The Art of Racing in the Rain Hardcover – May 13, 2008

"I bark twice because I want him to hear, I want him to know."As a rule I avoid sad dog things. Not because I don't like dogs, but because I love them. For me, a sad situation with a dog is 1000x worse than with a person, and I just don't have the emotional capability to keep it together. But a friend of mine recommended this book multiple times over the past year, so I finally bite the bullet and read it.And let me tell you, I regret nothing. This book was amazing. I cried in the first chapter and could not stop reading. The voice of this book is crystal clear. It's wonderful to hear a life told from a dog's perspective and Enzo is so much more than just a dog. He is a confident, a shoulder, a protector, and a prisoner. I love him. I love Garth Stein for doing this.The one disclaimer I have, don't read this in public. I finished this book in an airport and thought TSA was going to have to get involved. So many feels.

I am a sucker for dog books - no matter how many, I read them. A Dog‘s Purpose, where the dog dies and is reincarnated five times, has a happy ending-the dog is reunited with his true companion/owner.This book has a similarly predictable ending. But along the way, there were countless chapters that preened breathlessly about auto racing stars and pontificated with litanies of Hallmark platitudes. I ended up skipping them.The story arc is ridiculously dull: you know what’s going to happen with the wife, you know what’s going to happen with the dog, you know what’s going to happen with the grandparents, you know what’s going to happen with the criminal case. As a divorce lawyer, I found the whole custody/support case storyline just plain dull.As for the voice of the dog - he sounds like a highly educated adult male. He says that is because he watches TV and has educated himself so that he is ready to go to the next life reborn as a human. A rehash of A Dog’s Purpose, only without anywhere near as much affection.The animal abuse in the pages of this book was particularly horrifying. The dog’s dewclaws are removed without anesthesia. The dog is left alone for three days without food and water, his owner strikes him in the face, he’s left alone bored out of his mind.After reading this book, I spent the following day giving my dog extra special attention to make sure she never feels like poor Enzo.I will never understand how this book out to be such a big deal. I will not be seeing the movie.Its only saving grace is it didn’t take very long to read, but that’s partly because I skipped through the endless homilies, the word repetition (I must’ve read it about that Mongolian documentary five or six times at least) and the incredibly boring racing descriptions.

[From Wikipedia]: The novel follows the story of Denny Swift, a race car driver and customer representative in a high-end Seattle auto dealership, and his dog Enzo, who believes in the Mongolian legend that a dog who is prepared will be reincarnated in his next life as a human.Enzo spends most of his days watching and learning from television, gleaning what he can about his owner's greatest passion, race car driving — and relating it to life. Enzo eventually plays a key role in Denny's child-custody battle with his in-laws, and distills his observations of the human condition in the mantra "that which you manifest is before you." Enzo helps Denny throughout his life, through his ups and downs.Likes:- Enzo's ability to break down life into a series of good or bad decisions allows the reader a simpler look at life. For Enzo, there doesn't seem to be a gray area in decision making. It's either good, or bad and that will determine the proceeding sequence of events.- Denny's perseverance (with the help of Enzo) in achieving his goals. Without revealing anything, it's outrageous the amount of crap Denny was put through in this novel and, while he had moments of serious doubt and surrender, he worked tirelessly to keep his head above water.- Many of Enzo's observations of people are on par with today's realities. Two of my favorites are:1.) People aren't always interested in the conversation unless it can be about them. Enzo commented on the realization that people will listen to a conversation until a specific comment is made that they can then use to gain control of the conversation and talk about themselves. This has happened to me quite often, although the person trying to overhaul the conversation always seems conveniently oblivious to their rudeness.2.) People aren't strongly capable of dealing with, or talking about, serious situations as they occur to others. Some examples could be when deaths happen or when family members become dangerously ill. Others don't often know how to approach or interact the individual directly dealing with the issue, leaving the conversation uncomfortable and quiet and not offering much support to the person that needs it.- Throughout the novel, the mantra "The car goes where the eyes go!" occurs as a positive way of reminding Denny, and Enzo that to achieve what you want you have to keep your eyes on the prize. Also, it serves as a good reminder that if you eyes stray towards the negative outcome of something that you are likely to venture that way.- Enzo is a very aware and intuitive pup in this novel, definitely deserving of becoming a human in his next life. Also, he was pretty funny and sought revenge in the best of ways.Dislikes:- At certain times throughout the book I would get tired of the race car analogies that Enzo used.- "The Evil Twins" aka Denny's in-laws. I would be surprised to meet a reader that didn't finish this novel absolutely hating these two characters after all of the hardships that they had Denny endure, just to achieve their own ends. Absolutely deplorable characters, which is a credit to the author for creating characters that a reader can come to hate.Overall, I would recommend this novel to any, and all readers. The amount of drama that occurs in this novel is entertaining and horrific at the same time, with plenty of positive morals that are littered throughout. PLUS, there's a dog in it!

I've read thousands of books, yet this is my favorite book ever. I originally read it when it first came out, but let a friend borrow it and she moved away with it:( This is my second copy.I actually cried reading this book, and I am not a very sensitive or emotional person. I bawled like a baby. The book has so many happy moments, but the tragedies will break your heart. I like how this is from the viewpoint of the dog, and how he sees everything.The story:A dog named Enzo is owned by a man wanting to be a professional racecar driver. Enzo sees his owner go through marriage, life, death, legal issues, a career change, etc. Enzo shows you, through his dog eyes/brain, what it is like being there through all those moments. The book is not slow at all, has truly hilarious moments, and will make you want to hug your pets over and over. I am in love with this book.

Apologies, me again.I have read many books, Historical, Biographies, Crime, Action and adventure.. Romance, Horror and Murder mysteries. Apart from the fact that this book involved a dog, I probably would have never read it- a book about a dog watching sports car racing. My favourite book ever was Stephen King- The Shining and in my opinion nothing compared. Until this book. If you ever read one book in your life, then read this one. The Shining was down to one's imagination. To see it in film took that away. I believe this book is also being made into a film. Good for the author, but the dog in question in down to the reader's imagination- Not like Marley and Me kind of dog.

This is a book I enjoyed enormously, not just for the captivating story which stands on its own merits but for its humanity and insight as well. The author obviously knows dogs and completely captures the special relationship/bond formed between animal and owner. It doesn't matter one jot that the tale is told by Enzo, the dog. If dogs really could talk they would tell it exactly like it is, as Enzo does; no frills, no lies, just facts, good or bad but always with unswerving loyalty, whether their owners are good to them or not.Through Enzo's eyes we learn so much about human nature, how each individual deals with adversity and how focus, grit and determination can ultimately triumph against apparently insurmountable odds, especially where love is involved, as it is in many forms in this story.The author draws wonderful parallels between the skills and focus a racing driver needs to win the race, particularly when 'racing in the rain' and how those same skills and being focussed on the outcome, can keep us from skidding out of control in real life. He makes you believe that if you want a thing badly enough then anything is possible.This is a story about love and the determination to succeed when the chips are down. You don't have to be a dog lover to appreciate that, or to enjoy this thoroughly engaging book.

This book is simply stunning! The idea if writing from a dogs point of view for the whole book is just genius. As humans we never understand that dogs take thing in and if they can understand. We know they can be our best friends but we forget how much of our lives that they see and experience with us. The good times and the bad times. Listening to Enzo's thoughts and experiences alongside his master Denny and his sister Zoë, is amazing and eye-opening. He is very philosophical and I have taken a few beautiful quotes from Enzo and will use them for a long time."That which we manifest is before us; we are the creators of our own destiny. Be it though intention or ignorance, our successes and our failures have been brought on by none other than ourselves"That a way to look a life and to pursue it through this book, through the eyes of someone we all love in our home and our lives. Someone that gives us comfort when we dont even realise we need it. Someone we call a pet, but is really another member of our family.If you read one book this year, make it this.

Everyone should read this unique book. Do not be put off by the title. It isn't about racing in or out of the rain. It is about one man's struggle and eventual triumph at living his life in the face of adversity, as seen from the perspective of his dog. His dog has a unique perspective on human life, touched as he is, constantly, by human presence and involvement in his own life and can see things which we humans often overlook or take for granted. If you only read one book in your life, make it this one.

Well, that was unusual! A book told by a dog from his perspective. Adorable. As a fan of motor racing, my favourite bits were the brilliant descriptions of driving throughout the book. Enzo, the dog, is at times totally hilarious, and also at times sensitive and sad.The story is beautiful and hopeful and also devastatingly sad. I disliked the dog preaching to me and that irritated me a lot. At times the narrative is so smarmy that it made me feel that the writer was forcing his agenda on to me, in his flimsy disguise of a dog.The ending was lovely, even though it was a little bit nauseating. I’m glad it all worked out for the best. I won’t be rushing to read any more of this author’s work and wouldn’t have read this one if it had not been forced on me by my reading group.