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The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
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The Art of Racing in the Rain (original 2008; edition 2008)

by Garth Stein

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
10,042590729 (4.04)396
Fiction. Literature. HTML:

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 Steina heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hopea captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life . . . as only a dog could tell it.

"Splendid." People

"The perfect book for anyone who knows that compassion isn't only for humans, and that the relationship between two souls who are meant for each other never really comes to an end. Every now and then I'm lucky enough to read a novel I can't stop thinking about: this is one of them." Jodi Picoult

"It's impossible not to love Enzo." Minneapolis Star Tribune

"This old soul of a dog has much to teach us about being human. I loved this book." Sara Gruen

.
… (more)
Member:beachmama43
Title:The Art of Racing in the Rain
Authors:Garth Stein
Info:Harper (2008), Hardcover, 321 pages
Collections:Read but unowned
Rating:***
Tags:None

Work Information

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein (2008)

  1. 70
    A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron (kaledrina)
    kaledrina: narrated by dog!
  2. 60
    Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog by John Grogan (Trevorlanticism)
  3. 30
    Dog on It by Spencer Quinn (rxtheresa)
    rxtheresa: Written from dog's point of view
  4. 10
    The Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst (jbarry)
  5. 21
    Merle's Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog by Ted Kerasote (kalpitad)
    kalpitad: Although The Art of Racing in the Rain is fiction and Merle's Door is non-fiction, both provide a narrative about the mind and heart of a dog.
  6. 11
    One Good Dog by Susan Wilson (hokansonh)
  7. 44
    Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach (Graphirus)
    Graphirus: Life-philosophy explained through action, an activity (flight/car racing)
  8. 00
    A Dog's Life by Peter Mayle (Cecilturtle)
  9. 00
    Belka, Why Don't You Bark? by Hideo Furukawa (nsblumenfeld)
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» See also 396 mentions

English (583)  Spanish (2)  German (2)  Dutch (1)  All languages (588)
Showing 1-5 of 583 (next | show all)
Life
  BooksInMirror | Feb 19, 2024 |
Enzo, the dog, and his owner Denny have a special bond. Enzo dreams of becoming a human in his second life. He understands human behavior and learns about many things by watching tv when left at home alone. This is a really good story about Enzo?s faith in Denny and Enzo?s support to him during his years of dealing with the many obstacles that are placed before him.
  bentstoker | Jan 26, 2024 |
I've avoided reading this book for years despite so many people telling me that they enjoyed it. I saw the dog on the cover and pictured something that just wouldn't work for me since I'm not a huge pet person and am pretty indifferent to dogs overall.

I found it to be a charming POV and a nice little page turner. Easy to read and perfect to read as I was traveling.

A good start to the new year. ( )
  hmonkeyreads | Jan 25, 2024 |
Thank you to author Garth Stein for telling Enzo's story. It provided me with plenty of food for thought and reflection on life and death. It's full of inspiration and comfort. Enzo is a kind and wise soul.

Thank you also for introducing me to Denny, Zoe, Eve, Mike, Tony and Luca. They are good people. There's others in the story that I won't mention because I can't say anything good about them. When you read the book, you'll recognize them and know that they will have to face Enzo's King Karma.

Enzo forever! ( )
  BrianEWilliams | Jan 22, 2024 |
“I’ve always felt almost human. I’ve always known that there’s something about me that’s different than other dogs. Sure, I’m stuffed into a dog’s body, but that’s just the shell. It’s what’s inside that’s important. The soul. And my soul is very human.”

A statement made by Enzo at the beginning of this book. The story of Enzo and the people in his life.

Picked out of a litter of mixed breed pups and named Enzo by Denny, a young man with the love and ability to drive exotic race cars. Waiting for his chance. Eve, the woman Denny falls in love with and marries. Zoë, the couple’s daughter, who relies on Enzo for companionship. Enzo learned about human love and caring and in time became loyal to all.

Told from a dog’s point of view, with tenderness, loyalty and humour. (Enzo has “thumb envy”) It is a book not to be rushed through. There are highs and lows, but the storyline is such that I had to read it…but in a slow speed, to absorb and savour the tale. The writing is rich without being too wordy or soppy. ( )
  ChazziFrazz | Dec 25, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 583 (next | show all)
Fans of Marley & Me, rejoice.
added by cmwilson101 | editEntertainment Weekly
 
If you've ever wondered what your dog is thinking, Stein's third novel offers an answer. Enzo is a lab terrier mix plucked from a farm outside Seattle to ride shotgun with race car driver Denny Swift as he pursues success on the track and off. Denny meets and marries Eve, has a daughter, Zoë, and risks his savings and his life to make it on the professional racing circuit. Enzo, frustrated by his inability to speak and his lack of opposable thumbs, watches Denny's old racing videos, coins koanlike aphorisms that apply to both driving and life, and hopes for the day when his life as a dog will be over and he can be reborn a man. When Denny hits an extended rough patch, Enzo remains his most steadfast if silent supporter. Enzo is a reliable companion and a likable enough narrator, though the string of Denny's bad luck stories strains believability. Much like Denny, however, Stein is able to salvage some dignity from the over-the-top drama.
added by cmwilson101 | editPublisher's Weekly
 
“I savored Garth Stein’s The Art of Racing in the Rain for many reasons: a dog who speaks, the thrill of competitive racing, a heart-tugging storyline, and--best of all--the fact that it is a meditation on humility and hope in the face of despair.”
added by cmwilson101 | editAmazon.com, Wally Lamb
 

» Add other authors (21 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Stein, Garthprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Welch, Christopher EvanNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Epigraph
"With your mind power, your determination, your instinct and the experience as well, you can fly very high." - Ayrton Senna
Dedication
For Muggs
First words
Gestures are all that I have; sometimes they must be grand in nature.
Quotations
To live every day as if it had been stolen from death, that is how I would like to live. (pg 160; first harper paperback published 2009) ~ Enzo~

She died that night. Her last breath took her soul, I saw it in my dream. I saw her soul leave her body as she exhaled, and then she had no more needs, no more reason; she was released from her body, and, being released, she continued her journey elsewhere, high in the firmament where soul material gathers and plays out all the dreams and joys of which we temporal beings can barely conceive, all the things that are beyond our comprehension, but even so, are not beyond our attainment if we choose to attain them, and believe that we truly can.

In Monglolia, when a dog dies, he is buried high in the hills so people cannot walk on his grave. The dog's master whispers into the dog's ear his wishes that the dog will return as a man in his next life. Then his tail is cut off and put beneath his head, and a piece of meat or fat is placed in his mouth to sustain his soul on its journey; before he is reincarnated, the dog's soul is freed to travel the land, to run across the high desert plains for as long as it would like.
Last words
Disambiguation notice
Please distinguish among The Art of Racing in the Rain (2008), for general audiences; Racing in the Rain: My Life as a Dog (2011), "a special adaptation for young people of the acclaimed New York Times bestselling adult novel The Art of Racing in the Rain"; and Enzo Races in the Rain! (2014), for pre-school to third grade readers. Thank you.
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References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (1)

Fiction. Literature. HTML:

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 Steina heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hopea captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life . . . as only a dog could tell it.

"Splendid." People

"The perfect book for anyone who knows that compassion isn't only for humans, and that the relationship between two souls who are meant for each other never really comes to an end. Every now and then I'm lucky enough to read a novel I can't stop thinking about: this is one of them." Jodi Picoult

"It's impossible not to love Enzo." Minneapolis Star Tribune

"This old soul of a dog has much to teach us about being human. I loved this book." Sara Gruen

.

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1 53
1.5 4
2 157
2.5 30
3 457
3.5 157
4 1061
4.5 149
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