An EXCELLENT summer read. I love dogs! I often look at my English Bulldog Blanche and wonder, "what is she thinking"? My family has taken to lending Blanche a voice, on any given day one of us will be standing in the kitchen alone or as a whole, and start talking to Blanche, and she answers back (with the help of myself, Ian or Bob), some probably think we are quite strange. So I was intrigued last Sunday when I read in the newspaper about the The Art of Racing in the Rain and the fact that it's author would be in Eugene talking about and signing books. A book where the dog is the narrator, it's his book and his story. From the beginning it is a sad story especially if you love dogs, because we know what the outcome is, but what comes in the pages between the front and back cover is joy, happiness, excitement, elation and yes, sadness. I cried during the last three chapters. Ian and I were reading (sharing) the book at the same time, he finished a couple of days after I did, mind you we got the book on Monday and we were both through by Saturday; Ian's assessment of the ending was a little different from mine. Although I know there was happiness in the ending, I found it "sad". Ian said, "no, it wasn't a sad ending, it all worked out for everyone, even the dog". So Ian and I highly recommend this book.