The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

"The car goes where the eyes go."
                   -from the novel

Last month we read The Book Thief---over 500 pages and narrated by Death. This month's selection is just over 300 pages and narrated by a dog. Needless to say, quite a leap! This book was recommended by a member of our Page Turners group. I wasn't sure I was going to like it, not being a dog owner or a race fan but as it turned out, I found it quite good. I am rating it a 5.

The story is told by Enzo, a dog who aspires to be reincarnated as a man, and who is very frustrated by his inability to speak and his lack of thumbs. He is quite the philosopher and I found many quotable thoughts but chose one that I thought touched on a prominent theme. At times Enzo seems more human than many humans! In fact he even says, "It's what's inside that's important. The soul. And my soul is very human."

Denny Swift, Enzo's owner, is a mechanic and aspiring Formula One race car driver. The author was probably either a race car driver himself, a big fan or he did a lot of research for this book since there are a number of mentions of famous drivers and lots of racing rules and tips. Quite possibly I learned more about racing than I really wanted to know! But in realizing the title is an analogy for life, I could get over it and just be engaged by the story. Though Denny becomes an excellent driver, his personal life is falling apart. At times one might think if he didn't have bad luck, he'd have no luck at all! With the resilience and persistence of a race car driver, and of course the loyal support of his faithful Enzo, he survives the "rain" in his life.

This book made me think of my middle brother, who not only is a dog owner, but also a huge racing fan. I would definitely recommend the book to him.

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The Page Turners met to discuss The Art of Racing in the Rain on a rainy Thursday morning. Fourteen people were present, a testament to the appeal of the book. The groups' ratings averaged a 4. The discussion was very animated with many members relating personal stories of the intelligence and/or sixth sense and the compassion of both dogs and cats. Some of us agreed that with the dog narrating, we could get very different insights of human behavior. Many of us started the book with doubts but were able to suspend our disbelief enough to enjoy the story.

A large percentage of members are or have been dog owners and said they might be seeing their own pets differently after reading this novel. One person shared that she was seeing her baby's stuffed zebra differently! (You will have to read the book, to get the humor there!) We all agreed we would recommend this book to dog lovers!

Sycamore Row by John Grisham

"Grisham is a marvelous storyteller who works readers the way a good trial lawyer works a jury."
                                              -The Philadelphia Inquirer

Wow! This one is a 5 for sure! I could hardly put it down. I was pretty sure that would be the case since most of Grisham's novels have grabbed me that way.

Attorney Jake Brigance, the main character from A Time to Kill, reappears in this novel to defend the hand-written will of Seth Hubbard, a man who has committed suicide. The will is shocking for this Mississippi town in the size of the estate, its disregard of family and the person selected to receive most of the assets. In a letter to Jake, Seth charges him with defending the will to the letter, knowing his son and daughter will surely contest it. There are reverberations of Mississippi's past (and present) racial tensions and especially references to Jake's successful defense of Carl Lee Hailey three years prior to this story. It is helpful if one has read A Time to Kill or seen the movie since Grisham refers to the Hailey trial a number of times.

The plot is primarily centered around the question of WHY Seth Hubbard changed his will the way he did. Some of the answer to that question reminded me of Mildred Taylor's series of YA fiction, particularly Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, one of my favorite novels ever, in which the black Logan family has to fight to hold on to the land they own in Mississippi.  Also the author keeps the reader wondering about the title for quite a while; no revelation until the final chapters.

Several of Grisham's legal thrillers have been adapted to movies. I surely hope this one will be! I wonder if Michael McConaughey is too old to reprise his role of Jake!

The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks

"He had the strange feeling that in the future, whenever he thought about her, this would be the image he recalled. She was too beautiful, too refined and exotic, for this country setting, but when she broke into that wide, friendly smile, he felt something clear inside, like the sun breaking through the mist."
                                                               -Luke's thoughts, from the novel

You can count on Nicholas Sparks for a great love story! Of the 17 titles listed of his other works, I have read at least 10, but probably more. Most involve very touching love stories with a number of tear-jerkers among them---what a male member of our Page Turners group would call "chick lit"!

I have to admit this one was a little different with two love stories alternating for most of the book. To begin with, Ira Levinson is an old man, injured and trapped in his wrecked car which is being blanketed in snow, while waiting and hoping for rescue. He begins to hallucinate the presence of his dead wife, Ruth, and the two of them reminisce about their history. I had a personal reaction to the revelation that Ruth had been a third grade teacher who went far beyond the classroom in positively affecting her students. As a retired teacher, I hope that some of my former students remember me that way! In chapter 2 the reader meets Sophia, a college art history student, and Luke, a handsome bull-riding cowboy who rescues her from a troublesome situation. As expected they become an unlikely twosome. The way in which these two love stories finally intersect is both touching and somewhat surprising.

I enjoyed this one; I will rate it a 4. The book jacket says that Sparks has had 8 of his novels adapted as movies and I predict this will be the 9th. I can imagine a country music soundtrack and maybe Carrie Underwood as Sophia. North Carolina, Sparks' home state and the setting of many of his books, will make for a beautiful movie location. If you enjoy a good love story without the gratuitous sex, try this one!

A Secret Kept by Tatiana De Rosnay

"I try to comfort my son. Am I any good at this? When I was his age, my mother had died and no one had comforted me. Was that why I was useless at reaching out, offering tenderness and support? Are we not forever shaped by our childhood, its scars, its secrets, its hidden pain?"
                                             -Antoine, from the novel

Well, I must say I was excited to read A Secret Kept because I had loved Sarah's Key by the same author. But this novel was certainly not the same caliber! I would rate it 3.5. (I don't allow our group to use decimals but hey, this isn't a group book.)

The story, narrated by main character Antoine Rey, did hold my attention with a gradually unfolding mystery surrounding the death of his and sister Melanie's mother years before, as well as anonymous love letters that had me wondering who they were written by and to whom. Throw in some love---well, actually more like sex---and it is something of a page turner.