The New Yorkers by Cathleen Schine (2007, Unabridged, Compact Disc)

A lightly satirical social comedy, Schine’s novel examines the lives of a handful of NYC Upper West Siders who are united by their love of their neighborhood and their dogs. There’s Jody, a 40 year-old self-styled spinster music teacher, who adopts Beatrice, an almost albino elderly pit bull. She uses her dog to attract the attention of her handsome and recently divorced neighbor Everett, but Polly’s puppy, Howdy, interests him more. Polly, young, beautiful and newly estranged from her live-in boyfriend, Chris, rebounds to Everett. In despair, Jody transfers her interest to Simon, another neighbor she meets while walking Beatrice, and is more successful. Jamie, a dog owner who runs the local restaurant/hang-out which allows pets inside in flagrant violation of NYC health codes, watches over everybody, while Polly’s brother George, with his natural flair for dog-training, tends bar. All distrust Doris, who believes her block has gone to the dogs in the worst of all possible ways and becomes a crusader for civic reform. Unbelievable? Quite the contrary. Ask any New Yorker. Reader Nicole Roberts differentiates her characters with appropriate accents and inflections. Cheery summer reading for urban dog lovers.