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| Clara: The Story of the Pug Who Ruled my Life |
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| Pug Books from Amazon |
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Clara: The Story of the Pug Who Ruled my Life
List Price: $15.00
Amazon Price: $13.95
Average Customer Rating:  (88 reviews)
Editorial Review: You would think that a 12-pound dog would know her place in the world. Well, you obviously haven't met Clara, the pug that rules writer Margo Kaufman's life and the topic of discussion in Clara: The Early Years, Kaufman's hilarious account of living with the imperious pug. Kaufman, author of This Damn House! and the Hollywood correspondent for Pug Talk magazine, admits to being the "Official Pug Lollipop," a fact that Clara takes full advantage of. From their first meeting in a New York hotel room, Kaufman knows that Clara is "different": "Five minutes after her arrival, she inspected our junior suite like Leona Helmsley checking to see if the chocolate mints on the pillows were lined up at the right angles. Clara noticed the spacious queen-sized bed, the plush carpet, and the cozy loveseat in my sitting room. She beheld the cold hard floor--tile, not even marble--in her tiny bathroom. And she realized that the Human had put her own comfort over the pug's--a seriou...
Customer Reviews:
0 of 0 found this review helpful:
 Vanity publication stretches limits of belief, 2008-06-03
I was looking forward to this book when I picked it up, but by the time I was halfway through, I was looking forward to putting it down.
I love books about animals, and have enjoyed many other authors in the genre, but this one was a big disappointment.
The author is a columnist, and the writing shows that. It is snappy, sassy prose that beats you over the head with jokes and observations about life, but it fails to build a cohesive story that gives the various episodes a greater significance.
A book that lauds a dog must be careful to maintain a semblance of believability, and the best dog books celebrate the dog's character without losing sight of the dog's essential "dogness." Kaufman, on the other hand, anthropomorphizes every tilt of the head and blink of the eye, to the extent that we are asked to celebrate Clara's humanity.
I can get behind this to an extent, but the characterization of Clara is so unrelenting and insistent that I found it to be a huge turnoff. I had the same problem with Farley Mowat's account of his dog Mutt, but Mowat is at least a hardcore, rough and tumble writer who was looking at his childhood pet through the haze of years and sentimental youth.
Kaufman, on the other hand, comes across as pampered, sheltered, and rather foolish, treating Clara more like a human child than a dog. I have no problem with loving a dog, but fooling yourself into thinking that a dog has human tastes is a disservice to that relationship.
This book will probably appeal to a certain brand of pet owner, the kind that feel their animal is unbearably precious, and is even moreso when dressed up in darling outfits.
But for anyone who is more concerned with animals maintaining a semblance of dignity, this book will not impress.
1 of 1 found this review helpful:
 Hilarious! Have read it twice!, 2008-02-23
I remember the first time I read this book a few years ago and I laughed so hard. I am just now re-reading it and am loving it all over again. I'm not sure why the author wasn't more popular in her lifetime - she has a great way of writing, very easy to read and very witty. It's fun hearing about her rich mom in NYC and her beachfront bohemian neighborhood and her husband and her effort to adopt a Chinese baby, all thrown into the book. If you've ever loved a pet, you'll recognize yourself in her humorous retellings of dealing with her pug Clara, a little furry diva.
1 of 3 found this review helpful:
Lovable Pug, 2007-10-23
I was sad to learn that Margo Kaufman died of cancer in 2000. This is a delightful book and no doubt many others were eagerly anticipating more "Clara" stories. The morbidly obese pug, (obese pugs are called "fluffy pugs" in pug circles) barrels her way into readers' hearts. Clara was a delightful fluffy pug, all wrinkles and curly tail who found a home in many hearts.
Kaufman gave her curly tailed dog a "voice" and her humor was the thread that kept this story woven together.
This is an ideal book for anybody who wants a good laugh and a foray with a fluffy pug. I love pugs and everybody, pug lovers and those who merely tolerate the adorable curly tailed dogs will find a lot of fun with Clara.
3 of 3 found this review helpful:
i owe so much to this book., 2007-08-13
After stumbling upon this book in a tiny country bookshop, i read it in just a few days and fell deeply in love with pugs. i was completely charmed my the author's dogs, especially Clara, and soon i had rescued my own little black pug from a shelter. My pug goes with me everywhere, and as the author states, "is living proof that god has a sense of humor." these little dogs make me laugh every day, and this book will make you laugh on every page. Clara, Margo, and their adventures in LA will have you splitting your sides, and whether this is your first introduction to pugs, or your a long time lover of the breed, you will relate to and be touched by this book in unexpected ways.
1 of 1 found this review helpful:
 Clara-Quick Read, 2007-07-08
I really enjoyed the first half of the book, after all we do have two black
pugs, but the second half was more about their adoption of a foreign baby and the pug story got left by the wayside.
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