Book Price Comparisons
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 A dog's eye view of humanity I might secretly be a dog person, or maybe subconsciously ... but if you were to ask me I would tell you I'm not a dog person. Oh, but how I loved Enzo. On the eve of his death, Enzo (a dog) tells what amounts to his master's life story. Stein's attention to detail was amazing - the book read like it was written by somebody who took the time to stop and think "what would a dog feel/do in this situation?" As a result, Enzo is memorable and lovable. He's at once a crotchety old man, and an innocent youth. He's wise, he's naive, and he is devoted. I'm not going to lie to you, this book is very sad. But it is also laugh out loud funny at times, and filled with love, devotion, philosophy and hopefulness. It's a beautiful book and definitely one of my favorites of the year.  Very Depressing Story I purchased this book at Starbucks with no clue from the cover reviews and story synopsis that the story would be so depressing. This story is not about a dog--it's about a man (the author) who speaks through a dog to tell a very depressing story about the highly anticipated death of a woman and the custody fight over her child. The side story regarding the husband/father's car racing provides an interesting perspective, but it does not overcome the main story. The reader can see the wife's brain cancer coming long before the wife is finally forced to see a doctor. Considering how long the story characters wait before seeing a doctor, despite the symptoms of extremely painful headaches accompanied by dizziness and vomiting, it's no wonder the wife/mother did not have a chance of surviving. Regarding the child, who in their right mind would allow a small child to live in her grandparents' household that is set up to care for the child's dying mother, when the loving, healthy husband/father who lives near by and visits his dying wife on a regular basis would prefer that his child stay with him. What environment would be healthier for the child!?! In addition, the dog man narrator is prone to gratuitous sexual observations that are just gross. NOT A BOOK FOR DOG LOVERS! NOT A BOOK FOR CHILDREN OR YOUNG ADULTS! Advertising for this book should have been clearer! Darned near perfect read I stopped at Starbucks on my way to jury duty, for coffee and something sweet to get me through. I saw this book and, being a dog lover, the cover caught my eye. I read the flyleaf and had to have it. This is as close to a perfect story as I've read in a long time. Yes, the narrator is a dog who is wiser than most of us; yes, Denny is a zen-type race car driver (and I'm bored silly by the entire "sport" of car racing); yes, all sorts of bad luck is heaped upon Denny. With all that I was caught up in the story and believed every word as true and in the very realest sense it is. I've recommended it to all my friends and I recommend it to you too.  Another canine narrator! Another canine narrator! Having just finished J.F. Englert's A Dog About Town and A Dog Among Diplomats, my interest was piqued by the prospect of another canine narrator. In The Art of Racing In The Rain, Enzo, a lab who never knew his father, has learned to understand speech (and form whole paragraphs in his mind) from watching TV. In this book as well as in Englert's novels, the lab narrators are fortunate to have owners who are constantly thinking out loud, recounting their lives, days and thoughts to their animals--which, admittedly, is probably necessary for the dog-as-narrator idea to work at all. Personally, I prefer Randolph as a narrator and also the overall whimsicality, intelligence and fun of Englert's books, but there's room for Enzo in the world of dog narrators--especially for people who believe dogs have many insights for us non-dogs. | |||||||||||||
