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Wednesday 12 September 2012

Guest Review: The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein



Hey guys! Today I'm welcoming one of my very good friends, Turner, to the blog for a guest review! He's been raving about this book and I haven't had the chance to read it yet, and don't know if I will, so I told him he should review it and put it on goodreads or something, and then I figured, why not on here? Just a bit of background: Turner has been my friend since we were five years old and we sit together on the bus everyday to and from school! But enough of me talking... Here's the review!

Author: Garth Stein
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Page Count: 324, paper back
Date Published: January 1st, 2008



Enzo knows he’s different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television and listening carefully to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver. Now in his twilight years, Enzo finds himself thinking back on his life with the Swift family, reflecting on all he has learned about the human condition and how life, like racing, is about so much more than simply going fast.








What I Thought: Absolutely awesome!

Before anything else, I’m warning you, I may be a bit biased when it comes to this book, because I enjoy almost anything motor related, even lawn mowers, and my friends told me about this book, which she had listened to in an audio book, and I couldn’t resist. I bought the book, and read it on my trip back from Mexico. Four hours later, sure enough, half the book was done, and I had a new favourite novel in my hands.

You may be wondering the reason why I, Kristy’s friend Turner, am writing this review. After telling her bits and pieces of the book, she insisted I should write the review instead, as some parts of the book hit too close to home for her, and I was so amazed by this book.

To start, as you may have guessed, Mr. Stein wrote this book through the eyes of a dog. I believe that’s one of the best parts of the book, because most of the books I read are in the person of the main character, who more often than not isn’t a dog.

I really couldn’t put the book down while on the flight, and it just got harder and harder to stop reading as the night progressed. Eventually, it got too dark in the car to read it all the way home, but I was right back at it that night.

 The book is focused on Enzo re living his life as he, like all of us will unfortunately experience one day, lays on his deathbed in a quaint little house in a Suburb of Seattle, Washington. Most of the story followed a steady pace; some things were maybe a bit too descriptive and unnecessary, but besides that, it was a very compelling story about the life and times of Denny Swift and his wife and child. 

Some parts are quite sad, and during the last chapter, I will be open about this, I shed a tear, because I was going through the same thing Denny was, with my own dog Sheena, may she rest in peace, and it hit home quite hard. But all in all, it was a great book! I’d like to thank Kristy for letting me do a guest entry, and look forward to doing another one soon! 


Thanks Turner!
Let me know in the comments what you guys think about more guest reviews and I'll ask some of my friends if they'd be interested. Or if you're interested in doing a guest review for the blog, shoot me an email!
Happy reading!
~Kristy

3 comments:

  1. Oh shoot I left an error or too in there, I should've double checked it..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can assure all the followers reading this that I'm not this illiterate when I talk or when I'm at school, it's just been a long day, and I didn't pay attention when writing, and I looked past a mistake or two.

      Delete
  2. I like the guest reviews--a change of perspective adds a nice change of pace.

    Me, I didn't care much about this book. I figure it's a cheap shot if an author needs to kill the dog (any dog) in order to make readers cry. And what was up with the crows and the zebra?

    ReplyDelete

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