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Loading... Water for Elephants (2006)by Sara Gruen
I immediately fell in love with the 90 (or 93) year-old narrator and protagonist of this story. His memories of his time with the circus and his love for one of the performers were detailed and fascinating. The research of Sara Gruen was apparent. I was engrossed in the history and the characters. Some of it was very dark but that was offset by the antics of the animals and the strong backbone of the characters. The author pulled no punches, but instead opened a window on a world that most of us have never even imagined. (  ) TheLoopyLibrarian | May 15, 2013 |  A glimpse into a world I know nothing about. Fascinating, rich characters, cogent plot, wonderful descriptions. A very satisfying read. ( ) bcrowl399 | May 15, 2013 | Sentimental tripe with cardboard characters, poorly written. Clearly the author did a lot of research into circuses of the era, and possibly if it she had stuck to a non-fiction essay it would have been better. Perhaps her editor convinced her to pad it out into a bookgroup-popular book. (  ) lxydis | May 11, 2013 | This book was a fun read. Love the characters & emotions throughout the book. ( ) MelissaLauren | Apr 28, 2013 | Better than I expected. Read the book so I could watch the movie. Thoroughly enjoyed the book. Insights into the world of circus and into elephant behavior. Story line on the cruel circus owner, classic love story and a happy-ever-after ending. Read it, you'll like it. Read in 2011. (  ) CasaBooks | Apr 28, 2013 |
 It's a favorite of book clubs and reading groups, and is supposedly rife with parallels between the protagonist, Jacob Jankowski and Jacob, grandson of Abraham, in the Bible. I wish one of you would tell me what they are. They are not obvious to me, other than a cryptic "Jacob's ladder" parallel to the ladder on the train cars that give access to the roof and that will be important late in the story. What is obvious to me is this is a book about memory, something elephants are famous for and something humans are famous for treating as reliable when it isn't.  WOW! This book has been sitting on my bookshelf for longer than I care to admit. Something about it drew me in enough to buy it but there always seemed to be something else that I would rather be reading so, it sat and sat and sat. I am so glad that I finally challenged myself to read it because it has to be one of my favourite books in a LOOOOOOONG time. What a great story. While I know that the book is a work of fiction, it really did feel like I was right there, in the circus, with Jacob, Marlena and August. I could see each of them (and of course Jacob was as yummy as Edward ~Robert Pattinson~), I could touch the animals, hear the music and feel the crunch of the peanuts beneath my feet. I loved that each of the chapters started with a picture showing the history of the circus because it brought me to the right time frame in my mind. The movement between Jacob as a 90 (or 93) year old in a nursing home and Jacob as a man in his early 20's were seemless. In some novels past, the 'current' story seemed forced and very out of place but here, it was a welcome part of the story. Overall, I feel like this is a book that anyone would enjoy. Whether you are an adult, a child, a tween, a senior, this book will delight you! It is a fast, fun read. Please pick it up and spend some time aboard the train with the 'Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth'. At its finest, "Water for Elephants" resembles stealth hits like "The Giant's House," by Elizabeth McCracken, or "The Lovely Bones," by Alice Sebold, books that combine outrageously whimsical premises with crowd-pleasing romanticism. But Gruen's prose is merely serviceable, and she hurtles through cataclysmic events, overstuffing her whiplash narrative with drama (there's an animal stampede, two murders and countless fights). What goes on under the big top is nothing compared with the show backstage.
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A novel of star-crossed lovers, set in the circus world circa 1932. When Jacob Jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, grifters, and misfits, a second-rate circus struggling to survive during the Great Depression, making one-night stands in town after endless town. A veterinary student who almost earned his degree, Jacob is put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It is there that he meets Marlena, the beautiful young star of the equestrian act, who is married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. He also meets Rosie, an elephant who seems untrainable until he discovers a way to reach her.--From publisher description.… (more)
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