Have your tissues at the ready (The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein)

Member Name: SmithSJ01

Product:	The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein
Date:	26/10/08 (3 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Heart-warming

Disadvantages: None!

This is simply the most amazing book and is within my top ten of 2008 so far. I'm very grateful that I've had the opportunity to read this through Amazon Vine and I don't think I've gushed about a Vine product in this manner before! It's absolutely amazing and when I say get the tissues ready I'm not even talking about a specific event, I just found it all so heart-warming and a fantastic reflection on life itself that every now and then I had big fat tears rolling down my cheeks at Enzo's observations.

There's not much product information available on Amazon and the question from the inside jacket is enough to get you thinking, "Have you ever looked at a dog and wondered whether there might be more to him than meets the eye?" well in the case of Enzo there definitely is. Through Enzo we explore morality, philosophy, sociology, psychology and what it is to be human. You don't forget at all that you are reading the book from the perspective of Enzo and Garth Stein has written this into it so well - particularly all the bits about monkeys, they did have me laughing.

Enzo is adorable - that's coming from a cat person rather than a dog person as well! It shows how much we are a nation of animal lovers and I could hear how I talk to my cat in the way that other characters talked to Enzo. I now wonder what's going through her mind when I'm chatting away to her!! The plot takes you through some difficult times for Denny - a semi-professional racing car driver - and his family (to which I include Enzo!). Enzo's thoughts and opinions take what is somewhere between an outsider's perspective, mixed with a child-like attitude in order to formulate a very sensible solution.

It's a highly readable novel. I fully intended this morning reading a few chapters before getting on a doing some other work, however I couldn't put it down. I just wanted to read 'one more page', then 'a few more chapters' and before I knew it I was over half way through. It seemed pointless then putting it down ;-) Well worth the read, get it through any means you can.

Summary: A good reflection on life