Art of Racing in the Rain, Chapters 49-58
The Art of Racing in the Rain ended for me in the same way that it started, with my aging Boston Terrier laying on my lap sleeping soundly, while tears spilled down my cheeks. I am struggling with what to write this week, not only because of the mix of emotion in these last few chapters, but also because of the story I share with this little dog who has been with me for so long. It is easy to love this book because it gives us permission to believe that all of the conversations we have with our pets may be true and for the faith it provides that our animal companions really do understand us and love us as much as we think they do. I cherished this book because I love dogs and cars, but beyond that, I appreciated this book because of the genuine life wisdom that it shares.
This book made me:
- Think about what I am giving my attention to: The car goes where the eyes go.
- Stop to consider the zebra that resides within all of us: The zebra is something inside of us. Our fears. Our own self-destructive nature.
- Consider my priorities and what I am choosing to think about: People are generally not satisfied with what they have; they are very concerned with what they are going to have.
- Challenge myself to take more responsibility for my life: Any problems that may occur have ultimately been caused by you, because you are responsible for where you are and what you are doing there.
As we’ve blogged our way through this book, you have all been very generous in sharing your personal thoughts and feelings about what you found most moving in this story. I look forward to reading your final comments on how this book impacted your life.
- What are your main takeaways from The Art of Racing in the Rain?
- Were you challenged in any way?
- Do you look at life differently?
- Do you have a favorite quote or passage from the book?
P.S. We would all like to extend a special thank you to Garth Stein for dropping in to our book club! While we are all looking forward to the movie, I think it is agreed that it will not completely capture the magic you created on the pages of the book. We look forward to reading your next novel!
—Seraphina Ashe
Director of Guest Experience Programming
Glen Ivy Hot Springs
First off, Seraphina, thanks so much for choosing this delightful book. I am an avid reader, had glanced through the book once at Borders, but didn’t buy it. When you presented it, I was intrigued. I loved the clever language and allusions. Enzo is so real and authentic with his feelings, and the visual images illustrate this so well. I think what I gained most from the book is to be honest with myself and how I feel. We humans have a lot to learn about simply paying attention to what is. I appreciated this phrase in chapter 49. In Enzo’s dream, he speaks with a voice synthesizer and affirms “We must root into ourselves and sort out the distortions until that thing which we know in our hearts is perfect and true, stands before us.” The comparison with racing becomes especially meaningful for me at the end when Enzo sums up with “A driver must have faith. The driver must accept his fate. Mistakes have been made. Misjudgments. Poor decisions. He must go off-track.” Enzo continues that the racer must “… maintain his line and gradually get himself back on the track when it is safe to do so. The race is long.” Of course Enzo’s devotion to Denny is very touching. His death reminded me of the death of our 19 year old lovebird, Mark Rhett. I knew he was dying the night before. The next morning, my husband found him at the bottom of his cage, took him out of his cage and caressed his chest. One last loud chirp. I was in bed and heard it. Mark Rhett’s goodbye. Very sweet. How blessed we were to have him in our lives.