Reviews

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

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jess_mango's review

3.0

3.5 out of 5 stars

When this book was picked as our monthly book club selection there were quite a few people who said "Ugh, not a dog book!". I will admit I have been waffling over the past year as to whether to read The Art of Racing in the Rain or not. On the one hand I had heard good things about the book but on the other hand I am generally not a fan of sappy animal books.

Well, I read it and found it to be a quick read that I looked forward to picking up. I enjoyed that it was told from the perspective of the dog...a philosophical dog who enjoyed watching TV and tapes of his master, Denny, racing cars. I was not a big fan of all the "life is like auto racing" chapters. I am not a car racing fan so those chapters kind of irked me and I freely admit that I started to skim those parts to get to the others chapters more quickly. "The Art of Racing..." was one of those books that made me cry at the end. Of course, I was on the train when I was reading the ending...but I sucked it up and held back those tears. Small victories!

lindsayaunderwood's review

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5.0

Rarely does a book make me cry. Even further proof that I love dogs more than humans. I really do feel like I grew as a person while reading this book. So much wisdom.

This is one I'll revisit in a few years and probably enjoy even more.

marleyrowe's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

4.0

shaun7036's review

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5.0

Dogs, Ayrton Senna and a beautiful Father-Daughter relationship. What’s not to like.

sunbreak's review

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2.0

Reading this book is like cruising along as a passenger in a race car. It's a fast and easy read and requires no special exertion from the reader. The best thing about it is that the dog is a narrator. The worst thing about it is how the author forgets this from time to time, or has to work at getting the dog into the scene to be able to describe to the reader what is happening. I would have definitely preferred a story without all the ends tied up, but more closely aligned with what Enzo, the pooch, might have seen/heard/thought.

I appreciated the last few pages- they made me smile in a way I was hoping to smile through the entire book.

thedisneyreader's review against another edition

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I read about 35% of this and it was good. I really liked the theme and how it is told from the dog's point of view. I could tell from the first chapter that it would be a sad book, but I didn't realize how sad it was going to be. I would have kept going but there was mention of terminal illness which is a trigger for me so I thought it was best to put it down.