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The Art of Racing in the Rain
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Stein, Garth; The Art of Racing in the Rain "Relaxed Buddy Read" (Start Date: 5th August 2013)
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Has anyone started reading this yet? I'm hoping to start it tonight as I'm running a bit behind do to a review book I was reading taking me a bit longer than planned.I'm very excited to be starting this book!
I haven't started yet as I wasn't sure how we were splitting up the book. Any idea on how far you want to read a day?
Hmmm, I read quite randomly as it all depends on what free time I can scrounge up in a day.I'm hoping to aim for around 40 pages a day.
I also found these discussion questions on Lit Lovers which might be a great start once we get into the book:1. Some early readers of the novel have observed that viewing the world through a dog's eyes makes for a greater appreciation of being human. Why do you think this is?
2. Enzo's observations throughout the novel provide insight into his world view. For example:
—"The visible becomes inevitable."
—"Understanding the truth is simple. Allowing oneself to experience it, is often terrifically difficult."
—"No race has ever been won in the first corner; many races have been lost there."
How does his philosophy apply to real life?
3. In the book's darkest moments, one of Zoe's stuffed animals—the zebra—comes to life and threatens him. What does the zebra symbolize?
4. Can you imagine the novel being told from Denny's point of view? How would it make the story different?
5. In the first chapter, Enzo says: "It's what's inside that's important. The soul. And my soul is very human." How does Enzo's situation—a human soul trapped in a dog's body—influence his opinions about what he sees around him? How do you feel about the ideas of reincarnation and karma as Enzo defines them?
6. Do you find yourself looking at your own dog differently after reading this novel?
7. In the book, we get glimpses into the mindset and mentality of a race car driver. What parallels can you think of between the art of racing and the art of living?
8. The character of Ayrton Senna, as he is presented in the book, is heroic, almost a mythic figure. Why do you think this character resonates so strongly for Denny?
Michelle wrote: "I also found these discussion questions on Lit Lovers which might be a great start once we get into the book:1. Some early readers of the novel have observed that viewing the world through a dog'..."
Great! So glad you found this!
Michelle wrote: "Hmmm, I read quite randomly as it all depends on what free time I can scrounge up in a day.
I'm hoping to aim for around 40 pages a day."
Sounds good :) Around 40 pages a day would be:
Chapters 1-8
Chapters 9-14
Chapters 15-23
Chapters 24-28
Chapters 29-35
Chapters 36-44
Chapters 45-52
Chapters 53-58
Does this sound okay to you?
Michelle wrote: "Has anyone started reading this yet? I'm hoping to start it tonight as I'm running a bit behind do to a review book I was reading taking me a bit longer than planned.I'm very excited to be startin..."
I read this book some time ago and must admit that for a non dog person I really enjoyed it. That's the beauty of f2f and online book clubs. Sometimes they force us to read those books we might not unless they're chosen. In the case of this book, it was a happy read for me.
I somehow managed to get almost halfway through this book yesterday because it is such a fast, easy read.I can never read that much of a book in one day so that obviously shows how much I'm enjoying it so far :-)
Lovely questions, Michelle!
Well it looks like I read this book on my own :-(Oh well, I'm still going to answer the questions I found because I loved this book so much!
1. Some early readers of the novel have observed that viewing the world through a dog's eyes makes for a greater appreciation of being human. Why do you think this is?
I guess it's because Enzo seems to list so many disadvantages of being a dog instead of a human such as not having thumbs (:-)), not being able to communicate effectively through speech, etc.
2. Enzo's observations throughout the novel provide insight into his world view. For example:
—"The visible becomes inevitable."
—"Understanding the truth is simple. Allowing oneself to experience it, is often terrifically difficult."
—"No race has ever been won in the first corner; many races have been lost there."
How does his philosophy apply to real life?
To me it shows you that life happens not matter what you do and how much you get out of it all depends on what you do with the opportunities presented to you. You can give up and feel down as soon as the going gets tough, or you can lift yourself up and do your best to overcome whatever gets thrown at you.
3. In the book's darkest moments, one of Zoe's stuffed animals—the zebra—comes to life and threatens him. What does the zebra symbolize?
My guess is that the zebra symbolises all the bad things that are out of Enzo's control that scare him because he's not human and can't communicate or help others in the way he wants to.
4. Can you imagine the novel being told from Denny's point of view? How would it make the story different?
I don't think the story would have been as engaging if it had been told from Denny's point of view. I think what made it seem so special and what captured me so much was that it was supposedly written from the point of view of a dog.
5. In the first chapter, Enzo says: "It's what's inside that's important. The soul. And my soul is very human." How does Enzo's situation—a human soul trapped in a dog's body—influence his opinions about what he sees around him? How do you feel about the ideas of reincarnation and karma as Enzo defines them?
I think it makes him much more aware and special and I can just imagine my dog feeling the same thing inside every time I look at her.
I've never thought greatly about reincarnation but it would be interesting to think that we do get other chances to come back and experience life and the world from another point of view after we die.
I definitely believe strongly in karma though.
6. Do you find yourself looking at your own dog differently after reading this novel?
Not so much differently but I think I feel as if there is at least someone else out there with as big a bond with their dog (the author) as I feel I have with mine. I practically think of my dog as my first born and would swear sometimes that she knows exactly what I'm thinking or how I'm feeling, especially when I'm sick or upset about something.
7. In the book, we get glimpses into the mindset and mentality of a race car driver. What parallels can you think of between the art of racing and the art of living?
In racing you have to have faith in your team, your vehicle and in yourself as a driver to finish the race in one piece. Life is a little bit similar because if you don't rely on those close to you sometimes as well as rely on your own abilities then you won't really live a fulfilled and winning life.
8. The character of Ayrton Senna, as he is presented in the book, is heroic, almost a mythic figure. Why do you think this character resonates so strongly for Denny?
Obviously because he was a racing icon who unfortunately lost his life doing what he loved. To me it's the same as anybody in real life idolising those that have achieved greatness in the same field that they also wish to excell at in the future.
I can't explain how much I really loved this book. It was such an emotional ride and was so well written in my opinion.
Any animal lover should pick this book up to read!
Mod
Well seeing that you loved it so much I may give it a go. I am (as always) completely over comitted with books right now, and I keep pushing 11/22/63 down the pile (still only 50% through!), but... I just read the first chapter of this and it seems like a pretty good book to get into. Although I'm not a dog person, really, but I have a 17 year old cat, so I already feel a bit of an affinity with what is happening.
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So my son is teething and woke up at 2.30am and then I couldn't get back to sleep! So I read up to chapter 15 (27%)
Thoughts so far:
- Love how smart and perceptive Enzo is!
- Much more humour than I expected, which can be quite warm at times too:
"The platypus is horribly stupid, but is only slightly dumber than a monkey. Yet mokeys have thumbs!"
"I wished, at the time, that the baby would look like me"
I like the concept of "that which we manifest is before us ; we are the creators of our own destiny" and I am worried about what is happening with the mother.
The stuffed animals scene was very difficult (zebra!), particularly when Enzo was punished when they got home. Pretty harsh when he had been locked inside with no food, water or company for 3 days. Any dog would do that!
I have trouble empathising with the crows as I guess we don't have that issue here, but it is pretty funny... I also don't really enjoy the car racing descriptions (I tend to glaze over - such a boring sport!), but on the whole I am really enjoying this book. Looking forward to reading a bit more
Karen wrote: " Chapters 1-14So my son is teething and woke up at 2.30am and then I couldn't get back to sleep! So I read up to chapter 15 (27%)
Thoughts so far:
- Love how smart and perceptive Enzo is!
- Much..."
Awesome! I am so glad you started reading it. It's a very easy book to read I found so it doesn't take long at all to get through.
I loved that line about the Platypus as well :-)
I also glazed over the car racing bits but they do add to the story a little bit when you start to realise the connection to the racing and how Denny lives his life.
Hope you continue to enjoy it!
message 15:
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Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado
(last edited Aug 21, 2013 11:04PM)
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rated it 2 stars
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I'm not enjoying this section as much! I was really frustrated by Denny agreeing that Eve and Zoe live with her parents. And now on the day Eve dies the grandparents tell him they are suing for custody of Zoe? What kind of despicable people are these?
I can only imagine that the incident with that 15 year old girl will come back to bite him in the butt. It makes me feel physically sick and I'm not sure if I want to continue with the book *pout*
I guess I'll force myself in hope of a good ending
message 16:
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Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado
(last edited Aug 22, 2013 02:43PM)
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rated it 2 stars
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I'm afraid I didn't enjoy this. I felt the first half of the book was full of warmth, humour and perceptive annecdotes of human behaviour. And then the last half was just awful. The in laws were absolutely despicable, and at every turn just got worse.
I can deal with books (and even enjoy them) where the characters do horrible or shocking things when the author explores those reasons (like The Light Between Oceans or The Casual Vacancy), but when they just do despicable things, and then keep doing that without any real exploration of motives, or what I consider justice at the end... well I struggle with that. A lot.
Karen wrote: ":( Megan must've gotten caught up in another book?"Sorry guys! I had the book out from the library before we planned on starting this, but by the time we were ready to start it was due and it couldn't be renewed so I had to return it. I put a hold on it immediately and got it again a few days ago, so I finally started it last night...and it's really boring me. I don't think I'll be finishing it as I don't care for the writing style. Sorry again! :(
Karen wrote: " The EndI'm afraid I didn't enjoy this. I felt the first half of the book was full of warmth, humour and perceptive annecdotes of human behaviour. And then the last half was just awful. The in la..."
Karen wrote: " Chapters 15-29
I'm not enjoying this section as much! I was really frustrated by Denny agreeing that Eve and Zoe live with her parents. And now on the day Eve dies the grandparents tell him they ..."
Yes, all the stuff to do with the grandparents made me quite angry too. That's why I found this such an emotional read. Their behaviour was downright awful but I guess you can see that from their point of view they would have justified inside themselves that what they were doing by taking their granddaughter was a way to fill the void left after the death of their own daughter.
I felt so proud of Denny though and the way he handled the whole situation. I definitely would not have been so diplomatic and acceptive of the whole situation if it happened to me.
I also was proud of Enzo and the way he fought back by doing what he did to the grandparents rug. I kept chuckling at that a lot.
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Nothing But Reading Challenges
Books mentioned in this topic
The Light Between Oceans (other topics)The Casual Vacancy (other topics)
11/22/63 (other topics)
The Art of Racing in the Rain (other topics)
The Art of Racing in the Rain (other topics)
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What is a buddy read?
About this buddy read
A “Relaxed Buddy Read” is similar to our usual “buddy reads” except there are less questions and break points. For example, a book may be split into three sections and those reading the book should pause at the end of the section to answer some discussion questions, make comments, or ask their own questions to other readers
Book synopsis
Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively, and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver.
Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition, and he sees that life, like racing, isn't simply about going fast. On the eve of his death, Enzo takes stock of his life, recalling all that he and his family have been through.
A heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope, The Art of Racing in the Rain is a beautifully crafted and captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life...as only a dog could tell it.