I absolutely loved this book. As a dog owner, I'll often look at my little pal and think there is a person in there:) We can learn so much from dogs - how to listen, how to live with pure joy and awe at the world and people around us, and how to love. Some of my favorite quotes / lessons from this book - "Gestures are all that I have." “Learn to listen! I beg of you. Pretend you are a dog like me and listen to other people rather than steal their stories." An easy and thoroughly enjoyable read! ( )

This book was wonderful - good enough to read a second time :-) The narrative was immensely refreshen. It made me laugh as well as cry. I usually hate books that make me cry, but this one was worth it. ( )

Enzo is a dog – but he is not just any dog. Enzo is a philosopher and an observer of humans…he is a dog with the soul of a man. He lives with Denny Swift, a semi-professional race car driver, and Denny’s beautiful wife Eve and daughter Zoe. Enzo’s story begins at the end, and then rewinds to the beginning and works forward again. It is a simple story, really…the story of a family seen through the eyes of their dog; but Enzo’s insight into the human condition is what turns this simple story into something special. Like his owner Denny, Enzo loves car racing and he takes what he learns from the sport (through Denny) and uses it as a metaphor for living one’s life.

This is what Denny says. He says racing is doing. It is being a part of the moment, and being aware of nothing else but that moment. Reflection must come at a later time. - from The Art of Racing in the Rain, page 14 -

I must admit, I was very reluctant to read this book – not because I didn’t think it would be a great read (I heard Garth Stein speak last year at the San Jose Book Club Expo and immediately bought The Art of Racing in the Rain afterwards); but because I knew it would make me cry. And it did. Enzo is a wonderful character and his view of life, and ultimately of death, is tender and moving. Stein makes the reader embrace his characters. For me, it was easy to believe that a dog could think and feel as Enzo did…and so I internalized his story and it became real for me. Despite my tears, Enzo’s story is not all tragedy and sadness. There is joy, exhilaration and hope in the novel as well. There are many messages embedded in The Art of Racing in the Rain, but one of these seemed the most important: we are what we manifest.

Such a simple concept, yet so true: that which we manifest is before us; we are the creators of our own destiny. Be it through intention or ignorance, our successes and our failures have been brought on by none other than ourselves. - from The Art of Racing in the Rain, page 43 -

As Denny and his family face challenges and tragedy, this concept (’that which we manifest is before us‘) becomes a recurrent theme. Another recurrent theme is facing our darkest fears in order to overcome them. For Enzo, it is a stuffed zebra who embodies evil intent…and now I know why Garth Stein inscribed my book: “For Wendy, Beware the zebra!”

There are many beautiful passages in Stein’s novel. His writing is graceful and insightful. Enzo’s ruminations on life, on what makes a good human, and the state of our souls upon death…are simple, tender and thoughtful.

Here’s why I will be a good person. Because I listen. I cannot speak, so I listen very well. I never interrupt, I never deflect the course of the conversation with a comment of my own. - from The Art of Racing in the Rain, page 101 -

We could learn a lot by listening to our dogs, perhaps.

The Art of Racing in the Rain is a beautiful novel on many levels. Readers who love animals will certainly be drawn to Enzo. This is a novel about family, love, loyalty and spirituality. It is about overcoming obstacles and moving forward through tragedy. But mostly it is about our connection to others – whether they be beast or human. Those readers who have recently lost a beloved pet will find this a tough read at times, but it is worth the journey.

Highly recommended. ( )

Plenty of heart and humor. I was hooked from the first page. ( )

I knew I was in trouble when I found myself crying at the end of the first chapter.

This is a story about relationships and how they are buffeted, and sometimes battered, by outside elements that one has little control over. Continually, Enzo and his owner Denny, help us learn about the importance of how we react to those forces continually pressuring us.

One reviewer called this story a “fable with a heart”. However, a classic fable is not based in fact. Except for Enzo, a dog, who is the narrator, the theme is universal and tangible; its moral applicable to everyone.

At first, I wasn’t sure about Enzo’s telling the story. However, I soon realized it was a wonderful method for using the third-person omniscient. This style immediately engages the reader and holds their attention throughout. I could not tear myself away, not for one moment.

While reading, I constantly thought of how the author handled the idea of fate and destiny versus control. Which is the stronger force? Thematically, this is what played upon my mind when thinking of what the author was trying to get across. Are our lives reactive or active? Or a combination of both?

I was especially touched with Eve, Denny’s wife as faces death and what this teaches Enzo, and us. I am a cancer survivor, and the following touches upon similar feelings I had during Chemo:

To live every day as if it had been stolen from death, that is how I would like to live. To feel the joy of life, as Eve felt the joy of life. To separate oneself from the burden, the angst, the anguish that we all encounter every day. To say I am alive. I am wonderful . . . This is something to aspire to.

Eventually the reader comes to see that life has a habit of showing us, sometimes in painful ways, how little control we have, and that it is the reactive or active sides of us that see us through the challenges.

This is truly a story about transitions and transformations. I couldn’t help but feel that when I was done, I had read a book that had much more depth and meaning than initially perceived.

I highly recommend you read this book and also that you apprecaite the messages and lessons contained within. I know I do. ( )