{Review} Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Published Date: May 1, 2007
Publisher:  Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill 

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My rating:

Synopsis: As a young man, Jacob Jankowski was tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. It was the early part of the great Depression, and for Jacob, now ninety, the circus world he remembers was both his salvation and a living hell. A veterinary student just shy of a degree, he was put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It was there that he met Marlena, the beautiful equestrian star married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. And he met Rosie, an untrainable elephant who was the great gray hope for this third-rate traveling show. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and, ultimately, it was their only hope for survival. (SOURCE)

I picked up Water for Elephants because everyone was talking about it and I knew it was being made into a movie. It took me a while to get into it; although that was MY fault, not the books (I was reading three others at the time).

When I made it to the half way point I was able to focus more on it and I'm so glad I did. It's a wonderfully detailed story that I could clearly see playing out in my head. It was interesting, being able to "see" that time period and the train circus.

I enjoyed Jacob and his narration. I loved his relationships with Rosie and the other animals as well as the humans. The ending left me happy and satisfied. This book felt so real, as if Jacob really wrote it all himself. I'm glad I was finally able to focus all of my attention on WfE- it's a good read and I can't wait to see it all play out before my eyes on the big screen.