Art Of Racing In The Rain

I was not sure what to expect with this book. I put off reading it for a bit because I was worried that I would not enjoy the racing element. As it turns out I loved this book. It was amazing. Enzo is one of the best voices- his narration was unique, clever, funny and poignant. I know nothing about racing but I loved the way it was woven into the book. I could not put it down.

I will read this book again and again

Actually this is a 5++ / 5. Thanks to BookMason in the Community, I expanded my authors - and read this fabulous book, I really, really enjoy Stein's style & storytelling skill - there aren't a great many truly "affective" books out there at present, but "Racing" certainly is one! Please add this to your must reads, you will not regret it. I'm afraid if I say any more I will wind up giving it all away and that would spoil it for everyone else! I am sure that I will be re-reading this one for a long time...

This is a GREAT book!

Fasten you seat-belt, this is a FAST ride!! You will laugh, cry, be happy, be sad, triumph and defeat, LOVE characters and dispise others!! Great human insight, and it was over all to quick!!

I will remember Remember ... Enzo always!!

I really loved this story and it was very original to see everything from the dog point of view. Some part of the story are really funny because of the way Enzo tells it and other time so sad I ad tears in my eyes.

Denny is a car racer who adopt a dog that he named Enzo but he is not an ordinary dog because he thinks like a man and love to watch TV. One day Denny come home with Eve, and Enzo is not really happy about it because he doesn't understand why she is there. One day she gives birth to a little girl named Zoe, Eve tells Enzo to protect her and now that he understand is roll in the family he accept Eve. A tragic event will happen to Eve and everything will change.

2010 - 24

a warm story of Enzo, the dog who chronicles his life, memories, hardships and death through his human family. Funny, sad, fast-paced as Enzo beleives through his death, he will re-incarnate as a human which is always what he desired.

A great story involving humour, heartbreak, trials, perserverance and the importance of family told in a heartwarming and light voice, which makes it all the more poignant. Enzo the dog will warm your heart

This charming story is told from the perception of Enzo, a dog who has a human-like soul, loves watching TV to learn things, is obsessed with opposable thumbs, and most of all loves his family. When he is taken home by Denny as a pup, he quickly becomes Denny's best friend in shares in Denny's joy of race car driving. Enzo accepts Eve when Denny becomes married but doesn't love her until Eve gives birth to Zoe and asks Enzo to protect her always. Once Enzo understands his role in the family, he truly accepts and loves Eve.

Enzo notices a decaying smell coming from Eve's head but he can't communicate to her that there's a problem. This is a great quirk of the book. Enzo shows his love or displeasure in the only ways dogs can. Yet the reader learns of Enzo's thoughts and understands Enzo as a person.

Despite the fact that this book is narrated by a dog, it isn't difficult to get in to. You immediately fall in love with Enzo and understand his bond with Denny. Car racing plays a big factor in the book, including being used as a teaser for what's to come. It got to the point where I was so involved with what was going to happen in the next chapter that I almost skimmed through the racing analogies so I could see what happens. To think if dogs really did think like this!

I rarely get emotional over a book, but I shed a tear at the end of this one. It is such a sweet story and a must read for dog lovers.

This is a wonderful read which will be appreciated by anyone who has loved a dog.Enzo 's life is full of heart and humour and the persistance to overcome obstacles,all done without opposible thumbs! My favorite book in a long time,I highly recommend it.

Such a fun read. Made me wonder if the authors dog may actually speak to him. Very clever story.

This one was even more of a tear-jerker than Marley & Me. One of the best reads of the year. A real reflection on life and the importance of persistence in the face of all life's challenges. Uplifting and tear-inducing. Overall, a magnificent read.

I'm speechless. This book was amazing. I recommended it to pretty much everyone I know.
I was expecting this book to be very serious and sad (which it was but I'll get to that later) but I really laughed a few times while reading this book! I especially found the part with the crows very funny.
Enzo's narrative was very refreshing also, his view on the world was unique and funny. I could NOT put it down, I kept on saying, 'Ok, I'll read one more chapter..." then I would look at the length of the chapter and say 'well... it's a short chapter, I'll read that one too...' and before I knew it I was done. The writing just flowed and kept you hooked. It was addictive.
I must have cried 3 or 4 times during the book though because I was so sad and also a few time because I was so happy. That's how emotional this book was. Amazing.
Enzo was a real hero. The epilogue made me cry also, they were happy tears though!
Loved the book, 5 stars, 2 thumbs up, highly recommend!

Narrated by Enzo the dog. Short chapters, very simple and straightforward story line. Light and humourous.

I absolutely loved this book. It has been some time now since I have read a book that I just couldn't put down. It sounds like such a cliche and perhaps it is but this was truly a wonderful book. I found myself laughing, crying and actually talking out loud as I read the book. I surprised and somewhat startled my husband a few times as I quietly sat reading and then came out with comments like "Way to go Enzo!" or I moved suddenly to sit on the edge of my chair or I just started to laugh or cry. At one point I actually had tears dripping off my chin. This is so much more than a book about a dog. This is a lesson in life, but not in a preachy way. Other reviewers have commented that you will never be able to look at a dog in the same way again and I agree, but I must add that I will never look at a stuffed zebra in the same way again either. "The zebra is the worst part of us..." This story is about good (Denny, Eve, Zoe and Enzo) as well as evil (the 'twins"). It is about love, understanding, perseverance, forgiveness, friendship, courage, faith and so much more. If you read only one book this year, make it his one.

I'm not sure what I was expecting of a tale told from a dog's point of view, but I certainly wasn't expecting something this wonderful, moving, tender, or bittersweet.

This is the story of Enzo, a dog owned by Denny Swift during the pivotal years of Denny's life. Denny is a gifted car racer with a wife and child, and Enzo is a dog educated by television and his powerful intuitions on the world around him. Enzo relates to the world in deft metaphors about car racing, scents, and using his limited expressive abilities (if he only had a tongue that worked to make words!), and he tells the tale of Denny's life, and Enzo's own, in a beautiful, loving way that will grab you along for the ride.

Enzo longs for an opposable thumb, an expressive voice, and a little bit of dignity, and to help. The story, which left me absolutely choked up, is told well, and I couldn't stop reading from start to finish in two days, at every available quiet moment.

I'm a big fan of racing and an even bigger fan of dogs so having a book where the main character is a dog who believes that the greatest thing he has ever witnessed was the 1993 Grand Prix of Europe was an incredible treat.

This was a tremendous read, the story of Enzo and his life with the Swift family will absolutely hook you in. This would be an interesting story even without it being written from Enzo's perspective, but listening to his musings on human life just puts it over the top. There were many great moments and this is the first book in awhile that has caused me to laugh out loud (and cause me to feel the other extreme, but I'm far too much of a tough guy to admit that.)

This is a truly unforgettable book that will leave you unable to ever look at dogs in quite the same way again. Enzo and his family will tear at your heart in many ways and on so many different levels. Containing a wonderful, gripping storyline and characters that you will become deeply attached to, this is a sad yet ultimately uplifting book.

Don't be scared away from this book by the title. The "racing in the rain" part is a metaphor for life. Yes, one of the main characters races cars for a living and yes, Enzo refers to everything in his life by way of racing metaphors, but this book is so much more. It's about life and family, heartbreak and loss and ultimately joy, all as seen through the eyes of a dog named Enzo. Think MARLEY AND ME only narrated by Marley.

Enzo, the narrator is a dog who wants nothing more than to be a man. On the eve of his death he tells what will amount to his master's life's story. Enzo has educated himself by watching too much TV, in particular Speed Channel and The Weather Channel. In his own words "the weather channel is not about weather it's about life." Part of a happy family which includes; Denny, an up and coming race car driver, Eve, his wife and their young daughter Zoë. Enzo's life is cheerfully routine until the day he smells the cancer that has come to rest in Eves head. He can't warn her of course because dogs can't speak (Enzo continually reminds us of this) and as Eve's condition deteriorates their lives change forever. In the end Denny finds himself in a bitter custody battle that very nearly breaks him. Along the way Enzo must deal with possessed Zebras, the twins, hip displacia, hot peppers and demon crows all of which provided some great comic relief.

Garth Stein has managed to capture the inner workings of the dog perfectly here, the attention to detail and the whys of dogs doing things is amazing. This really is a look at our human lives as only a dog could see it.

I absolutely loved this book and I can't recommend it enough although I would suggest not reading the ending in public as it made me cry… a lot. I will certainly be visiting Enzo again soon and giving him to all my friends as well.

Loved this one! Enzo (as in Ferrari) is an old - but wise and witty - dog, and the story is told from his point of view.

This book has great appeal for just about everyone, it is a book about familes, following your dreams, knowing what is really important in life - and F1 racing of course!

It is poignant and really, really funny at the same time. You will never look at your dog in the same way again - and you will be much more careful about what TV shows you let him watch!

This is the perfect book to take on a trip, give as a gift, leave behind at a friend`s house - it has something for everyone. And....bonus, the paperback cover actually shows a dog that matches the description of Enzo in the book!