The Art of Racing in the Rain

Definitely one of my favorite books. I've read it multiple times and I genuinely get sad at the end (even though it's a happy ending). It was interesting to see it from the dogs pov. It really makes you think. There are some really amazing quotes in this book as well. One of my favorites is “That which we manifest is before us; we are the creators of our own destiny” You should definitely read!!!!

This book was a birthday gift and I started reading it out of boredom one day. I was not ready for this emotional roller coaster. This book will always have a special place in my heart and showed me the gift of good story telling in the perspective of an adorable dog. So good!

A story about the dog who wanted to be a real boy. This book shows life through a dogs perspective who hopes to be human in the next life. Not only do you read about Enzo's life but also his master's. In every stereotypical animal story, Everyone knows that animal stories that the animals life will come to an end. This the animal story is beyond stereotypical. I was wondering after Enzo's death was his end or if he was good enough to get his next human life. You can pick up this material at the colona public library ~Ashley

I really enjoyed having it from the dog's perspective but also looking at it from a mature aspect. Heartfelt and emotional. Great read.

The whole anthropomorphic-pet thing has never worked for me: pretending that an animal without a prefrontal cortex is just a tiny-human-who-can't-speak is absurd—and not in the enjoyable sense of the word. Add to that some silliness about reincarnation, toss in some pointless car racing, a dash of maudlin, ... and thanks but no thanks.

(Audio CD edition; abandoned partway into 2nd disc.)

This book was beautiful and made me cry all at the same time. I hated the grandparents what an awful set of human beings and this stuff happens so often its not even funny. but the dog and the perspective and all of it was soo good. wish I would have picked this up sooner.

There is this photo that I clicked of myself right after I finished reading the book. I was crying sure but I was so happy. I think that photo alone conveys a lot more than the words I write now.

The Art of Racing in the Rain is a story narrated by a dog, Enzo. He is chosen by Denny, who is a car racer. What happens when Enzo and Denny are joined by others such as Eve, his wife and Zoe, his daughter, how Enzo fits into the equation of this family is the remainder of the story.

This book is very personal to me. I have a dog back home and right now, I am so so far away from him. And ironically, today is his birthday. This book is a reminder to everyone that a dog is not a mere pet but a companion in your ups and downs. Even your pets are impacted by the happenings in your life. And sometimes, it is not a human who would teach us how to live but it can be your dog too.

I would totally recommend this to you if you are an animal lover. This is not a very plot-heavy book but surely a heart-touching one. There are so many lessons you learn from the perspective of a dog. On a side note, if you want to read something that involves an animal, I surely recommend The Yearling.

A dog dying, a woman getting cancer and an annoying custody battle, the writer is trying so hard to make you cry.

Dog Book was not the first thing I should've read. Dog Book didn't really feel good.

Dog Book had way too much cursing for my liking. Dog Book had a non-0, non-1 number of sex scenes. Why did Dog Book need these? I don't know, and Dog Book didn't seem too intent on showing me their usefulness.

Dog Book was also very focused on lots of driving analogies, which felt more like the author flexing than anything else. Dog Book did not convince me that any of the things about the Man driving were believable. Dog Book seemed to use foul language and adult scenes to seem more realistic, but still was not realistic in the plot.

Needless to say, while there were some rather deep-sounding sentences, Dog Book was not something I particularly enjoyed reading. Dog Book didn't feel unique or significant, although it at least was memorable.

I love a good story about man's best friend... And told from the mind of a sweet dog like Enzo has been just perfection. I saw the movie before I read the book, and the book is pretty much the same as the movie. Readers should be aware of triggers of Cancer and Custody Battles. [a:Garth Stein 194531 Garth Stein https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1229127424p2/194531.jpg] has a gift of writing with such heart and emotion. I could feel every emotion, every character felt in this story.

I now wish I could understand my dogs thoughts. I rarely cry because of books, but that chapter had me crying.
The general theme of the book is also lowkey gut-wrecking. But you'll have to read the book to find out. Best to go in blind.

Written from the perspective of a dog, this story follows a race car driver (though, more of his personal life than his career) through a family drama. Had I read this in 5th grade, I would have loved it; it has a dog as the main character and narrator, it has a love story, and tragedy, and triumph, and truisms. But alas, I read this as an adult and couldn't get past that it's incredibly cheesy (sometimes unbearably so – with full-on Harry Potter 7 level of cheesy epilogue), predictable, and frankly just not written all that well. Some sections were so non-nutritive (basically, anything to do with the actual racing of cars... or, when the dog imagines himself testifying at the stand as a witness in his owner's trial.... I mean, cmon) that I skimmed them.

My sister gave me a copy of this book for my birthday the year it was published. I am a book lover and had so many other books on my shelf to read, that it was behind several others. Then, audio-books took over my life, and finally, I put a hold on this audio-book and I was able to listen to the story.

Although I wasn't sure where to start, I guess I will start with WOW! This was a story I may want to read again at a future date. This story is about (and told by) a dog. Yes, a dog. Enzo is a pup who finds a human (Denny) and shares the tales of their (his) life. This story is energetic, uplifting, sad, happy, scary and downright human. Enzo is so much like my own grand-puppy. I could relate to many of his antics. And yet, the human side of the story shows his emotion and love.
I laughed out loud many times. At times I was sad. Sometimes, so sad I cried out loud. Sometimes, I cried happy tears. This story brought out so many emotions. I loved it. I already told my son and daughter-in-law to get the audio version and listen to it together. Great, great story!

The first part of the book is cute and just a little sappy. The the book turns to a manipulative unrealistic melodrama. Only for Hallmark movies aficionados. Too bad because the author can write well.

A story about racing and Formula 1 told by the dog. Yes, please!

This might not be a new classic masterpiece, but it sure is a lovely read I just couldn't put down. Full of fun and heartwarming passages, many great lines about racing, especially Formula 1. A huge emotional roller coaster that no one rides and gets off unhurt. Can' wait to watch the movie with my kids.

And, oh yes, we will be getting a dog! Enzo, Danny, and Zoe were the tipping point.

I was excited for The Art of Racing in the Rain because it is written from the dog Enzo's point of view. However, this is in no way what I expected. Yes there are scenes that scream dog, but most of the book is too human.

What I expected was something similar to Watership Down. A world translated into what Enzo believed it should be based on his experiences. Instead there is a supposed dog who knows way too much about racing and can spout philosophy. And the best part? TV taught him everything.

And the racing....the entire first half was about race cars. I suppose if you are a fan of the subject like the author seems to be then it would probably be great. I don't care about racing and the analogies on life it teaches.

By the time tragedy strikes the family I could care less. I didn't know anything about the family. I never had a chance to bond with the characters, let alone grieve with them.

How was this a bestseller? How?

Speaking as someone who is NOT a dog person, this book was quite a special story. Tellung the story from the perspective of a dog with a big, loving heart was genious!

4.5

This was godawful and I don't understand why it was so popular. Why is Enzo the dog so brilliant but apparently no other dogs or other animals share his gift? Why is auto racing allegedly a metaphor for our lives? I think the book would have made more sense (and had more three-dimensional characters) if it had been written by an actual dog. Just ugh.

Hands down one of the best books I've ever read. I think it pulls at you more too if you are or ever have been a dog owner. I never wanted to put it down and invoked strong reactions from the very beginning. I feel equal parts hate and appreciation to my friends that encouraged me to read it. Not only am I incredibly impressed by the depth of the story, but I must admit it got to me. Even gave me a better appreciation for racing. A must read.

It took me a little while to get into this story. I just wasn't understanding how this book was about anything more than a dog and car racing info. Turns out, it really isn't about those things at all! I really enjoyed the camaraderie between dog and owner when faced with the biggest fight of their lives. And I adore Enzo :)

MY SOBBBBBSSSSS. This book was so soul-crushingly bittersweet. If you're going to read it, make sure you have some Kleenex ready. But seriously, this book was really beautiful. I can't say I had a whole lot of fun reading it, because it was very dark and realistic in a way and I'm more into fantasy books. BUT! I definitely don't regret reading it and would gladly recommend it to anyone. I think dog-lovers and philosophy-lovers in particular would really like it. :)

I loved this book from cover to cover. The end will get you misty.

Multiple people recommended this book to me because they know I like books and dogs. This book is narrated by a dog, so it already starts off strong.

However, I found the dog, Enzo, to be pretty unbelievable in his lack of dogginess, and he also wasn't very sympathetic in his self-loathing – it's revealed pretty much off the bat that this dog wants to be a human in his next life, and he often laments the un-humanness of the body he's trapped in. He seems to spend his whole life with the background expectation that he should NOT be a dog, but a human, and looking down on typical dog behaviors, and I think that's too bad because I like those things.

Enzo also spends a lot of time dispensing platitudes and pearls of wisdom about racing - car-racing, not running in the rain, like you might think a dog would love. His great passion, for unpersuasively presented reasons, is being a spectator to others racing cars.

Also, sometimes I wondered if the author even ever had a dog. I just have never personally known a dog to like bananas or watching TV all day. And the author implies that neutered dogs can't get erections, which isn't true. There are some calculated acts of revenge that Enzo takes that are pretty feline.

Overall, the pacing and structure feel slightly amateurish, and the events are quite predictable. There are some nice and surprising turns of phrase in here, though, and overall it's a pretty nice story. They could probably make a good movie out of this and make tons of money.

Silly, silly, silly. But also funny. Would have been a great airplane read, except that I'm such a sucker that I got teary-eyed at the end.