The Art of Racing in the Rain

by Garth Stein

Book Overview

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE FROM FOX 2000 STARRING MILO VENTIMIGLIA, AMANDA SEYFRIED, AND KEVIN COSTNER

MEET THE DOG

WHO WILL SHOW THE WORLD

HOW TO BE HUMAN

The New York Times bestselling novel from Garth Stein--a heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope--a captivating look at the...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061537934
• ISBN13: 9780061537936
• Release Date: May 2008
• Publisher: Harper
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.98 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.9" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Very Good Story told from the perspective of a dog!

A lovely and very good story told from the perspective of an intellegent canine! An awesome read! I give it five stars!

This book makes me want to get a puppy right away!

After reading the book, I will always wonder what dogs around me think! Truly amazing and especially for dog lovers!

Ordered by chance!!

So glad I ordered this book. It really brought out so many emotions & for me that means it is a great book.

Dog Lovers Special

Anyone of owns, has owned or might consider owning a canine will absolutely LUV this book !! I did the reverse of my usual practice and watched the movie first, then read the book. That was OK as the movie people did real justice to the novel. Both are outstanding !! A spellbinding work ! You'll enjoy every page (even the sad parts) overall,I very fine read !

One of my favorite books read recently

Beautifully told story, could not put it down. I was scared of the ending, but pleasantly surprised at the route the author took.

Understanding a dogs life

such a sweet book I am passing it on

I discovered I had already this book but enjoyed a second time.

If dogs could indeed talk, this one would be top on my kist.

I'll have you crying in the end...

It takes the concept of seeing things as a dog sees them...thru out his whole life. Neat concept.

Everyturn felt

Knowledge first hand of the treasury a family can inflect upon another to get what they want. Both stories entwine the affect of this book I felt deep in my heart.

Simply a Classic!

My favorite novel since “To Kill a Mockingbird “. A Joy to Read!

The Art of Racing in the Rain is now my new favorite book

This is a wonderful story narrated by a lovable dog named Enzo. A touching autobiography that will make you laugh at times & cry at times. And now this book is going to be released as a movie in August 2019. A must-read for any dog lover.

Captivating

I had a very difficult time putting this book down. As I was busy doing other things, my mind was reflecting on the wisdom and unique perspective Enzo shares and I couldn't wait until I had time to pick up where I left off. Very good, I am suggesting it to all my family and friends!

This Book Though...

Will definitely pull at your heartstrings. It is a must read, and a must re-read! That's how good of a book it truly is! I read it fairly quickly, I just couldn't put it down! I asked my husband to read it too, and he loved it too! The entire book is written as though Enzo had a pen in his paws! Or even just as though he has talk (thought) to text. He shows you and tells you about somethings in life that you wouldn't even think about. And when he does, it makes you think of life in a different light. And if you're a pet owner like me, you'll notice that you'll start talking to your pets in a different way. (You'll see what I mean.) Enjoy!

BEST BOOK EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Since I am a young teenager, you might think it doesn't mean much for me to say that this is the best book ever. But I've read a pretty good amount of books for someone my age. When I read this book, I felt a connection with it that I haven't felt with any other book. It made me feel the pain, the happiness, the sadness, and the humor in the characters lives. I cried at two points in the book because of the way the author was able describe it. It wasn't that it was sad, it was just that it was told in such a beautiful and truthful way. Obviously, you might say that a dog could not think like a human, so how could it be truthful. But this book is not about what real dogs think. It's about spiritual and emotional truths. Doesn't anyone remember Charlotte's Web? Enzo says, "My intent, here, is to tell our story in a dramatically truthful way. While the facts may be less than accurate, please understand that the emotion is true. The intent is true. And, dramatically speaking, intention is everything." Because I'm 12, I did have to discuss the book with my parents. I needed to ask questions about the custody battle and Eve's sickness. I recommend this book to anyone who is open to the ideas of creating your own life and not being a victim. Anyone who thinks this book has anything to do with bad luck (I've seen some of the reviews) is really missing the message. There is nothing random. As Enzo says, we are all extensions of everything. Where you focus your energy is what happens in your life. What happens in the end is what has to happen. It is the only true ending that fits the whole buildup of where Denny and Enzo placed their energy.

Darned near perfect read

I stopped at Starbucks on my way to jury duty, for coffee and something sweet to get me through. I saw this book and, being a dog lover, the cover caught my eye. I read the flyleaf and had to have it. This is as close to a perfect story as I've read in a long time. Yes, the narrator is a dog who is wiser than most of us; yes, Denny is a zen-type race car driver (and I'm bored silly by the entire "sport" of car racing); yes, all sorts of bad luck is heaped upon Denny. With all that I was caught up in the story and believed every word as true and in the very realest sense it is. I've recommended it to all my friends and I recommend it to you too.

Wrenching and inspiring

I picked The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein simply because, being a dog lover and seeing the dog on the cover, I couldn't resist. It was one of those moments, as a reader, you'll remember for a while. What a wonderful book. Enzo, the narrator, is a dog and Enzo wants nothing more than to be a man. Here is the only aspect of the book I might doubt. Anyone who is aware of "man's" human nature knows that dogs, as a creature, are much nobler. To become a man might not be an upward move. Nuff said there. Enzo is part of a happy family, Denny, the racer; Denny's wife Eve, and his daughter Zoe. Life is good. But then Eve develops cancer and decides to remove herself to her parents home along with Zoe. In the end, the parents of Eve decide to challenge Denny for custody to Zoe and do so in a manner that isn't befitting grandparents. This book will tear at you in so many ways and on so many levels. Without giving too much away let me just say that I haven't felt compelled to tear up so often by a book in a long time. Reading The Art of Racing in the Rain is like sitting through Old Yeller as a young boy and not crying. But don't let me scare you off. The Art of Racing is a book you've got to read, especially if you love dogs (or animals in general). With a wonderful storyline and characters you become attached to this book is cathartic. Garth Stein is to be congratulated on writing a book that is sure to become a classic.

Characters you care about, a story that grabs you -- maybe more dogs should write novels

I have finally found a new novel I can stand to read. To my great astonishment, it's told by a dog. (I'm not a pet-lover). It contains many insights about car racing. (I have no interest in car racing, and I look askance at sports analogies.) And the author has described it as "Jonathan Livingston Seagull' for dogs." (That book is tied with 'The Giving Tree' as my Least Favorite Ever.) So what do I find to praise? The concept: "When a dog is finished living his lifetimes as a dog, his next incarnation will be as a man." Not all dogs. Only those who are ready. Enzo, a shepherd-poodle-terrier mix, is ready. Enzo has spent years watching daytime TV, mostly documentaries and the Weather Channel (It's "not about weather, it is about the world"). And because Denny Swift, his owner, is a mechanic who's training to race cars, he and Enzo watch countless hours of race footage. So Enzo knows about the world beyond the Swift home near Seattle. The situation is equally appealing: Enzo is old, facing death. While he has learned from racing movies to forget the past and live in the moment, this is his time to remember. And he can remember objectively --- as a dog, his senses are sharper, his emotions less complicated. With the clarity of a Buddha, Enzo can see. And he can listen: "I never interrupt, I never deflect the conversation with a comment of my own." So he's quite the knowing narrator. And then the story: a happy family, brimming with good feeling and ambitious dreams. Denny loves Enzo like a son. Denny loves his wife Eve, who works for a big retail company that "provided us with money and health insurance." And Denny lives for Zoe, their daughter. Then Enzo smells something bad happening in Eve --- the dog is always the first to know --- and you start to brace yourself. But not enough, not nearly enough. Bad things happen to good people in this novel, and then worse things, and soon you are so angry, so hurt, so tear-stained and concerned that you do not think for one second to step back and say, hey, wait, this is just a story! A shaggy dog story, at that! It works out. This is fiction, of course it works out. Not without cost to the characters and the reader. But the payoff is considerable --- a story that commands you to keep going, ideas that are a lot smarter than the treacle Garth Stein could have served up. "How difficult it must be to be a person." Enzo nails that. "To live every day as if it had been stolen from death, that is how I would like to live." Who wouldn't? "Racing is about discipline and intelligence, not about who has the heavier foot. The one who drives smart will always win in the end." And there's more --- yeah, this could be summer reading in progressive high schools some day. Or you could take a refresher course now in learning how to race in the rain. Why wait?