Sunday, October 23, 2011

The Art of Racing in the Rain

The Art of Racing in the Rain is now one of my favorite books. It only took me one day to read because it is so good. It is powerful, sad, happy, and memorable. Part of what makes the story so amazing is the fact that it is written from a dog's point of view. The dog, Enzo, describes his whole life and how he impacts his owner, Denny's life too. The main idea, or what the story revolves around is race car driving, for Denny is a professional race car driver. It is mostly about Deny and Enzo's bond throughout the story, and their friendship/love for each other remains strong even when Denny marries Eve, has a daughter named Zoë, when Eve becomes very ill, and, when Eve dies, the battle between Denny and his step-parents over Zoë's custody.

Enzo talks constantly about how he thinks he is a human trapped in a dog's body. He talks about how many more times he could have helped Denny if "god gave him thumbs and a voice." Enzo has a code with Denny throughout the book; if he barks twice it means faster. This applies to anything. What took me by surprise is that after Enzo thinks he served a purpose or made an impact on Denny, Eve, and Zoë's life, he wants to die so that he can become human in his next life. He fantasizes about what he will do in his next human life, but understands that he won't remember anything from his dog life. I don't want to give anything away, but I will just hint that Enzo and Denny meet after Enzo dies.

This heartwarming story makes you both laugh and cry. You will fall in love with its characters. This book is especially recommended for dog lovers. I hope that you will find time to read this life-changing book!
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2 comments:

  1. Lauren FOctober 23, 2011 at 10:22 PM

    Wow! This book sounds amazing! Did you ever read Marley and Me? This book reminds me of it and I think it would be interesting to hear a book from a dogs point of view. I am very interested and would love to read it sometime!

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  2. AnonymousNovember 11, 2011 at 8:38 PM

    This book sounds really good, Lucy! Not only does Marley and Me remind me of The Art of Racing in the Rain, but it also reminds me of A Dog's Life, which is also a great, sad book about a dog. You should read it since you sounded like you really loved The Art of Racing in the Rain. I can't wait to read it! It sounds very interesting and I'd love to read it because I usually don't read many books that are from the point of view of a dog. A Dog's Life is from the point of view of a dog. I'd love to see how The Art of Racing in the Rain and A Dog's Life compare to each other.

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