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The Art Of Racing In The Rain: A Novel

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

Paperback: 321 pages

Publisher: Harper Paperbacks; Reprint edition (June 9, 2009)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0061537969

ISBN-13: 978-0061537967

Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.8 x 8 inches

Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7,296 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #804 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #70 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary #129 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Family Life #265 in Books > Reference

I have finally found a new novel I can stand to read.To my great astonishment, it's told by a dog. (I'm not a pet-lover).It contains many insights about car racing. (I have no interest in car racing, and I look askance at sports analogies.)And the author has described it as "Jonathan Livingston Seagull' for dogs." (That book is tied with 'The Giving Tree' as my Least Favorite Ever.)So what do I find to praise?The concept: "When a dog is finished living his lifetimes as a dog, his next incarnation will be as a man." Not all dogs. Only those who are ready. Enzo, a shepherd-poodle-terrier mix, is ready.Enzo has spent years watching daytime TV, mostly documentaries and the Weather Channel (It's "not about weather, it is about the world"). And because Denny Swift, his owner, is a mechanic who's training to race cars, he and Enzo watch countless hours of race footage. So Enzo knows about the world beyond the Swift home near Seattle.The situation is equally appealing: Enzo is old, facing death. While he has learned from racing movies to forget the past and live in the moment, this is his time to remember. And he can remember objectively --- as a dog, his senses are sharper, his emotions less complicated. With the clarity of a Buddha, Enzo can see. And he can listen: "I never interrupt, I never deflect the conversation with a comment of my own." So he's quite the knowing narrator.And then the story: a happy family, brimming with good feeling and ambitious dreams. Denny loves Enzo like a son. Denny loves his wife Eve, who works for a big retail company that "provided us with money and health insurance." And Denny lives for Zoe, their daughter.

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