Pug Hill, the novel, the myth, the legend!

Sophie reminded me this morning to update you all about the pug book I read on vacation!

It's called Pug Hill and it's author is the fabulous Alison Pace. Although all of Alison's other books feature dogs that are NOT pugs, I still really enjoyed this romp! Her familiarity with pugs was often delightfully obvious in her very fitting descriptions and analogies. Alison's ability to make the main character compare parts of herself and her life to pugs were both poignant and hilarious!

I would recommend this read to anyone who loves pugs, or an easy-read, feel-good novel. I also love New York City, the book's setting, which made it that much more appealing! When I lived in New Jersey (briefly, with my now-rainbow bridge pug Oliver) I heard of the pug hill gatherings at the Alice in Wonderland statue in Central Park. Once I read an article about the problems of pug hill versus leash laws... it joked about how any officer could clearly outrun a portly pug. I can't find that article today, but this one from the New York Times gives more information from way back when Pug Hill was just a baby. Now, due to Alison's book, some claims of copyright on the term "Pug Hill," and stricter NYC laws, it seems to have dissolved and has become more of less-formal, perhaps coincidental happening.

I like to think of my Indy Meetup for Pugs (IMPs) as a mini-pug hill. While it may just be at Broad Ripple Park, it has that same feel, like a mini-cult of friends bonded by one thing- pugs! I guess that's also how a lot of these blogs are. (Pugs, Bostons, and pug mixes- don't worry, we don't discriminate too much!)

Also, being the grammar-nazi that I am, It would be amiss of me not to mention the grammatical error in Pug Hill on page 88 of my May 2006 paperback edition. "'You're Your sister, Darcy," people used to say to me, time and time again, "looks just like Marcia Brady."

There, I fixed it! Please go buy this book if you're looking for a fabulous summer read. You won't be able to put it down- I know I couldn't! And if you buy a more recent edition... let me know if they've fixed the mistake. That grammar part of me needs to know.