crabbygirl reviewed The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
Review of 'The Art of Racing in the Rain' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
[guessing at the star rating / mining my old FB notes now that they are almost impossible to find]
an easy read, i finished it in 2 days. it was sentimental, but it worked - i cried where i was supposed to, and felt better for it. after the success of 'marley & me', it was inevitable we'd get the same type of story, only told from the dog's point of view. i think this is a much better approach: the dog's thoughts and actions are conveyed, but he (the dog) is watching and commenting on the people's lives, and isn't that why we read the book in the first place? for the people? personally i hated 'marley & me' for the way the author centers the book on a DOG, meanwhile he gets married, and starts a family, and these things should be the focus of the story, not …
[guessing at the star rating / mining my old FB notes now that they are almost impossible to find]
an easy read, i finished it in 2 days. it was sentimental, but it worked - i cried where i was supposed to, and felt better for it. after the success of 'marley & me', it was inevitable we'd get the same type of story, only told from the dog's point of view. i think this is a much better approach: the dog's thoughts and actions are conveyed, but he (the dog) is watching and commenting on the people's lives, and isn't that why we read the book in the first place? for the people? personally i hated 'marley & me' for the way the author centers the book on a DOG, meanwhile he gets married, and starts a family, and these things should be the focus of the story, not a dumb dog.
lastly, i admire how the author was able to incorporate his obvious passion for racing into the story. it wasn't a throw-in-some-extra-detail appendage, it was an absolute metaphor for a way of life. i may even watch a race now :)
