24. Pug Hill

Pug Hill by Alison Pace was also read in B&N, half last weekend and the rest today. I have to say it wasn't my favorite by any means, but once I started it I didn't want to just stop without finishing (although I did do that with another one at B&N today....). Basically, I liked the main character and I liked the ending but otherwise the story was lacking. It tries to be different from the others (the world of chick-lit) but it didn't really work. Not horrible, but not a must-read either.

But, here's the description anyway, if you want to know more... Art restorer Hope McNeill doesn't have a dog, but she spends her free time at Central Park's "Pug Hill," where the playful dogs give her all the unconditional love and freedom she feels is otherwise lacking in her life. Shy and reserved, Hope signs up for a public speaking class after her parents ask her to make a speech at their anniversary party. Compared to her odd assortment of classmates, including a failed gay poet and an angry novelist, Hope begins to feel much better about her life-really, what's so bad about a lackluster relationship, a tiny apartment, and a job in which she never sees the sun? Gaining some courage from the class helps her make some new choices in her life. Pace's (If Andy Warhol Had a Girlfriend) second novel has some smart and witty moments.