Rating: 
Summary: A spoiled dog and a spoiled owner
Review: Sure, Clara comes off as a spoiled dog with a better life than her fellow humans. And I can forgive Clara for that. But I had a tough time being as forgiving to Clara's owner who ends up sounding even more spoiled and whiny than her cute pug. Kaufman, Clara's owner, manages to tell us not only how she indulges her dog, but that she shops at the most expensive New York department stores, travels to Siberia in mink, and attends therapist sessions with her dog. I also found myself questioning her adoption of a child. Interestingly, that she admits she has some insecurities about adopting a child of a different ethnicity -- but doesn't see the hypocirsy of her complete devotion to her pugs, whom I assume do not look like Kaufman either. A disappointing book. written with large heapings of hyperbole.
Rating: 
Summary: Hillariously Funny
Review: As a new pug owner, I can totally identify with Margo Kaufman. Bean (my pug) and I sat together, reading the book. I laughed so hard that tears were coming from my eyes. And Bean couldn't quite figure out why. But he was sated, as long as he was allowed to sleep (i.e. snore) in my lap--true to pug form.
Rating:
Summary: a touching - and sometimes disturbing - book about pets
Review: Kaufman's writing about her adorable little dog is charming and spirited, but before I was half-way through with this book, I was wondering about her motivations for adopting a little Russian child (shades of the "little brown babies" in "Murder on the Orient Express"!). I think it's a touch hypocritical to on the one hand extol - and write a whole book about - how dogs are as emotionally and personally viable as people, and then on the other hand to just blandly assume that any dog will be shunted aside to a large degree by any human child. Still, I smiled a whole lot more than I frowned during the course of this book. Definitely not just for pug-owners.
Rating:
Summary: Anyone who has been owned by their pet will love this book
Review: THis is a fun read; one of the few books that you read with a smile on your face as you hear about the pug that owned her owner, as well as the rest of the world. It also is very heartening to see that transition from adoring pet mother to mother of a real life child can be done....relatively seamlessly, even if you have to go SIberia to get it done! A wonderful book that everyone of all ages will adore
Rating:
Summary: Pug Owner & Kaufman Fan
Review: I was very saddened to hear that Margo Kaufman passed away two months ago from cancer. I so LOVED this book and was looking forward to "Clara: The Later Years." After I heard about her death, all I could think was: "Poor Clara! She must miss her terribly."I'm a Pug owner and really identified with Clara's antics. Kaufman "speaks" for Clara in a wonderfully, humorous way. Pugs truly are the clowns of the dog world and Clara seems to be no exception. The book is also about the adoption of Kaufman's son. Her endless piles of paperwork and the adoption forms she had to process is beautifully interwoven with Clara's sensing that there's a change coming. Kaufman makes even the toughest, heart wrenching situations incredibly funny. Her trip to Russia to pick up her son was artfully written. I almost wished Clara had gone along on that trip because it would have made the journey even more humorous than it already was. I would HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who wants to laugh out loud. You don't even have to like Pugs to enjoy Clara's adventures. I would especially recommend this book to anyone pursuing a foreign adoption. The red tape that Kaufman had to go through was astounding to me. Again, I was so sad to hear about her death, especially because she left behind the son that she spent a year trying to adopt. She will be missed! Not only by Clara, her husband and her son Nicholas, but by the thousands of readers that enjoy her wonderful sense of humor.
Rating:
Summary: For all who have pugs or are thinking of getting one
Review: I have two pugs and I can relate to this book 100%. If you are truly a "pug fanatic" then this is a must read book. You laugh at her trials and tributalations of everyday living with a pug, especially the primadonna Clara. You can relate to every word written. This is the type of book that you do not want to see end! I am ready for a sequel!
Rating:
Summary: A First Hand Account of Life on Pug Planet
Review: I was instantly captivated by this hilarious story of how a small black pug stole the author's heart, and almost everyone else's who came into contact with "Miss Personality." Having pugs myself, I loved how the author captured the essence of the breed. It definately is a must read for anyone who has lived with, or has had the good fortune to know a pug. But even if you just love animals, the author's wit and sense of humor makes this an enjoyable way to spend the night instead of sleeping (as I can attest to.) Although the story towards the end about adopting an baby in Siberia seemed almost like a seperate book, I enjoyed the author's honest and funny style so much I didn't mind accompanying Kaufman on that adventure as well. I especially liked how the author was willing to laugh at herself and her own eccentricities along with Clara's. I am quite willing to borrow some of the author's joyful and humorous outlook on life for my own run-ins with alien pugs, pampered poodles, and the cast of "celebrity" people in my own saga.
Rating:
Summary: For all who have pugs or are thinking of getting one
Review: I have two pugs and I can relate to this book 100%. If you are truly a "pug fanatic" then this is a must read book. You laugh at her trials and tributalations of everyday living with a pug, especially the primadonna Clara. You can relate to every word written. This is the type of book that you do not want to see end! I am ready for a sequel!
Rating: 
Summary: Very sweet and funy
Review: I am not a pug owner (YET)! I have a Basset - who reminds me so much of Clara. This book kept me laughing all the way thru it! I understood the frustration of their international adoption - as my sister-in-law recently went thru a similar process. This book is a MUST for any pet-lover out there! From Margo's "bat-eared daffodil" to my "long eared princess" I really felt I could relate to the Kaufman family. Now, I want a pug.
Rating:
Summary: Pug-lovers Unite!
Review: If you only ever read one book about dogs in your life, this has to be it. Full of fun, laughter and pug slobber, it is hysterically funny and a great insight into pug ownership. So sad that Margo is no longer alive to enjoy her new son and pugs.
Even if you dont like pugs, you'll love this!
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