Sara Gruen

Ninety-something-year-old Jacob Jankowski remembers his time in the circus as a young man during the Great Depression, and his friendship with Marlena, the star of the equestrian act, and Rosie, the elephant, who gave them hope.

A Novel

Water for Elephants

Charlotte Weir 

Age is a terrible thief. Just when you're getting the hang of life, it knocks your legs out from under you and stoops your back. It makes you ache and m iec vour head and silenrly spreads cancer throughout your spouse.

But there's nothing to be done about it. All I can do is put in time waiting for the inevitable, observing as the ghosts of my past rattle around my vacuous present. They crash and bang and make themselves at home, mostly because there's no competition. I've stopped fighting them. They're crashing and banging around in there now. Make yourselves at home, boys. Stay awhile. Oh, sorry I see you already have. Damn ghosts.

Why? That's what I want to know. I hate this bizarre policy of protective exclusion, because it effectively writes me off the page. IfI don't know what's going on in their lives, how am I supposed to insert myself in the conversation? I've decided it's not about me at all. It's a protective mechanism for them, a way of buffering themselves against my future death, like when teenagers distance themselves from their parents in preparation for leav- ing home. When Simon turned sixteen and got belligerent, I thought it was just him. By the time Dinah got there, I knew it wasn't her fault--it was programmed into her. Rur desnire howdlerizing content, my family has been entirely faith-

It's impossible to describe how tenderly I suddenly feel toward them--hyenas, camels, and all. Even the polar bear, who sits on his backside chewing his four-inch claws with his four-inch teeth. A love for these animals wells up in me suddenly, a flash flood, and there it is, solid as an obelisk and viscous as water. 

I care for these horses daily. I muck out their stalls, fill their water and feed buckets, and groom them for the show. I check their teeth and comb their manes and feel their legs for heat. I give them treats and pat their necks. They had become as familiar a part of my scenery as Queenie, but after seeing Marlena's act I’ll never view them the same way again. These horses are an extension of Marlena--a part of her that is here, right now, with me. I reach over the srall diide

Afterward, she lies nestled against me, her hair tickling my face. I stroke her lightly, memorizing her body. I want her to melt into me, like butter on toast. I want to absorb her and walk around for the rest of my days with her encased in my skin. I want. I lie motionless, savoring the feeling of her body against mine. I'm afraid to breathe in case I break the spell.

I may be in my nineties, but who says I’m helpless? 

I lift my walker, twist it a couple of inches to the left, and plunk it down again. Its plastic wheels scrape the concrete, and the sound makes me giddy. It's a real noise, a gritty noise, not the squeak or patter of rubber.

And then I laugh, because it's so ridiculous and so gorgeous and it's all I can do to not melt into a ft of giggles. So what if Im ninety-three? So what if I'm ancient and cranky and my body's a wreck? If they're willing to accept me and my guilty conscience, why the hell shouldn't I run away with the circus? Its like Charlie told che cop. For this old man, this is home.

Over 10,000,000 copies in print worldwide #1 New York Times Bestseller A Los Angeles Times Bestseller A Wall Street Journal Bestseller A Newsday Favorite Book of 2006 A USA Today Bestseller A Major Motion Picture starring Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattinson, and Christoph Waltz Jacob Janowski’s luck had run out--orphaned and penniless, he had no direction until he landed on a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. A veterinary student just shy of a degree, he was put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It was the Great Depression and for Jacob the circus was both his salvation and a living hell. There he met Marlena, the beautiful equestrian star married to August, the charismatic but brutal animal trainer. And he met Rosie, an untrainable elephant who was the great hope for this third-rate traveling show. The bond that grew among this group of misfits was one of love and trust, and ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.

Keila Rico 

Patrick Book

I had very incorrect preconceived notions about this book. It's very good, more or less!

This was a super entertaining read! I had actually already seen the movie before reading the book, but that did not mean I enjoyed it any less. I really appreciated the amount of research Gruen put into the book, she uses a lot of old American vernacular, Polish, and really makes you feel as if you are in the circus. Jacob is also a very sympathetic, funny, and relatable main character. Loved it! 

siegs

Great fictional piece. Really interesting time frame in America and you get insight into the crazy lifestyle of a circus member in that era.

Lamia Hajani

4 stars

I started this book once a long time ago and jumped ship on it shortly after. After trying a second time, I'm very glad I did. Because this book is a good book. I don't need to say that for everyone to know - it's a very popular book for a good reason. Probably the best part about it is that I probably will never read another book like it and I have never read a book like it before. It's set in the Depression-era and the characters are all part of a traveling circus. The switching between past and present is very digestible (which can be an issue in other books that try to do that). 

It can be tough to read at times because of the treatment of the people and the animals, but I do think it's worth it. I don't love that it all gets tied up with a pretty bow, but I also don't hate it enough to say this book isn't worth reading. And the ending is actually not very predictable, which I appreciate.

I'd recommend this book to just about anyone who wants a book that's pretty hard to not like. It's one of those books to get you back into reading after a long lull, at the least.

Peggy Walker

This was a wonderful read. I passed it on to my daughter who shared it with her book club. Everyone enjoyed it. I loved the fact that we got to see what an amazingly interesting life Jakob had led. So many times elderly people who live in assisted living or nursing home facilities aren't given the dignity of having a past. I could tell that the author had done extensive research on the life of the traveling circuses of that era. I actually wished she had added even more detail for a longer book. It was fascinating. Definitely recommended.

sorry hated it. over the sweet girl married to abusive husband and needs the hero to save her trope.

Lizzy Jensen

Q&D: loved the voice actors for this audiobook, it took a bit to adjust to their voices and I had to slow down the playback speed (from 1.75x to 1.5x). The story bounces back and forth between two points in a man's life: when he is elderly and living in assisted living and as a young man who joins the circus as a vet. The story is graphic and the author doesn't shy away from horrific realities. Major content warnings for animal abuse and domestic abuse (mostly emotional but some physical). I had to stop listening at times because of the animal abuse described. The MC isn't always likable and I'm not sure why I enjoyed this book as much as I did since it didn't do much redemption in my opinion. But it was a good read and I know it's a book I'll continue to think about for years to come.

Abigail F

Colleen

1 Star

*Absolutely nothing in this book appealed to me*


Water for Elephants was an “In” book a few years ago. I never got around to reading it or watching the movie. Someone gave me a copy, and it has been sitting on my shelf for years. But since I have been trying to work through my backlog reading list, I finally got around to this one.

Unfortunately.

This book was boring, tedious, and extremely melodramatic! Seriously, the angst and melodrama were suffocating. I hated all of the characters and was immune to the pathetic attempts to tug my heartstrings. Not with such wretched, tiresome characters. No, indeed.

The story was told in present tense. (I’ll spare you the usual lecture about why I hate novels written in present tense.) But to make matters worse, the narrative was split into a non-chronological mess. There was the “present” where Jacob Jankowski is a bitter old man rambling on in first person. Then there were the “past” sections, presumably the story that Jacob was telling, but put into third person for a random reason. Young Jacob was an incompetent, bumbling mess and idealistic in all the worst ways. Old Jacob was just a hostile whiner. Neither was even remotely compelling. And I never understand why people sob over doomed love stories. This was like a Nicholas Sparks’ story randomly set in a circus. Water for Elephants was also gratuitously crude and vulgar. And the non-chronological plot took away all possible suspense.

It is a fairly short book, but the hours felt like year while I was reading it. Like years spent shoveling animal poop whilst studying calculus and trying to give yourself a root canal. Really, I can’t be bothered to write a more detailed review. I wasted too much time on this book already. I’m sure you can find another review to elucidate all the ways this novel fell short. But I am done.

This one is going straight into the donation pile.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 2 Stars
Writing Style: 1 Star
Characters and Character Development: 1 Star
Plot Structure and Development: 1 Star
Level of Captivation: 1 Star
Originality: 2 Stars

Caitlin Hooker

I wasn't sure I liked it until about 2/3 into the book, but I really enjoyed it!

Arturo Hernández

This is the story of a man that falls in love in a circus. It talks about romance, wild animals and justice. It’s a light read. Just wish the story was more profound.

Water for elephants

*contains mild spoilers*

I had very high expectations for this, even if I haven't seen the movie, it looked and sounded really good. I was fairly disappointed in the end. 
About halfway through the book, I wasn't very into it yet, but I wanted to give it a chance. By the end, I still wasn't in there with Jacob and the others. I didnt get the whole circus vibe at all. Plus I had quite a few problems:

Right at the start, with his parents dying, I felt no sympathy for him. Maybe because he refused to deal with their death and he kept distancing himself from actually feeling something. Also, in the time he spent as young vet in the circus, I felt like the story was drab, or dull eve. He makes the circus sound like a grimy, hard place to be in, perfectly shattering my illusion of it as a place full of wonder and magic. His experiences were dragging, and I did not feel the thrill and suspense Gruen was probably aiming for. 

His romantic exploits with Marlena was bland. She was bland, he let infatuation rule over him and his choices. I swear they didnt even fall inlove. I think he was more inlove with Rosie, the elephant. I know I was. I swear his scenes with the animals were more romantic than Marlena. When he was talking about the giraffe, the cats, Bobo the chimp and Rosie, there was an air of tenderness and sweetness he gave off. I really liked that. I also absolutely hated the fact that his sacrifices for Marlena and their "love" resulted in the circus' bankruptcy, his (rather amazing( friends dying for him, and Uncle Al dying.

What I admired was the unique and colorful description of August. His character made things very interesting. He painted the story, which was a dull shade of grey to begin with. His paranoid and violent tendencies were very realistic, and his madness was richly detailed. It was further enhanced by the fact that he was very charming and handsome when he wanted to be. Good job here, Sara Gruen.
I also appreciated the setting. The circus on the brink of the great depression, the scarcity of money and the tinge desperation among the laborers were clearly portrayed here. 

All in all, an okay read, but slightly disappointing.

An interesting mix of cirque and forbidden romance. Gruen draws her characters in a very unique way, creating deliciously complex men and women.

Tracie McMurray

I like the elder Jacob so much more than the younger narrator. It took a long time to get into the book. Won't be reading it again.

When Jacob Jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, grifters, and misfits the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth a second-rate travelling circus struggling to survive during the Great Depression, making one-night stands in town after endless town. Jacob, a veterinary student who almost earned his degree, 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. Water for Elephants is illuminated by a wonderful sense of time and place. It tells a story of a love between two people that overcomes incredible odds in a world in which even love is a luxury that few can afford. Water for Elephants was a major movie starring Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon.

Katie Galvin

This is one of my sister's favourite books and now I completely understand why. Its a beautiful story set in a fascinating era. The author's descriptive writing makes the realities of a travelling circus come to life before your eyes, both it's magic and it's tragedy.

Paige

Great story, great time piece, great imagery. Loved this book, enjoyed the movie as well.

Jane DÓugh

Although I read this book all the way through, I did not enjoy it. Save your time and skip it.

Ellen Chisa

Kate R

I read this as March's Walk Cafe Book Club book. This was the first book I'd read in a while. I enjoyed the storyline and the character buildup. Went to see the film afterwards, and thought it was a good reflection of the book (which is rare in itself)

Megan Vaughn

Great book with very vibrant imagery! The author absolutely nailed the historical context of this book and I loved the present-day view of the old man looking back on his time in the circus. 

A little bit gut-wrenching at some points (both in the modern day and the memory) but I loved the ending.

Fallon Birbal 

simple and sweet a few flaws or maybe it was meant to be that way nonetheless nice story

Shannon Arputharaj

What. An. Adventure. Water for Elephants takes you on a ride as you learn: the importance of loyalty, the dark side of circuses, the power of whiskey, and the badass-ness of elephants. The beginning had me intrigued, the middle had me outraged, and the ending had me reeling.

Barbara Williford

I will say that the audible was excellently narrated and produced. I love the background music. Now for the story....I loved the plot and storyline. It was well written and gave a great description of circus life. Jacob, a thriving Vet student at Cornell has the world at his fingertips. Or so he thought. He is suddenly thrown in the midst of a tragedy and if that’s not bad enough, he finds himself homeless and destitute. While trying to cope with the sudden loss of his world, he finds himself on board a train. We he wakes from his depression, he finds he has accidentally joined the circus as their veterinarian. When he falls in love with the 2 main stars, his world takes a dark turn. Great book! I loved the back in forth from Jacob of the past and present day Jacob reliving his youth.

Trigger warning: Sexual content, strong language, animal abuse and domestic abuse which is the only reason I gave 4 stars.

Water for Elephants A Novel