The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
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Web ID: 143888214 reviews
Highly recommended!
The Art of Racing in the Rain (Large Print) by Garth Stein This is the story of the Swift family: Denny (husband), Eve, (wife) and Zoë (daughter) narrated through their dog, Enzo. On the eve of Enzo's death, he has a flashback which starts with him being adopted by Danny. Falling in love with each other. Denny meeting Eve, Eve giving birth to their daughter, Zoë. Eve gets a brain tumor and dies. Eve's parents ("the twins” as Enzo calls them disdainfully) Maxwell and Trish, try to take custody of their granddaughter from Denny. They even make false accusations of pedophilia and try to make Denny give up - either because of the money that the grandparents have and Denny doesn’t - so they try to prolong the custody battle hoping to either ruin Denny or making him relent. 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, 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. And it is Enzo who saves the day. Narrated from Enzo's first person point of view, this is a heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope, as only a dog could tell it. Loved the plot, loved the characters and could not put the book down. It reads in a couple of days. It’s a wonderful read Highly recommended!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
well written
I'm a dystopian junkie so this wasn't what I usually read but I am glad I picked it up. Worth your time.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
wonderfully written, from the perspective of a dog
I loved this book! I thought the idea of a dog as the narrator was a little too cutesy and wasn't sure how much I would like it. Turns out it was perfect for the story. Great characters, a well paced plot, and enough humor to offset the, at times, emotional narrative. Strongly recommended
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
"Your car goes where your eyes go."
All the greatest books make you hate them. Good books reflect fragments of truth, recognizable parts of ourselves and society that the audience is comfortable with. Great books take pieces of reality; ugly, unrecognizable, broken truths of our world, and force them to the spotlight. Great books are just plain mean (sometimes). Yet, as much as we may hate parts of great books, in the moments where they shine, we love them all the same. The audience is left with no choice but to fall in love with the beautiful and complicated intricacies of the universe and characters of an authors’ world. The Art of Racing in the Rain is one such great book to which these qualities are no acception. Garth Stein’s brilliant, enduring metaphor for the unpredictable race that is all mortal life, is a moving and inspirational tale of humanity, loss, tragedy, but, invariably, the courage, determination, and love in continuing the race, even in the most torrential downpour. I can’t possibly articulate the innumerable insights and wisdoms that this book and it’s brilliant characters have to offer the world. It would also be difficult to put to words, despite the tragedy and the countless times it made me sob- the times I admit I hated the sharp reality of the story- how much I adore this book. The book brilliantly narrates the story of love, loss, and family, but through the honest and refreshing perspective of a dog. (Not just any dog, of course. Enzo, a dog that is both wise and witty in his commentary on his life as part of the Swift family) A brief conclusion for those who wish to avoid spoilers: I highly, highly recommend this book. I will warn that it is quite sad with some mature topics, but it is just as heartwarming and inspiring in its many morals. I can’t count the times I’ve quoted “your car goes where your eyes go,” whole-heartedly believing the truth behind the phrase that Enzo taught me. This book is a complicated one, with many many lessons, but what Enzo taught me above all (aside from learning how to LISTEN, as canines’ tongues aren’t designed for “clever and complicated polysyllabic sounds”/ sentences) was persistence. His interpretation of Denny Swift’s story from first being brought into his life, to the first conflict of family and the call of Denny’s work, then to the first heart-wrenching blow of the loss of Eve, beloved wife, mother, and friend, to cancer, the story Enzo told was one of persistence, determination, and overcoming. I don’t want to spoil too much more, but even when the obstacles continued to arise, Enzo relayed a story of a hero that kept getting up to finish the race. After all, “they say that your car goes where your eyes go. ... Simply another way of saying that which you manifest is before you.”
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com