Travel with Raja, pet travel advice, airplane travel tips, travel with my dog, how do I travel with my pet, Raja, shitzu, dogs
 
Picture
The Art of Racing in the Rain is Garth Stein’s third novel.  In his elegant and earthy prose, we discover Stein’s development as a writer and a thinker.  This beautifully spare writing creates a visual novel in which we read the scenes through Enzo, the dog narrator, who interprets what he sees for us readers.  Eventually we come to see the world his way.  Is the story about Denny, the race car driver with the steady heart in the face of adversity? Or is the story about Enzo, who is Denny’s moral core and whose strength in the face of crisis redeems Denny and those he loves?  Or is the story about the mystical meaning of dogs? 

Stein tells the tale of an ordinary man, a hero to the loyal Enzo, living an ordinary life where joy and sorrow trump each other through the years.  Yet the story, like that of James Joyce’s Ulysses and John Updike’s “Rabbit” series is infused with the search for meaning through the significance of myth.  Enzo is a dog of mixed and non-specialized background, but, as the storytellers of the past tell us, to be a dog is to be a creature who straddles several worlds- the world of the animal and the human, the world of the living and the transformation beyond.  In mythology, dogs are the guardians of the soul- and Enzo does save Denny’s soul regularly, as well as guards the soul of Denny’s wife, Eve, when she needs him most.  

Dog consciousness is the new modernity, as is the evolved male.  Stein creates a better man than Leopold Bloom and Rabbit- and a shorter story.  But brevity is the new modernity too.  Stein’s book has been compared to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig, which is about neither Zen nor motorcycles, actually.  Philosophic ideas like transformation, karma, reincarnation and the ascending soul do figure strongly in the novel as core principals, but Stein’s book really is about Enzo, one of the best dog characters ever invented in the history of dog writing.   

I have one issue.  Enzo really, really wants to be human.  He learns from Denny’s racing principles how to change the roadway of his life:  “… while I cannot say I am master of my own destiny…, I know what I have to work toward.” (44)   But if one could be as stable, loyal, clear-headed and simply sane as Enzo, why aspire to be the basket case of mixed motives and confusion that is the hallmark of human nature?  I think we should all aspire to be like Enzo.  Go ahead and read the book and see if Enzo gets his wish.  You will like the ending.  

Dear Blog Readers, Garth Stein’s representatives are offering a free copy of this novel to the first reader who simply barks up and requests it.  Just write us at: [email protected] and say you would like a copy of the book.  Provide your mailing address and, for the first reader who simply asks, we’ll take it from there.

Pat & Buttercup
5/26/2009 09:36:30 pm

Hi Raja.. sounds like a great read .. and i must say you look like you throughly enjoyed it .. Kisses, Buttercup & Momma Pat

Reply
5/27/2009 02:02:51 pm

Well you already know how I feel about the book... but fantastic review!

Reply
Connie and Enzo
5/28/2009 09:53:20 am

Helen,
You always find the most amazing stories to share.
Sounds like a wonderful book. If no one has asked for the free copy yet count me in.
I have a feeling my Enzo will have alot to live up to after reading about the Enzo in the book.


Reply
Sheryl
5/28/2009 11:39:15 am

This sounds like a wonderful, almost mystical book. I will look for it.

Thanks for the review.

Sheryl
(I'd never heard the name Enzo before - and now, there are two in my 'world')

Reply
11/9/2010 09:07:30 am

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, enough hope to make you happy.

Reply
4/15/2012 05:29:27 pm

Excellent blog, keep up the good work, looking forward to visiting again.

Reply
4/19/2012 04:16:04 pm

what you have said in this article has deeply impressed me and i wish you can write more about this subject.

Reply
4/20/2012 05:34:50 pm

Unquestionably believe that which you whispered. Your favorite justification appeared to be on the web the easiest thing to be aware of.

Reply
4/26/2012 04:44:23 pm

Experience is the best teacher

Reply
5/1/2012 04:15:11 pm


Your point is valueble for me. Thanks!

Reply
5/2/2012 04:46:48 pm

Thanks a lot for giving everyone a very terrific opportunity to discover important secrets from here.

Reply
5/3/2012 05:03:53 pm


Your point is valueble for me. Thanks!

Reply
5/4/2012 06:00:17 pm

Thank you so much regarding giving us an update on this subject on your web site.

Reply
5/6/2012 07:00:13 pm

what you have said in this article has deeply impressed me and i wish you can write more about this subject.

Reply
5/7/2012 12:03:07 pm

i genuinely like your world-wide-web internet site. Its really informative. Goodbye!

Reply
5/8/2012 12:39:54 pm



Hi, thank you so a great deal for these ideas!

Reply
5/9/2012 12:00:26 pm


This blog site is great. How did you come up witht he idea?

Reply
5/10/2012 07:12:38 pm

Thanks for sharing this opinion. Regards for you. Good job! Very helpful information This is a cool blogging platform.

Reply
5/29/2012 12:15:42 am

Intimately, the submit is definitely the very best on this precious topic. I concur with your conclusions and will eagerly look forward in your coming updates!

Reply
7/8/2012 01:57:23 pm

Thank you for such a great post and the review, I am totally impressed!

Reply
8/10/2012 04:50:36 pm

http://www.replicaoakleysunglassesb.com/

Reply
8/16/2012 11:33:07 am

For example champagne bottle, Bourdeaux Louis Vuitton wine beverage, cheeses, and plenty of other suggestions the fact that dramatically make improvements to the daily life, Louis Vuitton shopping bags set about during This particular language. At the beginning within the nineteenth 100 years, any emperor for This particular language, Napoleon III, needed someone to regulate any sacks for Empress Eugene.

Reply
8/16/2012 05:23:38 pm

You guide your client through the discovery process. You create a system of accountability to help the client take action on his discoveries.

Reply
8/22/2012 04:56:33 pm

fdgergerg

Reply
9/25/2012 05:52:55 pm

Pertaining to innovative mother available, it's possible you truly frantically wish to drop your current carrying a child bodyweight for good. Then again whenever you genuinely dare that will wish or even goal plus settling some sort of strategy directly into position, you'd probably raise plus produce to become a greater plus happier person. Your moving past belonging to the complete yr turns into extra momentous.

Reply
10/16/2012 04:30:29 pm

There are many methods in which you will be able to have sexual dissatisfaction, but one of the reasons for the lack of satisfaction is the fact that the male may suffer from problems like erectile dysfunction. This is a serious cause for the problem and many of the couples who have this problem will even divorce and their families break up. The cause is something that needs to be identified. There are many men who have impotence because of the changes in their lifestyle. One of the changes that could have caused this problem is the drinking that they are involving in and the other problem could be smoking. A person who smokes a lot may not have the mood to have a sexual relationship.So, the treatment of the problem, which could include those like erectile dysfunction as well as premature ejaculation are important. If you are suffering from impotence, you need to use the 4T Plus Capsules and Mast Mood Oil. These are two of the best herbal products and they will help to ensure that you have complete satisfaction when you use them. The main benefit of these products is that they will help in the complete cure of the problem.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    RAJA BLOGS ABOUT PARIS FOR FIDO FRIENDLY As a world reknowned traveler Raja was invited to blog for his friends at fido friendly.com a website that helps pet owners find accommodations. Click here to visit Fido Friendly


    Find more dog info here!

    Picture
    Join us on facebook

    RSS Feed

    See Raja on YouTube

    Authors

    Helen  feels most comfortable in places where she doesn't speak the language; she  likes to do almost everything, except hunt and watch TV sports. 
     Raja is a Shih Tzu.  Directly descended from the Mongolian wolf, Raja is hardy and loves to roam with his pack.  Tamed in the monasteries of Tibet, he takes the long view.  Finished in the palaces of 16th century China, he is elegant.  Rescued from China by the artistocrats of Europe, he is a ham.

    Archives

    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009
    June 2009
    May 2009
    April 2009
    March 2009
    February 2009
    January 2009
    December 2008

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Picture
    Eat at Mustang's
    Picture
    Picture
    Corral those wild Shih Tzus!
    Picture
    Bailey walks the beam!
    Picture
    Look at Chloe work those poles!
    Picture
    On the Teeter... little tongue out thinking carefully.
    Picture
    YAY!
    Picture
    You can do it Cara!
    Picture
    Lori and Raja at the front desk.
    Picture
    Here it is: 555 De Haro St!
    Picture
    In the Potero District, North West of the Waterfront
    Picture
    Peju Province Winery's oak casks
    Picture
    Welcome to Castelo di Amorosa
    Picture
    Snoozin' in Restorante Allegria
    Picture
    Lupo working hard.
    Picture
    Buttercup stays cool.
    Picture
    Boots save paws.
    Picture
    Chloe loves hand knits.
    Picture
    A hat prevents hypothermia.
    Picture
    Morgan, biker girl.
    Picture
    Carolyn's originals ready for work.
    Picture
    Touring the gardens in my Carolyn's Originals visor.

pet travel advice, airplane travel tips, travel with my dog, how do I travel with my pet, Raja, shitzu, dogs