Racing In The Rain Reflection
I chose the novel “The Art of Racing in the Rain”, by Garth Stein, because my English teacher at the time told me that a dog was the main character. I was intrigued about the fact that this book was written in the dog’s point of view as I felt it would be interesting to hear how the dog felt and read its thoughts. I am a dog person, so naturally I would choose the book that was written about a dog. I enjoyed this book because it was a feel good story, while relating to everyday life in almost every aspect; death and disease, family, struggle, and pure happiness. I felt there was a lot of emotion found throughout the book, varying from joy, anger, sadness, and hope. The irony about this story is that the narrator is an innocent dog, whom
many readers would feel is oblivious and unaware of many details in life. However, Stein created a dog that was so wrapped up in its owner’s life, it felt every emotion and event that occurs throughout this autobiography. The dog, Enzo, is a human in almost every aspect, besides his physical appearance. He tells the readers of these horrific and amazing stories in such detail that the book comes to life. I was, however, let down in some ways: I am not a fan of racecar driving, so unfortunately I did not enjoy reading multiple chapters about race cars. One of the few cons of this book is that it continuously described race car driving and cars in such detail. I felt that this story was even boring at some points; I did not care about race cars, nor did I want to read about the “thrilling and life changing” experiences of driving a race car almost every chapter. It felt slow and never ending, as if I wanted to skip those stagnant chapters completely. In addition, I felt that this text was not appropriate for this level of reading. It was too easy of a read, and I think it should not be listed as a book option for summer reading. There was no message or lesson I learned from this novel, something that I feel is necessary for an Honors English 10 course. There was no complexity or intricacy of words and meanings; I was not sitting on the edge of my seat when reading this book. I was extremely disappointed that this story was too childish, too much of a story and not of a mature, deep novel. I do recommend this book, but not as a book students would read in school.
many readers would feel is oblivious and unaware of many details in life. However, Stein created a dog that was so wrapped up in its owner’s life, it felt every emotion and event that occurs throughout this autobiography. The dog, Enzo, is a human in almost every aspect, besides his physical appearance. He tells the readers of these horrific and amazing stories in such detail that the book comes to life. I was, however, let down in some ways: I am not a fan of racecar driving, so unfortunately I did not enjoy reading multiple chapters about race cars. One of the few cons of this book is that it continuously described race car driving and cars in such detail. I felt that this story was even boring at some points; I did not care about race cars, nor did I want to read about the “thrilling and life changing” experiences of driving a race car almost every chapter. It felt slow and never ending, as if I wanted to skip those stagnant chapters completely. In addition, I felt that this text was not appropriate for this level of reading. It was too easy of a read, and I think it should not be listed as a book option for summer reading. There was no message or lesson I learned from this novel, something that I feel is necessary for an Honors English 10 course. There was no complexity or intricacy of words and meanings; I was not sitting on the edge of my seat when reading this book. I was extremely disappointed that this story was too childish, too much of a story and not of a mature, deep novel. I do recommend this book, but not as a book students would read in school.