Water for Elephants

Saturday, January 23, 2010 | |

Water for Elephants
Sara Gruen

Paperback:
350 pages
Publisher:
Algonquin Books (April 9, 2007)
Summary from Goodreads:

"Though he may not speak of them, the memories still dwell inside Jacob Jankowski's ninety-something-year-old mind. Memories of himself as a young man, tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. Memories of a world filled with freaks and clowns, with wonder and pain and anger and passion; a world with its own narrow, irrational rules, its own way of life, and its own way of death. The world of the circus: to Jacob it was both salvation and a living hell." Jacob was there because his luck had run out - orphaned and penniless, he had no direction until he landed on this locomotive "ship of fools." It was the early part of the Great Depression, and everyone in this third-rate circus was lucky to have any job at all. Marlena, the star of the equestrian act, was there because she fell in love with the wrong man, a handsome circus boss with a wide mean streak. And Rosie the elephant was there because she was the great gray hope, the new act that was going to be the salvation of the circus; the only problem was, Rosie didn't have an act - in fact, she couldn't even follow instructions. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.
My thoughts: A really amazing book about a traveling circus that fed off the carrion of dead circuses all over the world. It's a good book and I have read it more than 5 times already and it's still good. Sara Gruen really is a good writer and if I can find any more of her books then I would read more but sadly, I cannot...
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SNAPS
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

Would I read it again? Yes
Would I read more from this author?
Maybe
Who should read this?
This book is more for adults than YA. Read it if you're interested in adventure and romance.

Next on the TBR pile:
Crossing the Line by Will Hobbs (I have to read a Western for class).

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