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The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein


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:) Welcome everyone to the November 2012 Reading Circle for The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein :)

 

**It is assumed that you have read the book before reading posts in this thread, as the discussion might give away crucial points, and the continuous use of spoiler tags might hinder fluent reading of posts**

 

artofracing.jpg

 

Amazon Synopsis: Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: he thinks and feels in nearly human ways. He has educated himself by watching extensive television, and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver. Through Denny, Enzo realizes that racing is a metaphor: that by applying the techniques a driver would apply on the race track, one can successfully navigate the ordeals and travails one encounters in life.

Enzo relates the story of his human family, sharing their tragedies and triumphs. In the end, despite what he sees as his own limitations as a dog, Enzo comes through heroically to preserve the Swift family.

 

Here are some basic questions but feel free to write your thoughts down in whichever way you prefer.

 

1- Who was your favourite character?

2- Was there a particular part you enjoyed more than the rest

3- Was this the first book you've read by this author.. has it encouraged you to read more?

4- Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?

5- Did you feel you were viewing the world through the eyes of a dog?

6- Are you a fan of motorsport? .. did you enjoy its incorporation into this story?

7- What was your take on the evil toy zebra and why did Enzo rip Zoë's toys apart?

8- Is Enzo anything like your dog/pet? .. do you believe that animals know more than we give them credit for?

9- Overall was reading the book an enjoyable experience?

10- Would you recommend the book and if so to whom?

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Firstly I feel I must apologise before I start because I didn't altogether like this book :o .. or I didn't love it anyway (we're not talking about a Madame Bovary level of dislike or anything .. just an ambivalence I guess) and on some level I feel it must be my fault because I don't know anybody else in the world who doesn't love it. The Amazon reviews are nearly all glowing. I feel terrible and a meany and like I must be emotionally dead or something (and like I've kicked a dog). I didn't cry .. not once (apart from crying at the thought of upsetting my darling frankie :empathy:) .. I didn't feel emotional about it at all .. or not much anyway and that's mostly because I never felt convinced by the characters. I saw the author's hand in it all the time, and felt I was reading his views. I'm not going to say more at this stage because I don't want to start the thread on a downer (although I just have). I'll creep back in at some point and try and explain myself further but in the meantime, hopefully we'll have some more positive feedback. We may well need my review then for balance :D

 

In the meantime .. here is a gratuitous picture of a dog .. which I hope will go some way towards patching things up with frankie.

 

snowdog.jpg

 

He is saying everything I want to.

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:thud: Ooooh noooo, you didn't like it?

 

I absolutely loved it, and it's a second read for me this year.

 

At work at the moment, so can't post too much, but will answer the questions when I get home tonight.

 

I'll just quickly say that I loved all the little bits about it - the idea of reincarnation, the fact that Enzo wanted to die and was ready to come back as a man, the whole thing with the zebra ('Somewhere, the zebra is dancing'), and the little philosophies on life ('the car goes when the eyes go'). Loved it all! :boogie:

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What a relief Poppy i thought i was going to be the lone voice. I didn't dislike the book as such but i didn't love it like a lot of people seem to have.

 

 

1- Who was your favourite character?

Mike & Tony were my favourite characters. I thought they were true & loyal friends , i admired the way they stuck by Denny when a lot of people would have dropped him like a hot brick after he was accused of child molestation.

 

2- Was there a particular part you enjoyed more than the rest

The start of the book i guess i found it easy to get into & i thought i was going to enjoy it as much as i did Marley & Me.

 

3- Was this the first book you've read by this author.. has it encouraged you to read more?

This was the first book i've read by Garth Stein & i wouldn't say i'll never read anything else by him but i wouldn't go out of my way to get any of his other books either

 

4- Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?

Well firstly let me say i'm not a dog owner so who am i to say but Enzo seemed to me to think way too much for a dog. The whole part about him imagining what the court case would be like & the voice synthesizer enabling him to give evidence i just found it too much & towards the end of the book he got more & more on my nerves.

 

5- Did you feel you were viewing the world through the eyes of a dog?

No because Enzo was more human than dog

 

6- Are you a fan of motorsport? .. did you enjoy its incorporation into this story?

I have no interest in motorsport at all but i did like the way the author worked it into the story & i thought that part of the book worked quite well.

 

7- What was your take on the evil toy zebra and why did Enzo rip Zoë's toys apart?

I felt that Enzo was jealous of the Zebra as it was Zoe's favourite toy & maybe it also represented his fear & anger at being left home alone which was why he ripped all the toys apart but he couldn't accept that part of himself so he blamed it on the zebra.

 

8- Is Enzo anything like your dog/pet? .. do you believe that animals know more than we give them credit for?

We don't have any pets so i'm not sure i can answer this question.

 

9- Overall was reading the book an enjoyable experience?

Yes i didn't dislike the book & i got through it quite quickly so it did keep me interested & i wanted to find out what would happen to Denny. What i did struggle with was the over emotional writing the ending just made me want to barf & i couldn't help feeling that when the author was writing the story he was already thinking of it being turned into a movie.

 

10- Would you recommend the book and if so to whom?

I would recommend this book to anyone who owns a dog in fact i already have a suitable friend lined up to pass my copy on to :D

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1- Who was your favourite character?

 

I'll go for the 'easy' answer and say Enzo. I just loved his unfailing positivity, and his insight into the human experience from a canine point of view. I also liked his sense of humour. Next favourite would have to be Denny, purely because he had everything going against him, yet never lost faith and never gave up.

 

2- Was there a particular part you enjoyed more than the rest?

 

No, I think I actually liked the whole book equally. Nothing in particular stands out. There were a few little pearls of wisdom, and quite a few notable quotables, but I had a high opinion of the book all the way through. Some parts were much more emotional than others, and I liked the parts where Enzo kept expressing his desire to be human (the whole thing with opposable thumbs made me laugh).

 

3- Was this the first book you've read by this author.. has it encouraged you to read more?

 

Yes, first book I've read by him. Actually, even though I loved the book I haven't actually thought about checking out the author's other work (if he even has any).

 

4- Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?

 

I thought what Denny went through was pretty horrific, so I found the middle chunk of the book to be quite hard to cope with. Also Eve's refusal to see a doctor, and that Denny was so accepting of that was a bit unrealistic. If someone was as ill as she clearly was, I find it hard to believe that she wouldn't want to find out what was going on. Especially given that she was a mother.

 

5- Did you feel you were viewing the world through the eyes of a dog?

 

Not really. I mean it's so obviously exaggerated for the author to make his point and that's the liberty of fiction. But anyone who has owned a dog must always wonder at some point what they are thinking, and if they think about anything like we do. Sometimes you can catch them staring off into space (or at the TV), and I do like to think that there must be something going on in their heads at that point. But I don't really think that dog's think anything like Enzo, though it was humorous to imagine if dogs really did think that way.

 

6- Are you a fan of motorsport? .. did you enjoy its incorporation into this story?

 

Not a fan of motorsport, but I liked the way the author used it as a parallel to whatever Denny was going through at the time. His analogy of life as a race track and rain as the adversary was quite clever, and I think sometimes life is easier to understand when you explain it using analogies.

 

7- What was your take on the evil toy zebra and why did Enzo rip Zoë's toys apart?

 

I just took it at face-value that Enzo slightly lost his mind from being left alone for so long, and started to hallucinate a bit. Maybe it does have a deeper meaning, and there are a few opinions/theories online.

 

8- Is Enzo anything like your dog/pet? .. do you believe that animals know more than we give them credit for?

 

No, I don't think you can look at Enzo as a real life dog. He had far too many human characteristics for that. I'm sure animals know huge amounts more than we give credit for, although they probably operate more on instinct. Sometimes overthinking as we humans do, does more harm than good!

 

9- Overall was reading the book an enjoyable experience?

 

Yes, even though it was a real tear-jerker. I thought it was very interesting to view death from a dog's point of view and that it was actually something he looked forward to and saw it as setting Denny free. He didn't see it as an ending; he just saw it as the next part of the journey.

 

10- Would you recommend the book and if so to whom?

 

Absolutely, especially to a dog-owner. It's a fairly quick read as well, and I think is suitable for most ages (young adults and older).

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What a relief Poppy i thought i was going to be the lone voice. I didn't dislike the book as such but i didn't love it like a lot of people seem to have.

It's a relief to have your company :D I thought I was going to be lonely this side of the fence.

5- Did you feel you were viewing the world through the eyes of a dog?

No because Enzo was more human than dog

This is how I felt, at the beginning Enzo was like a dog to me but by the end he was too human and I didn't believe in him so he lost his doggy power over me :(

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1- Who was your favourite character?

I didn't like anyone :o but I particularly didn't like Denny, he was a selfish **** imo. If I'm pushed I'd say I liked Eve best but she left the story too early. I liked her relationship with Enzo better than Denny's actually .. if she had stuck around I might have been able to keep viewing Enzo as a dog.

2- Was there a particular part you enjoyed more than the rest?

No .. not really. I think maybe the beginning, for a chapter or two it was peachy.

3- Was this the first book you've read by this author.. has it encouraged you to read more?

I can't say it has :( I felt I was mostly reading his views and I didn't like a lot of them.

4- Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?

I particularly didn't like Denny's selfish attitude towards everything but his work (if your wife is terminally ill for goodness sake spend some time with her .. put your career on hold for five mins). Some of the characters were like cardboard villains .. the in-laws for instance .. their scheming behaviour was like something you'd see on 'Dallas' or 'Dynasty' .. and so was the underage girl and the seduction scene which comes back into play later (like you knew it would). Garth uses Enzo as a mouthpiece to tell us all the ways in which men are hard done by .. like how Denny was broke because he was paying maintenance for Zoë (said as if he shouldn't be) .. but regardless of who got custody .. he should be paying maintenance .. it's his daughter and surely he would want to. I felt that Eve didn't really have any choice but to go home to her parents when sick because she wouldn't have been looked after at home. I absolutely hated the go-carting scene.

5- Did you feel you were viewing the world through the eyes of a dog?

Now regardless of what I've already said I thought it started well, when I didn't know the dog that well or any of the characters I was more convinced. I could see me feeling tearful about it as he (Enzo) made the decision to let Denny take him on that one-way trip to the vets ... but by the time the story had rewound and then moved forward to that point again I was so unconvinced Enzo was a dog that it didn't move me at all.

6- Are you a fan of motorsport? .. did you enjoy its incorporation into this story?

I do like motorsport and I quite enjoyed those parts .. although Enzo knew too much. I know he was left sat in front of the TV coverage all day but he would have needed full internet access and a laptop to know the finer details he went into. It read to me like Garth was a motorsport fan and so was telling us everything he knew .. as opposed to what Enzo knew. I don't want to put a limit on a dog's intelligence (yes .. I do actually :D I like their little doggy ways) but it got too human and un-dognified for me.

7- What was your take on the evil toy zebra and why did Enzo rip Zoë's toys apart?

This is actually one of the bits I quite liked and Enzo was still a dog for me at this point, he was alone, probably dehydrated, and a bit jealous of Zoë .. I thought it was a natural reaction to the position he found himself in. I was looking for evil zebra to make some sort of return actually, I missed him when he left.

8- Is Enzo anything like your dog/pet?

No .. I'm convinced Molly (my cat) knows nothing .. or next to nothing .. she knows about food, she knows about cuddles and she knows about sleep. She knows two words .. Molly is one and No is the other .. and that's all she's learnt in fifteen years of sitting in front of my TV. By rights she should be able to do a decent paso doble and bake a cheesecake by now. I'll admit, after reading this, I'm slightly more disappointed in her.

.. do you believe that animals know more than we give them credit for?

Yes and no, as far as cats and dogs are concerned I'm sure they know a bit more than we think .. but not much. They wouldn't get themselves into such hapless scrapes otherwise and they'd be more pro-active with food shopping. Goldfish know nothing .. I'm convinced of that.

9- Overall was reading the book an enjoyable experience?

I didn't hate it :D I wanted to like it so I was disappointed not to.

10- Would you recommend the book and if so to whom?

On the one hand it's difficult to recommend a book you haven't particularly enjoyed, on the other a lot of people, whose opinion I greatly respect, love it so I think I would recommend it to doggy friends who love doggy literature.

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As ever, I'm answering these questions before reading anyone else's answers. Therefore any similar answers just mean that poster and I had the same thoughts and feelings about that particular question. :)

 

1- Who was your favourite character?

Enzo – without a shadow of a doubt – and I doubt I’m the only one! I also liked Zoë for her loyalty to her father (although how realistic that is I don’t know – she was very young to be able to stick to her guns like that). Obviously Luca was a real star, as were Denny's work colleagues! But Enzo was definitely the best! :wub:

 

2- Was there a particular part you enjoyed more than the rest

Not really. I loved the whole thing!

 

3- Was this the first book you've read by this author.. has it encouraged you to read more?

It is the first book of Stein’s that I’ve read. To be honest, I’m really unsure about trying anything else as I don’t see how he could write another novel this good! I don’t actually know what else he’s written though so I will check him out – so maybe I will after all!

 

4- Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?

Not in terms of being able to read – or with believability. But I did struggle with Enzo’s death. My head knew it was absolutely the right time for him to go, but my heart broke when I read the pages of his death. It was so well written. I cried buckets – which was rather unfortunate as I was on the London Underground at the time so I got lots of curious looks!

 

5- Did you feel you were viewing the world through the eyes of a dog?

Yes, definitely. I thought Stein wrote really well as a dog! I really got into his character and was reading through his eyes.

 

6- Are you a fan of motorsport? .. did you enjoy its incorporation into this story?

No, I’m not a motorsport fan – although my husband is so I know a little about it – which helped as I’d at least heard of most of the people mentioned.

 

My book doesn’t have any ‘blurb’ on the back cover so I actually thought the book was going to be about dog racing! However I actually quite enjoyed the racing element.

 

7- What was your take on the evil toy zebra and why did Enzo rip Zoë's toys apart?

Enzo had been shut up in the house without food, and with little water, for three days so I’m not surprised he attacked Zoë's toys. He was worried about Eve and frustrated that he couldn't do anything to help her – I think he was hallucinating due to dehydration and probably believed the zebra really was moving.

 

8- Is Enzo anything like your dog/pet? .. do you believe that animals know more than we give them credit for?

I don’t have any pets but I know enough about animals to believe that they (and particularly dogs) are able to ‘read’ human behaviour and are certainly cleverer than we sometimes give them credit for. We’ve all heard of someone’s dog who knows their owner is about to drive up the road several minutes before that happens. Or dogs who have lain with their sick/injured owners, refusing to leave them until help arrives - many are totally in tune with their human.

 

9- Overall was reading the book an enjoyable experience?

Oh yes – I think this is possibly the best book I’ve read so far this year.

 

10- Would you recommend the book and if so to whom?

Anyone… I think anyone would enjoy this. I think most people would find it easy to fall in love with Enzo! :wub:

Edited by Janet
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I cried buckets – which was rather unfortunate as I was on the London Underground at the time so I got lots of curious looks!

 

Oh no! :giggle: Luckily I was at home when I read the last few pages, so hubby was the only one to see me sobbing my eyes out. :blush2:

 

I'm glad you enjoyed the book, Janet. It really is a special one-of-a-kind. :smile:

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5- Did you feel you were viewing the world through the eyes of a dog?

Yes, definitely. I thought Stein wrote really well as a dog! I really got into his character and was reading through his eyes.

Isn't it funny .. we think the opposite here and yet we both love cheese (and Colin Firth :D)

10- Would you recommend the book and if so to whom?

Anyone… I think anyone would enjoy this. You’d surely have to have a heart of stone not to fall in love with Enzo! :wub:

:giggle2:This can't be true because my heart does love you Janet :flowers2:

 

Great comments so far and it's good to have a mix of views. Hopefully we'll get some more soon but I must confess to being anxious about frankie reading them (mine that is) and I'm employing 'look over there' tactics :D

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Isn't it funny .. we think the opposite here and yet we both love cheese (and Colin Firth :D)

 

:giggle2: This can't be true because my heart does love you Janet :flowers2:

We do! And cake. Don't forget the cake!

 

Awww, and mine loves you! :wub:

 

Maybe I was a bit harsh. I will go and reword as I don't want to upset anyone.

 

I need to go back and read other people's replies too - I forgot to do so (I have a cold and my head is a bit woolly!).

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1- Who was your favourite character?

Its definitaly got to be Enzo. He was such a loveable animal with such human thoughts. I really liked him and i thought that he reminded me of my own dog.

 

2- Was there a particular part you enjoyed more than the rest

I liked all of it, but i suppose the best part was when everything was easy, when enzo was young and Eve was well.

 

3- Was this the first book you've read by this author.. has it encouraged you to read more?

Yes this the first book that i have read by this author, but i definitaly want to read more by him.

 

4- Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?

I didnt like the ending of the book where Enzo died. I cried bucket loads when he died :(

 

5- Did you feel you were viewing the world through the eyes of a dog?

Yes i did, it was very funny how a dog viewed the world. I'd loved to have an insight into my dogs thoughts!

 

6- Are you a fan of motorsport? .. did you enjoy its incorporation into this story?

Yes i love motorsport and i really liked how this all wove into the story. it gave it a good twist

 

7- What was your take on the evil toy zebra and why did Enzo rip Zoë's toys apart?

I thought it was because he was frustrated with everything and he had been locked up in the house by himself for a few days so it was a bit of a release for him.

 

8- Is Enzo anything like your dog/pet? .. do you believe that animals know more than we give them credit for?

I have two dogs. The Lab is very old and i dont think we shall have him with us much longer he cannot walk far or stand up very well for long now. He is such a lovely good natured dog though just like Enzo. My terrier is the most hyper dog you will ever meet however one of the most clever. You only have to say something a couple of times and he learns the meaning.

 

9- Overall was reading the book an enjoyable experience?

Yes i really enjoyed it, even the sad parts.

 

10- Would you recommend the book and if so to whom?

I would especially to animal lovers!

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1. Who was your favourite character?

I quite liked Zoe, although maybe she was written as a child older than her years, and perhaps a tad unbelievable that she would have that level of comprehension of what was going on around her at that age? I don't have that many dealing with children, so I always find it difficult to judge.

 

2. Was there a particular part you enjoyed more than the rest

The one chapter I did really love was when Denny took Enzo out in a race car on the track. I loved that they encapsulated him in a bedsheet to keep him safe, and I loved the idea that after all his television watching of races he finally got to experience it and loved the thrill of the speed.

 

3. Was this the first book you've read by this author.. has it encouraged you to read more?

Yes it was the first, and I don't think I'd be looking out for another book by this author, but I wouldn't avoid it either.

 

4. Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?

I struggled with the whole tone of the book. I felt it was weighed down with sentimentality, and by using the device of telling the story through the dog eyes, was a way to avoid dealing with too realistic a portrayal of Eve's illness, and actually felt a bit shallow in the actual story. I also didn't like the way Annika was shoe horned into the story, and from there on, everything got a bit too predictable for me.

 

5. Did you feel you were viewing the world through the eyes of a dog?

No. I never felt it worked, because no matter how much you believe animals have more comprehension of the human world than we give them credit for, they also have their own natural instincts and behaviours and none of these came across to me in Enzo's character.

 

6. Are you a fan of motorsport? .. did you enjoy its incorporation into this story?

I'm not a particular fan of track racing but I do like rallying, but my Dad is a huge fan of F1, so I remember it always being something we had to make sure to watch when I was little. I didn't mind it being a part of the story, and a good way to show the parallels between Denny's own story and those of races, drivers and motor racing, but I did get transported back to my childhood of boredom as my parents were engrossed in the F1 races, and my eyes glazed over, and I did start skim reading some of these sections about half way through the book.

 

7. What was your take on the evil toy zebra and why did Enzo rip Zoë's toys apart?

It seemed fairly obvious to me that it was meant to be an hallucination brought on by dehydration, and knowing someone who's had hallucinations, I know that most of they can't remember any of them once they feel better.

 

8. Is Enzo anything like your dog/pet? .. do you believe that animals know more than we give them credit for?

I don't have a pet, but I'm a dog person, and we've looked after other people's dogs for them in the past, and Enzo wasn't anything like any of the dogs I've looked after. I do think they have comprehension to a certain extent, and the idea that they can smell cancer has been in the news in the past too, so that part felt like it could be genuine, but I don't believe that a dog could have the level of human nature that the writer gave him.

 

9. Overall was reading the book an enjoyable experience?

It was far from my favourite book of the year, but equally certainly not my least favourite either. I did skim a few chapters, but I think the years of exposure to F1 as a child have put me off track racing, so I think I didn't enjoy it because of my aversion to the motor racing element more than anything else.

 

10. Would you recommend the book and if so to whom?

I'm not sure I'd recommend it, but I wouldn't tell anyone not to read it either. I think it just wasn't my cup of tea, but I can see why others would appreciate it.

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I have read Watership Down though it has been quite a number of years. I mean to re-read it at some point, but far too many other good books keep coming across my path! Richard Adams also wrote The Plague Dogs, which I believe is narrated by one of the dogs (could be wrong - again, it's been a while :hide: ). He wrote Shardik (about a bear), but I haven't read that one, so no idea whether the bear narrates. I haven't heard of Firmin. Just looked it up on Amazon, and it's narrated by a rat! That is certainly unusual. I've added it to my wishlist. :readingtwo:

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Maybe I was a bit harsh. I will go and reword as I don't want to upset anyone.

I need to go back and read other people's replies too - I forgot to do so (I have a cold and my head is a bit woolly!).

Oh no Janet .. I didn't want you to re-word (it tied in with my first sentiments on the subject anyway) and in any case it's only a figure of speech.

Hope you feel much better soon :friends0:

Have any of you read Watership Down? I know you have, Kay, and that you liked it. I think that and Firmin are the only books I have read that have been narrated by animals... although there are probably more that I've forgotten!

I loved Watership Down and I loved Firmin .. even though he was a rat and the thought of them gives me the horrors. Many moons ago I read Duncton Wood which is a bit like a mole version of Watership Down .. there were quite a few sequels if I remember rightly but I only really enjoyed the first one. Virginia Woolf's Flush is also written from the viewpoint of a dog .. not a very clever dog it has to be said but a dog all the same (Elizabeth Barrett Browning's dog). Black Beauty is the most famous .. and I do have it here somewhere but several people have told me they didn't like it so I've sort of relegated it. Also when I was littler I read Mrs Frisby and the rats of NIMH which was later animated (The Secrets of NIMH).

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  • 2 weeks later...

I liked all of it, but i suppose the best part was when everything was easy, when enzo was young and Eve was well.

I struggled with the whole tone of the book. I felt it was weighed down with sentimentality, and by using the device of telling the story through the dog eyes, was a way to avoid dealing with too realistic a portrayal of Eve's illness, and actually felt a bit shallow in the actual story.

Following on from this .. what did everyone make of how Eve's illness was dealt with?. I didn't think it rang true. Once she got ill she more or less disappeared from the story. Terminal illness is a great strain obviously but I don't think it drives couples apart, Denny chose to carry on working (away) .. would he have done that in such a new marriage? I hated him for it anyway :D and felt he must be a cold fish (who only loves his dog .. and his car :D) .. he seemed to resent the fact that Eve chose to go to her parents but I didn't see she had options.

I also didn't like the way Annika was shoe horned into the story, and from there on, everything got a bit too predictable for me.

That was probably my least favourite bit, I didn't understand why the writer did that but felt it was probably just so that he could re-visit it later. I felt uneasy about Annika's portrayal, something kept being mentioned about her having big breasts and I didn't see why that was relevant .. it was like the writer was saying that she looked the part or you could understand Denny for getting carried away or that she was much older than her years (so ie .. a strumpet :D). Enzo called her some names too - I suppose you do expect a dog to be faithful to his owner (he is his best friend after all) but she's fifteen, she's just working life out (if she exists which she didn't in my head by then only Eve had really existed and she was dead :cry2::D) Also later, it seemed weird that if Annika's parents thought that Denny had slept with her, the first he would know about it was when it was used by his in-laws. To me, if you learn something like that about your daughter (even if it's untrue) then you would confront the man straight away .. there seemed to be a big gap between the incident and Denny being arrested and it was the in-laws who called the cops. I'm not advocating fisticuffs but surely there should have been some prior doorstep yelling?

 

I think my main problem with the book was that Enzo was too human, he didn't have many doggy ways and he didn't even want to be a dog he wanted to be a human which is disrespectful to the noble breed (that might be horses :D I'm not sure). He became like those talking dogs/cats/mice in films (voiced by Jack Black or someone :D) and, on the whole, I'm allergic to them.

 

I met two people last week that loved the book though so, to add to those that love it here, I know I'm in the minority. It makes me wonder then, what is it about me that doesn't love a book so many others like?, what am I missing? (other than a heart :D) I'm glad others here share some of my views because I don't want to go through another 'you're odd' phase. I've had enough of those already.

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1- Who was your favourite character?

 

Enzo. I have to admit that when I first started reading this, I found it hard to believe that the narrator of this book was a dog but very quickly, because of it's great writing, I bought into the idea completely.

 

2- Was there a particular part you enjoyed more than the rest

 

My favourite part of the story was the Zebra. It's so abstract, but is a great illustration of the manifestations of the mind.

 

3- Was this the first book you've read by this author.. has it encouraged you to read more?

 

Yes this is the first novel I have read by Garth Stein and I think I would read more of his work in future.

 

4- Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?

 

No I didn't struggle with any parts of this novel.

 

5- Did you feel you were viewing the world through the eyes of a dog?

 

Yes, Enzo is probably more intellectual than a dog may be but I think it was very interesting, writing a book with the perspective of a dog.

 

6- Are you a fan of motorsport? .. did you enjoy its incorporation into this story?

 

I'm not a fan of motorsport and when I first read the passages on Motor sport, I wasn't sure if this book was going to be for me. However, I think this is a piece of clever writing, because not only does these passages give more personality to Enzo, but they are also relevant to the story.

 

7- What was your take on the evil toy zebra and why did Enzo rip Zoë's toys apart?

 

Zoe ripped the Zebra, because it was a symbol for the frustration Enzo felt.

 

8- Is Enzo anything like your dog/pet? .. do you believe that animals know more than we give them credit for?

 

I wouldn't say my dog was as intellectual as Enzo, but I do think that animals are aware of a lot more than we give them credit for. Particularly the part about Enzo knowing about Eve's tumour before she did, I think was quite accurate. I believe that animals are perceptive to illness, oncoming natural disasters like earthquakes etc

 

9- Overall was reading the book an enjoyable experience?

 

Yes I think this is one of the best books I have read this year.

 

10- Would you recommend the book and if so to whom?

 

I would recommend this to anyone who likes animals. Even if you don't like them, I think this would still be an enjoyable read.

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8- Is Enzo anything like your dog/pet? .. do you believe that animals know more than we give them credit for?

I wouldn't say my dog was as intellectual as Enzo, but I do think that animals are aware of a lot more than we give them credit for. Particularly the part about Enzo knowing about Eve's tumour before she did, I think was quite accurate. I believe that animals are perceptive to illness, oncoming natural disasters like earthquakes etc

They do say this don't they and dogs are sometimes used to detect cancer, sniffer dogs in particular. Clever old sticks. It is quite disconcerting when animals act odd around you, a dog did this to me once but it turned out it wasn't me, it was my Mum's umbrella. He didn't bark at it, he just sort of made a strange low yowling sound .. perhaps he had equated it to rain and no walkies .. :D My friend had a cat who would go and sit at the front door exactly five minutes before her husband drove onto the drive .. no matter what time it was :o I saw her do it loads of times and it freaked me out a bit.

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They do say this don't they and dogs are sometimes used to detect cancer, sniffer dogs in particular. Clever old sticks. It is quite disconcerting when animals act odd around you, a dog did this to me once but it turned out it wasn't me, it was my Mum's umbrella. He didn't bark at it, he just sort of made a strange low yowling sound .. perhaps he had equated it to rain and no walkies .. :D My friend had a cat who would go and sit at the front door exactly five minutes before her husband drove onto the drive .. no matter what time it was :o I saw her do it loads of times and it freaked me out a bit.

 

I think my Obi may have made a good sniffer dog, he's always finding things... His best find came when he wouldn't stop sniffing around Honey's head, I eventually found a tiny tiny spot there, got it checked at the Vets and she was found to have a mast cell tumour, which are very hard to find as they are not typical tumours, they have threads rather than masses under the skin, she was operated on that week and we still have her now, five years later, and she will be 15 on 1st January, thank you Obi. :)

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