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The Art of Racing in the Rain
Written by Garth Stein
Narrated by Christopher Evan Welch
Description
Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively, and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver.
Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition, and he sees that life, like racing, isn't simply about going fast. Using the techniques needed on the race track, one can successfully navigate all of life's ordeals.
On the eve of his death, Enzo takes stock of his life, recalling all that he and his family have been through: the sacrifices Denny has made to succeed professionally; the unexpected loss of Eve, Denny's wife; the three-year battle over their daughter, Zoë, whose maternal grandparents pulled every string to gain custody. In the end, despite what he sees as his own limitations, Enzo comes through heroically to preserve the Swift family, holding in his heart the dream that Denny will become a racing champion with Zoë at his side. Having learned what it takes to be a compassionate and successful person, the wise canine can barely wait until his next lifetime, when he is sure he will return as a man.
A heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope, The Art of Racing in the Rain is a beautifully crafted and captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life . . . as only a dog could tell it.
Reviews
Denny is a starting out Formula One race care driver, married to his beloved wife Eve. Then Zoe comes along who is their pride and extreme joy. Tragedy strikes and strikes and strikes! The story is told through Enzo's eyes. Enzo is the family's dog. Enzo sees things the humans don't and Enzo is a very proud animal. You will love this book and it may even bring some tears to your eyes. In this book is one of the best expression of grace I have ever witnessed. What a wonderful story, heartwarming, I don't know but it will grip you. The book is currently being made into a movie. READ the book first.
The story of a family going through illness and other trouble told by the family dog. It seems as if many people have thoroughly enjoyed this story, but it didn't really work for me, partly because of how inconsistent Enzo's insights are - he understands philosophy and can watch television, but has no concept of how a cellphone works (just an example, but there are many) - and partly because the voice gives the impression of departing wisdom, but most of what is said is common ideas and frankly quite trite. I did like the racing parts, but I absolutely disagreed with pretty much all of the parallels made between race-car driving and life, so those parts didn't work for me either. I could also never figure out what is gained by having the story told from a dog's perspective as he is set up to talk and understand like a human (except for those odd moments when he doesn't understand that moving boxes means moving house, but understands how cancer works). Not for me.
POV from a dog just didn't work for me. Certainly. I am in the minority, but I wasn't connected to the characters. For most of the book I listened to the audio version, so that may have amplified the problem of the dog narrator. I only finished the book because it's for book club. From my POV, the plot should have been a lighter subject matter since a dog was telling the story.
This was a good read... not in an ebullient way that I suspected at first when I picked it up, but on a different level. A bitter sweet story. I loved the perspicacious dog Enzo, the true protagonist of the book, who tells the story and ruminates on the meaning of life, who longs to be a human being in his next life ("Here is why I will be a good person. Because I listen....") - ha!...; even though he wonders "...how difficult it must be to be a person. To constantly subvert your desires. To worry about doing the right thing, rather than doing what is most expedient" (hmm... indeed!); who discerns so well what people are all about: that "be it through intention or ignorance, our successes and our failures have been brought on by none other than ourselves"...; who likes "to live every day as if it were stolen from death, that is how I would love to live"... (much agree!). And I truly don't think that the idea for this book is too miraculous - in my own experience dogs are extremely sensitive and intelligent creatures.What I didn't care for was the "car racing" metaphor for "life", or, rather, I didn't care for the technicalities and history of car racing itself (I really felt like skipping those parts...). Even though it is so interconnected with everything that's going on in the book, Enzo's master being a car race driver... But for me, it didn't take away much from the novel. A case in point is this quote: "There is no dishonor in losing the race... There is only dishonor in not racing because you are afraid to lose" (even though it's a bit of a cliche). This is not a book where you rapturously re-read this or that sentence, just for the beauty of expression. The characters are at times over-simplified in their description. But it's nevertheless, a good, fast, and even poignant read.
Excellent book. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys great stories told in a unique way. Also, have no fear of suffering depression at the end. I have found that I can read sad books as long as there are moments of relief.
This month's Manly Book Club selection, a book about a family told by its dog, falls into one of the categories that I typically avoid.
Namely, it's a book that caused me to feel. Thanks, Pat. Thanks a lot.
Really, though, feelings aside, I ended up really enjoying The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein. It has a dog on the cover so that automatically put it in a superior class of books about dogs, along with Old Yeller, Summer of the Monkeys, Where the Red Fern Grows, Savage Sam, White Fang and, yes, that crowd favorite, The Pokey Little Puppy. Those also evoke feelings, but the right kind of feelings, because feelings about dogs are always good ones.
The Art of Racing in the Rain, though its narrator is Enzo, the dog, it is not specifically about the dog. In fact, Enzo is largely a supporting lead character. Instead, it's a book about a family, and Enzo tells their story, his story, and we see it through his eyes. It's heart-wrenching (there are those feelings again), and while I typically avoid that kind of deep feeling, I found myself quickly flipping pages as I approached the final denouement.
Manly book club usually ends up talking about culture, politics, and, according to my wife who manages to walk in at the opportune moment every month, war. I don't know how we'll get to that with this one, but I certainly think there will be plenty to talk about.
Namely, it's a book that caused me to feel. Thanks, Pat. Thanks a lot.
Really, though, feelings aside, I ended up really enjoying The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein. It has a dog on the cover so that automatically put it in a superior class of books about dogs, along with Old Yeller, Summer of the Monkeys, Where the Red Fern Grows, Savage Sam, White Fang and, yes, that crowd favorite, The Pokey Little Puppy. Those also evoke feelings, but the right kind of feelings, because feelings about dogs are always good ones.
The Art of Racing in the Rain, though its narrator is Enzo, the dog, it is not specifically about the dog. In fact, Enzo is largely a supporting lead character. Instead, it's a book about a family, and Enzo tells their story, his story, and we see it through his eyes. It's heart-wrenching (there are those feelings again), and while I typically avoid that kind of deep feeling, I found myself quickly flipping pages as I approached the final denouement.
Manly book club usually ends up talking about culture, politics, and, according to my wife who manages to walk in at the opportune moment every month, war. I don't know how we'll get to that with this one, but I certainly think there will be plenty to talk about.
Thank you Susanne for the recommendation! I loved the dog's perspective.
Make sure you have a full box of tissues and dig in to this heart-wrenching but ultimately life-affirming story.“I’d give my life for one more lap.”
This book, as told from the perspective of the household pet, tells an interesting story of the life of a family. As tragedy disrupts the family dynamics and emotions flow like tumbleweeds, Stein manages to put a humorous tone on an unfortunate, sad situation, forming an endearing and enjoyable story. I'd recommend this book to anyone that craves a charming, warm, and heart-felt read. I enjoyed reading this one very much, and as my husband is a huge racing fan, it resonated with me.
I absolutely LOVED this book! My cousin recommended it, and now I'm seeing that a bunch of friends have already read it. I've never read anything like this before, that I can recall... it was a lovely story about a family and their ups and downs... but from the perspective of their dog. And this dog was BRILLIANT! Just the insights the dog had were amazing... the things the dog noticed about human behavior that we, as humans, fail to notice. One example: we rarely LISTEN to one another; we wait our turn to tell our stories, and we often derail each other's stories because of one nugget of similarity within a person's story. It's so true. I'm SO guilty of this! Why can't we just shut up and LISTEN to each other? Anyway, I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to dog-lovers, especially.
Oh my heart! There is just something about books about dogs that gives them the ability to touch on every single one of my emotions. I am going to let you in on a little secret. I love dogs. A lot. I like my three dogs more than I like most people and would love a chance to spend one moment in their heads so this story really appealed to me on every level. I loved this book when I read it years ago and I loved it just as much when I listened to the audio for a re-read. It was a lot of fun to spend a few hours in Enzo's mind.I was really kind of surprised by how much of the book I actually remembered from my initial read years ago but it seems that this story had really stayed with me over the years. I loved Enzo's voice. Did he sound like a dog all of the time? Probably not. I mean I think if I were to hear one of my dog's internal monologues there would be a lot of requests for snacks and ball playing and not a lot else. Who knows maybe I am wrong and my dogs are pondering the meaning of life but I honestly doubt it. Enzo is a bit of a philosopher and hopes to eventually get his chance as a human. Nothing really gets past Enzo and he seems to figure what is going on in his house before the humans do.This isn't just a book about a dog. It is really a book about a family that is told by the dog. Denny is Enzo's human and he has some really high points in the book and some really low one. With everything that Denny has to deal with in this book, it is amazing that he is able to stay so positive through it all. The one constant in the story is the bond between these two. We get to see Denny adopt Enzo as a puppy and then go through a lot of milestones together.This was the first time that I have listened to Christopher Evan Welch narrate a book and I thought he did a great job with this one. This was a rather emotional story at times and I thought that he really was able to pack a lot of feeling into his reading. He used a very pleasant reading voice and read the story with perfect pacing. I would definitely listen to his work again in the future.I would recommend this book to others. I probably felt just about every emotion while listening to this one. The only part of the book that I wasn't a huge fan of was the epilogue because it was just a little too much for me and didn't feel necessary. I do love the book and will probably read it again in a few years.
This is a very enjoyable read, the story of a very commendable young man with commendable skills and commendable persistence in handling some very serious life obstacles...all told from the perspective of his very commendable dog. Again, it's a "good read", but ultimately it's only a very commendable, made-for-TV movie. I wouldn't call it just a guilty pleasure, but it's not great literature either. You won't be ashamed to read it. So go ahead.
My family and I listened to the audio version of this incredible and touching story. I highly recommend it if you have not read it. The story offers the unique perspective of a dog named Enzo. Through him, you learn about his owner, Denny, his wife (Eve) and daughter (Zoe). You experience the family's joy, setbacks, and triumphs. As a dog lover, I appreciated Enzo's character so much! Wouldn't it be awesome if we could hold conversations with our pets? I would love to see this story come to life on the big screen and thankfully a movie is in the works!
Awesome book. If you've ever lost a dog you'll cry like a baby. Repeatedly
This book, as told from the perspective of the household pet, tells an interesting story of the life of a family. As tragedy disrupts the family dynamics and emotions flow like tumbleweeds, Stein manages to put a humorous tone on an unfortunate, sad situation, forming an endearing and enjoyable story. I'd recommend this book to anyone that craves a charming, warm, and heart-felt read. I enjoyed reading this one very much, and as my husband is a huge racing fan, it resonated with me.
A captivating novel that captures the mind, the heart, and soul of daily living and loving. It is beautifully told by the dog, Enzo. It was perhaps all the more poignant for me as throughout all of my childhood days we had dogs that shared the daily lives of our family and I enjoyed watching the speed and control of Indy and Formula One racing on television with my father each weekend racing was available.With tears streaming down my face, I finished the novel and am deeply grateful to the friend on GoodReads who suggested that I might enjoy reading this title. I doubt I would have made the discovery on my own as since sharing my adult life with cats it is rare for me to read a novel with a dog unless there are a myriad of fur faces. I will continue to recommend this novel as my friend did for me. The quantity and types of emotions are vast as life is lived and the author shares them in unique and descriptive ways through evocative layers of describing competitive auto racing and the comparisons to daily living and loving as well as the unconditional love and devotion of the family pet that is steadfast and always speaks the truth of the heart. It is rare for me to think of reading a novel ever again as there are so many novels on the TBR pile and authors yet to be discovered by this reader but without a moment's hesitation I know that this novel could be enjoyed many times over the course of a lifetime and there will always be something fresh and new that one had not paused to grasp during an earlier read and reflection.
I really enjoyed reading The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. We chose this book for our families first book club meeting. It was an easy read, a heartwarming story written from the dogs perspective, and the ending was not what I expected it would be after reading the first chapter. The story made me question what my own dogs are really thinking sometimes. It may not always be what you think. Couldn't put this book down.
There are very few books that I take a highlighter to outside of school books. This novel, however, made me wish that I was the owner of the book, rather than the borrower, and could thus highlight to my heart's content. Yes, some of it was cheesy, but so much of it was profound. Even if you don't read it, it's worth going through the quotes page on Goodreads and looking at the treasures.
A book not only for dog lovers, but for anyone that wants to live a life with meaning. Loved the book.
I really enjoyed this book! There's so many lessons it tells, all the time through the viewpoint of a delightful character.
Enzo know he is different: he thinks and feels in nearly human ways. He has educated himself by watching extensive television, and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up- and-coming race car driver. Enzo relates the story of his human family sharing tragedies and triumphs of Denny and his wife and child.(summary from ISBN 0007281196)Interesting book; I could take it or leave it.
First of all, the initial description of the book that I read said NOTHING about this being heart-wrenching or a tear-jerker. If it had, I would have better prepared myself for this book.
It was a beautiful story that made me happy, sad, angry. I laughed at a few parts, but mostly, this was a very melancholy tale. Enzo was an amazingly smart dog and living life through his eyes made me wonder (even more than I previously did) what goes through my dog's head most days.
I loved and hated Enzo's family. It was so sweet and very believable how much Denny loved his dog, because I love my dog that much and I'm not even a 'dog' person! And the things Denny went through... Ugh there were a few times when I wanted to punch Denny, but mostly I wanted to do bodily harm to his wife and in-laws. And somehow, even though he was only a dog, Enzo usually ended up saving the day.
As mad as I was to read the opening paragraphs and find out that this was not a whimsical tale of life through a dog's eyes, but the flash back of his life during his last days (which they warn you about in the description on the back of the book so this is NOT technically a spoiler) I could not put this book down. I ended up taking it to the beach and sitting under an umbrella next to my hubby, I finished it. I was bawling. If you read this, keep tissues or a hanky with you! But you should read this.
It was a beautiful story that made me happy, sad, angry. I laughed at a few parts, but mostly, this was a very melancholy tale. Enzo was an amazingly smart dog and living life through his eyes made me wonder (even more than I previously did) what goes through my dog's head most days.
I loved and hated Enzo's family. It was so sweet and very believable how much Denny loved his dog, because I love my dog that much and I'm not even a 'dog' person! And the things Denny went through... Ugh there were a few times when I wanted to punch Denny, but mostly I wanted to do bodily harm to his wife and in-laws. And somehow, even though he was only a dog, Enzo usually ended up saving the day.
As mad as I was to read the opening paragraphs and find out that this was not a whimsical tale of life through a dog's eyes, but the flash back of his life during his last days (which they warn you about in the description on the back of the book so this is NOT technically a spoiler) I could not put this book down. I ended up taking it to the beach and sitting under an umbrella next to my hubby, I finished it. I was bawling. If you read this, keep tissues or a hanky with you! But you should read this.
Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively, and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver.
Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition, and he sees that life, like racing, isn't simply about going fast. On the eve of his death, Enzo takes stock of his life, recalling all that he and his family have been through.
A heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope, The Art of Racing in the Rain is a beautifully crafted and captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life...as only a dog could tell it.
Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition, and he sees that life, like racing, isn't simply about going fast. On the eve of his death, Enzo takes stock of his life, recalling all that he and his family have been through.
A heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope, The Art of Racing in the Rain is a beautifully crafted and captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life...as only a dog could tell it.
I knew I would love this book from the first time I read about it but I was blown away by it. Enzo is an acute observer, a deep thinker and a compassionate soul. The fact that he is a dog presents some problems for him but by and large he lives his life to the fullest. He knows from a TV program that dogs can be reincarnated as humans and this is what he holds on to while reviewing his life with Denny, the race car driver. Denny and Enzo had their share of trials and tribulations; in fact, they had more than their fair share but with love and perseverence they met and overcame them. Judging from this book, Garth Stein is a caring human so I wasn't surprised to see on his web site that he does lots of charity work for animals. He has obviously been privileged to have some great relationships with dogs, Comet being the latest. As a person who has a very special relationship with a dog I feel a kinship to Garth. I am not looking forward to the end of Gypsy's days so it gives me great hope to believe that she will be reincarnated as a human and our lives might cross again. My favourite online cartoon, Unshelved, reviewed The Art of Racing in the Rain on July 20, 2008 and this week the daily strips were sponsored by The Art of Racing in the Rain. So it was serendipity that I decided to read this book now.
This book was incredibly sappy and unlikely and the pacing feels very slow at times, but I enjoyed it in spite of myself. Enzo's a likable dog, and I found the racing stuff more interesting than I thought I would. I like cars, but I've never seen the point of racing around a track. I think I can see the appeal now. Where else can you legally put your car through its paces? It made me want to take my 2002 VW Jetta to a track to see what it can do when I really push those four cylinders.
Fantastic book.
Dog-lovers will dog love it. Race car lovers will race car love it. Old Yeller lovers will Old Yeller love it. I like one of the three of these (the first of those), so it wasn't enough to keep my interest or very memorable.
I read it because it was a gift from Li, but not my kind of book at all. The dog as narrator did not suspend my disbelief in the least. Melodramatic, good vs evil, with the dog reincarnating in Italy in the end... Too much. Never got caught up in the racing, either. But I did finish it and I love Lisa.
There were some hokey aspects to this book. Can you get beyond the talking-dog narrator? Challenges in life are all related to actions a racer could take on the track to stay out of, or get out of, trouble. Yet I found the story of a man dealing with a a terminally-ill wife, a lovely daughter, and in-laws from hell, emotionally engaging and worth my time. It is a fantasy that leaves you rooting for Enzo and his human family.
I cried, I laughed and then I sobbed. Rarely, if ever has a book tugged at my emotions like this one. I devoured it in one sitting.