Overall Rating and Opinion of The Art of Racing in the Rain

Discuss the December 2014 book of the month, The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein.

How do you rate The Art of Racing in the Rain?

1 star - poor, recommend against reading it
1
2%
2 stars - fair, okay
3
5%
3 stars - good, recommend it
23
37%
4 stars - excellent, amazing
35
56%
 
Total votes: 62

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Kappy
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Re: Overall Rating and Opinion of The Art of Racing in the R

Post by Kappy »

I feel that this book has the elements of a first-rate novel, but it has too many flaws, so I gave it only 2 stars ...

(1) I have no problem with a dog narrating the book, and I don't underestimate the intelligence of dogs and other "dumb animals," but Enzo's vocabulary and grammar were much too sophisticated to be believable from a dog whose great educator had been television.

(2) The author clearly has the vocabulary to express his thoughts in any situation without the use of vulgar language, yet he used vulgar language anyway for no good reason; it was annoying, and added nothing to the story.

(3) The author never gave me a good reason to care about what happens to Eve.

(4) The story develops too slowly; the first half of the book could be reduced by 40-50% with benefit.

-- 06 Feb 2015, 09:05 --
Anacoana wrote: ... the only part I didn't like about it was that Denny was arrested for rape, because there is no way to the best of my knowledge that that would happen in real life. I was in a Criminal Justice class at that time and had just gone over what you need to arrest people for certain things so it was still fresh in my head, and to see inaccuracy in an otherwise lovely book was difficult for me.
I thought that was the most believable part of the book. In the real world, nearly anyone can be arrested for nearly anything (e.g., see the book Arrest-Proof Yourself). I worked in a large D.A.'s Office for more than 20 years, with a substantial part of that time in the Sex Crimes Division. One of the prosecutors was willing to go to trial even when there were extensive proof problems (such as the case in this book); the other prosecutors would simply decline to prosecute such a case because of insufficient evidence.

Also, the presence or absence of evidence sometimes has no bearing on whether someone is arrested. The family of the victim/accuser might be rich and powerful, and put pressure on the D.A. to prosecute. Sheriffs, District Attorneys, and judges often are elected officials (i.e., politicians).

In addition, there is often hysteria among the general public when there is an accusation of any type of sex-related offense involving a minor, placing pressure on law enforcement to make an arrest. "Justice" is found in the classroom, not in the real world.
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Alexavier-Taiga
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Post by Alexavier-Taiga »

Strangely enough, this was not the first book I have read that was narrated by a dog. Two of my favorite books as a kid were Spud, Chip and Pup by John Heffernan, so I was actiually quite familiar with the way this book was written and I really enjoyed it
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Post by scquarantillo »

I was looking forward to reading this book, but with the mixed reviews I am not sure anymore! It really looked so interesting! I love the fact that a dog narrates the book, regardless of other reviews. I just hope it's as good as I think it will be! I will let you guys know what I think.
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Post by debo9967 »

I liked reading this book. It was emotionally engaging and I liked the idea that it was written from the. dog's POV. An overall interesting book.
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Post by Stevefromtheblock »

Isn't White Fang or Call of the Wild narrated by a dog?
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Post by krisliz88 »

Honestly, I read this book many years ago when I worked as a desk clerk. I was attracted to it when one of our patrons came in raving about how cute and unique it was. When I read it I thought that it was just that, but by the same token there was a lot of sadness in it. The idea of the dog narrating the book was a nice touch. Looking back on it now and being a mother, there is a Disney show in which a dog narrates a blog. When I saw the show, I was reminded of this book- although the ups and downs that are found in this book are certainly not seen in the Disney show. This book is a little outside of what I would typically enjoy, but I still give it 3 stars.
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Post by Ryan »

Narrated by a dog, huh? Sounds interesting ...
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Post by jk385506 »

I rate this book a 4 out of 4 stars. I loved it! I really enjoy books from a different perspective and this book really pulled it off with the dog as the narrator. The descriptions of life from a dog's perspective were very well written. As a dog lover, your dog really is part of the family and your best friend and I feel like this book captured that perfectly.
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Post by sarahlinde »

i would also give this book 4 stars. Fast paced and cathartic in the best way. Interesting perspective on mental illness and how that affects a marriage relationship. Almost converted me into being a dog person :)
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Post by dancing with hugo »

I really liked this book because I felt that the author showed great respect for his readers in that he assumed we could buy into a story told by a dog and take it seriously. At the same time, we were given an insight into the way a dog would perceive his life, if only he could express it. This clever device overlayed the people's story,thus making it more intriguing than it would have been on its own merits. Otherwise, I probably would not have read the book.
Have read other books with dogs narrating the story, but none gave me the sense that the dog was a genuine, thinking, reasoning animal, yet with all the contradictory instincts of just being a dog.
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Post by Rachaelamb1 »

I love the idea of having a dog narrate a book. However after reading some more comments about this book, I'm not sure I'd like it. Perhaps I will look for a different book that speaks from the dog's perspective.
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Post by teacher_jane1 »

Choosing to tell the story from Enzo's perspective allows the author to explore elements of the human characters that wouldn't be accessible from another point of view. It also forces him to "show, not tell," because so many parts of human behavior would be confusing for a dog, so Enzo has no choice but to simply show us what's happening and let us draw our own conclusions about the motives/reasons. Great choice for a narrator--takes guts but he pulled it off well!
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Post by Cee-Jay Aurinko »

This is the first book I've read (other than high school's Animal Farm) narrated by an animal. This is an amazing read any dog person will love. The storyline isn't that original, but the perspective is something entirely new. I never would've thought a dog could be so intelligent and philosophical. And observant!
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Post by memory »

I really enjoyed this one and it didn't hurt that I am a dog person. I appreciate smart narrators in any form, but a smart dog telling the tale results in extra points.
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Post by Momlovesbooks »

This was such a creative and entertaining book. I love dogs, so was instantly drawn into the narration by Enzo. The twists and turns kept me on edge. This book made me laugh and cry. My 17 1/2 year old dog passed away in December. I didn't realize my emotions surrounding that event could be pulled back to the surface so quickly! This book made me wonder how my dog viewed life and if he knew how much I loved him. I would recommend reading this book, even to those who don't own a dog.
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