers" is a story about a group of people who live in New York City, but it is a story that could take place anywhere . Anywhere, that is, where a group of people who love dogs meet each other, and each other's pets in a neighborhood where pets are welcome and people are friendly. This is the New York I remember from watching "Seinfeld" and the characters - at least the people- remind me of Seinfeld's people. I enjoyed this book as a "comfort read", entertaining, interesting characters, a plot that develops from everyday encounters and, of course, the dogs, each with his/her own personality. The action covers a year, and a bit of romance is involved. At the end, we are treated to an epilogue that ties up all loose ends. Like the TV show that purports to be about "nothing" this book is about a very small slice of life -- "nothing" and at the same time everything.
    • 4/5
      If you're not a dog person, this book probably won't hold much interest for you. (Also, what is wrong with you?) It follows about half a dozen residents of a nondescript block on the Upper West Side of Manhattan - human residents and canine ones. The dogs bring people together in unexpected ways and their interactions help forge a community of sorts. The dog characters are wonderful, especially Beatrice, a white pit bull with a big heart and a worrywart of an owner. The humans are wonderfully drawn, too. From the self-described spinster at 40 to the just-dumped 26 year old and her underachieving brother to the newly-divorced man trying to figure out how to be alone in his 50s, Schine treats each of her characters with affection and - often- bemusement. Doris, the "antagonist" of the story, is especially well-done in all her self-righteousness and hypocrisy.The New Yorkers is a love letter to the city, as well as a paean to the special way dogs have of bringing us out of ourselves and to each other.
    • 4/5
      This is not the book for readers who must have substantial plot action, but it is a very enjoyable read for those who like to experience the everyday joys and obsessions of like people who find themselves in unlike circumstances.
    • 2/5
      Meh. I hoped for better things with this book, because I liked the premise: a group of New Yorkers who become a community because of their dogs. Because that happens, you know? If you have a dog, and you walk the dog, you get to know every dang dog in the neighborhood - and their owners. And to have that happen in New York, the city of strangers, seemed like a lovely idea.And yet. The truth is, I just couldn't seem to stay interested in the characters. This was partly because they were not exceptionally likable: Everett is sort of mean and selfish, George is weak, Polly is controlling and annoying. Still, they all have their human moments, and I think I could have gotten past their faults, except that it seemed as if the author herself wasn't all that committed to her characters. She writes about them in a curiously detached fashion, occasionally breaking away from her narration to address the reader directly - a conceit which could be charming, but feels poorly thought out and executed instead.Oh well. I may try another Schine novel, but I will acquire it at the library - no sense in cluttering my shelves with long shots.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this book. The last Schine book I read was She Is Me and I was so disappointed it took me a very long time to take this one off the shelf and gave it a try. I am really glad that I decided to give it a whirl.I think it is a charming book - the characters are complex and well drawn. I was surprised by the sheer number of characters that we, as readers, follow - but Schine does a nice job of giving them all sufficient time to have their stories unfold and interweaving the storylines in a believable fashion.The book is illustrated throughout with darling line drawings of dogs. I enjoyed them very much and I thought they added a touch of whimsy that, for me, really affected the tone of the novel in a positive way.Years and years ago, Schine was brought to my attention with her book The Evolution of Jane - I loved it and have sought out her novels ever since. None have measured up for me until this one. My faith is restored!
    • 3/5
      I was looking forward to reading The New Yorkers by Cathleen Schine. It had a cute dog pictured on the cover and the blurb on the back sounded like it would be interesting: a story about people living on a single block in NY and their dogs. It was a good idea for a book, however there was not enough to the story to make it entertaining. The story was very meandering, slow, and was very hard to follow with little "point". There were very few likable characters, except for the dogs! I did not like the way the book resolved. The story was dragged out so long it didn't make sense for it to have such a neat, tidy ending. Overall, I was very disappointed and would not recommend this book.
    • 4/5
      I found this book delightful. Schine does a great job of showing the impact we have on those around us - intentionally or not. The humans in this novel are well-realized, complicated characters, and their relationships with the dogs in their lives shows them at their most human. The gentle pace of the plot felt very real to me - it flows in just the surprising ways that life does. I found the moments of misunderstanding, missed chances, and misinterpretations especially powerful, poignant, and honest.
    • 5/5
      This was a sweet story, simply told, about a group of New Yorkers and how they interact and affect one another: Jody, a cheerful woman in her late 30s who should be played by Meg Ryan in the movie version; Jamie, a charming gay restaurateur; Everett, an aloof but well-meaning bachelor; Simon, a social worker whose heart is in Virginia; Polly, a young woman with an especially commanding voice; and George, Polly's feckless but lovable brother. The book follows these characters' emotional growth and relationships over the course of a year.I enjoyed this book immensely, despite its slow pace. And it didn't really matter, because it's the kind of novel you want to savor. I was sorry when it ended.
    • 4/5
      If you are a dog lover, you will probably find the antics of these characters and their dogs delightful. If you are not a dog lover, you might still enjoy the book for its depiction of how people live and love in a big city. Set in New York City, a small cast of characters including some winsome dogs, encounter everyday life through the course of one year. These characters are just quirky enough to be interesting. It was fascinating to me how the author translated a small-town atmosphere to life in a busy city. I have no experience with city life, but her portrayal seemed credible to me.Beatrice, the Pit Bull, is featured on the cover. Hats off to Ms. Schine for giving a boost to an out-of-favor breed of dogs, making a subtle case in favor of nurture vs. nature. I thought the love between the humans and the dogs more touching than the romance between the characters. In fact, it seemed that the lovers themselves preferred their dogs' company if truth be told. Schine cleverly provides a narrator popping in from time to time to aptly point out such implications. I do enjoy her writing with its freshness and gentle comic touch. I've read two other books by her and found them equally appealing.
    • 2/5
      A simple story of a handful of people and how their lives become entangled. I think a lack of personality from both the characters and the dogs failed to draw me in to the novel. A pleasant read however.
    • 3/5
      Audio book read by Nicole Roberts

      Five apartment dwellers living in a quiet block near Central Park meet over their canine companions. Friendships develop, misunderstandings ensure, couples come together, drift apart and the members find new attachments.

      This is a lovely, quick read – a Valentine to New York City. The characters are charming and sometimes exasperating. The dogs are all loveable (even the one that bites). It’s a year in the life of these lonely people wherein they meet and connect over their beloved pooches. The book contains humor, pathos, irony and romance. What’s not to like?!

      Nicole Roberts does a fine job narrating the audio book. She has good pacing and sufficient skill as a voice artist to differentiate the characters.
    • 2/5
      Let's face it, we know what the marketing team was thinking here. Let's put an adorable dog on the cover and this book will sell itself. I'm afraid I'll have to agree with most of the reviewers here: there's not much going for this book beyond that dog on the cover. You might find yourself swayed if you're a real dog-lover, but if that's the case, the time you would spend reading this book should simply be spent with an actual dog. I didn't come away with any great selections from the book that I might point to as being unique and delightful, and perhaps that's the worst crime of all -- The New Yorkers is simply not memorable. Alas.
    • 3/5
      People meet and fall in love via their dogs in this book of light fiction. Friends pointed me toward this book after I complained about the hours I’ve spent this summer with Al Qaeda and fundamental extremists and the poor of sub-Sahara Africa and the test-weary world of disadvantaged New Jersey schools. There is nothing that lingers in your bones after reading this book, nothing that leads you toward writing editorials to the Times. Simple little stories of relationships combined with the steady love of loyal dogs.