Water for Elephants
Ratings2
Average rating4.5
Orphaned and penniless at the height of the Depression, Jacob Jankowski escapes everything he knows by jumping on a passing train--and inadvertently runs away with the circus. So begins Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen's darkly beautiful tale about the characters who inhabit the less-than-greatest show on earth. Jacob finds a place tending the circus animals, including a seemingly untrainable elephant named Rosie. He also comes to know Marlena, the star of the equestrian act--and wife of August, a charismatic but cruel animal trainer. Caught between his love for Marlena and his need to belong in the crazy family of travelling performers, Jacob is freed only by a murderous secret that will bring the big top down. Water for Elephants is an enchanting page-turner, the kind of book that creates a world that engulfs you from the first page to the last. A national bestseller in Canada and a New York Times bestseller in the United States, this is a book destined to become a beloved fiction classic.
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This is not only a very enjoyable read, it is a worthy one as well. I will leave the plot summary to other reviewers, but its in form a memoir novel, similar in structure to Little Big Man – elderly man looking back on his early adventures. In this case, the elderly narrator was for a time a member of a 30's traveling train circus, with all the attendant colorful characters and circus lore included. There are twists and turns, colorful and sympathetic characters, colorful villains you love to hate, atmosphere, romance, and lots of action. As I finished reading it and thought back over the story, I realized this is a movie – I fully expect to see it optioned sometime in the next year or so. However, this is not a criticism of the book. That it is cinematic, easily filmed, is a compliment to its strong visual storytelling and its tightly honed plot. However, although it would make an outstanding beach book, its much more worthy and weighty than that, if you want to think about the allusions and parallels to other stories, but it completely works as a rip roaring good read. I recommend it highly.
I read this book in Taiwan on holiday in 2020, and there is no record of my review, so perhaps I never got around to catching up on this one...
I wrote a brief review in my travel diary, and have written it out as per that, not having a crystal clear recollection of the details!
Much better than I had expected from a holiday read, and I have not seen the film.
Told as the recollections of 90 (or 93?) year old Jacob Jankowski - his life with the train circus of the Benzini Brothers, as a young veterinarian.
This book presented as well researched with carnival facts incorporated into the story, then the authenticity explained in the authors note at the end.
The depression, prohibition, carnies, clowns - and themes of racism, antisemitism, violence against women, animal cruelty all feature. My main criticism is that Marlene seemed a bit underdeveloped as a character, which left her a bit flat.
3 stars, and under my review I wrote a list of circus/carnie books, so I guess I better add a shelf for them!
