The Art of Racing in the Rain

This book can be discussed with the young, the old, and everyone in-between. Anyone who’s had a relationship with an animal, be it dog, cat, horse, etc., any special pet, believes they know what the animal is thinking.

This book is in a dog’s point of view. Enzo, an amazing canine, and faithful supporter of Denny, gives the reader full insight to a day in a dog’s life. Actually, many days. From puppy to old dog, Enzo is loveable, laughable, and wise. 

This book provides range of topics explore, including how easily it is to believe that a dog told… show more.

This is a beautiful, tearful, joyous, heart-breaking, deeply moving story that engages us right from the start when we learn Enzo, an old golden retriever, is dying. But he’s had a good life.

The story, told from the unique viewpoint of the dog is wow. What a High Concept idea! But it’s also much more than that. It shows the strength and bond of love between Enzo’s owner as Enzo narrates his life with his owner, aspiring racing car driver Denny, and the bond they share in their mutual love and exhilaration of racing fast… in the rain.

Through… show more.

I won’t watch a movie if I know ahead of time that a dog dies in the film, so the fact that I picked up this book—knowing the dog dies—was surprising. But more surprising was how much I loved it!

I really loved that it is written in Enzo’s (the dog’s) voice. As someone who narrates my dog’s looks and wishes more than anything she could talk to me, I really appreciated getting to read from Enzo’s perspective. This book caused me to appreciate my dog in a deeper way—and it highlights just how intuitive and altruistic our four-legged friends… show more.

Once a dog lover, always a dog lover! I loved finding a novel in adulthood that is truly about a dog.

I don’t want to give too much away since part of the book’s appeal includes a reveal, but I will say that this book gives good insight into the inner workings of a dog’s mind. So creative and unique in its telling, and a fun read.

Why must we tell a story from a person’s point of view? Done effectively, an animal’s view is refreshing and even innocent in the telling. Stein does a beautiful job of speaking as a dog without falling into a child’s book. Enzo the dog takes us into a philosophic realm of existence that manages to open the reader’s mind. 

The animal (and in this case a trustworthy narrator) is a very old, very wise dog. The human is a race car driver who knows to keep his eyes on the road(s) he wants to travel despite obstacles. Get your tissues out for this poignant read. When I finished it, all I could think about was how much I’d underestimated my own, now deceased dog. I knew she was smart, but this book had me thinking how I might have communicated even better with her.

The Art of Racing in the Rain is told by Enzo, an old and much-loved dog. If you don’t weep reading this book, you don’t have a heart. Along with the man-and-dog story is the owner’s fight for the custody of his daughter. And you’ll love the ending, which I won’t spoil for you.

This book has changed my life. It taught me how to laugh, how to cry, and how to live. From the perspective of a loyal dog named Enzo, The Art of Racing in the Rain is a touching tale about friendship and hope. As soon as I read the first page, I fell in love with the story’s concept. It helped me understand that true friends, human or not, are never going to leave their companion’s side. This is an uplifting book to dive into, especially if you enjoy reading dog stories!

This is the book where I came to understand how dogs can smell cancer. I don’t know how they do it, but they have wisdom in their noses that far exceeds anything I can imagine. When I read this book, cancer was an abstract idea, something that, yeah, other people get. But since I was presented with my own diagnosis, I find myself leaning on the comfort of my two dogs, believing, even if I do not know, that they understand what is happening. 

There’s something about reading a ‘dog novel’ that makes me appreciate dogs even more, particularly when the story is told in the dog’s voice. I read this over a lazy weekend while lounging on the couch with my own dogs. While Enzo, the dog, may be more articulate than most dogs, being inside of his head as he narrated his story had me shaking with laughter and grabbing for a box of Kleenex. This book gets you thinking about what your own dog's funny and heartwarming narrative might be all while being a very enjoyable read.