Water for Elephants: A Novel

This book does provide a fairly riveting story set within post depression America and also provides good insights into the circus business during this era. The book balances the dynamics of maintaining a circus in tough economic times against a host of vivid and disparate personalities that can both support and challenge the stability of the circus. For example there is Big Al who runs the circus with a nearly ruthless practicality, "redlighting" individuals who violate his rules. There is August, second in command, alternately tough and gracious, supportive and cruel. There is Jacob, the hero, who stumbles into the world after fleeing Cornell Vet School and who subsequently falls in love with August's wife. The book alternates between the young Jacob in the circus and the elderly Jacob in a nursing home. Some of the dialogue the characters use during the depression era sounds like it came from the 21st century but other than that there is a gritty, often grotesque and unblinking realism in everything from death to romance.

A must read, but due to some R rated text do not share with anyone under the age of 18

I bought this book out of curiousity and the big hoopla over what a "sleeper hit" this story had become,I love animals,so I gave it a try.

One of the other Amazon customer reviewers said that the main character was talking to a reporter. No, he's not talking to anyone, just us, but I was bothered HOW he was communicating to us.

Since everyone else has synopsized the plot ad nauseum. I'll just report the weaknesses in this book.

First of all, very little elephant!!! Not Water For Elephant(s), but Water for ELEPHANT, ONE elephant. And very little elephant. Whatever research she did on these animals was tiny, miniscule. I could have gotten more into the mind of pachyderms by watching a Nat.Geo or Animal Planet special.

As for his being a veterninarian. I too own horses, been around them and vets for nearly 5 decades. What little circus animal veterinary work Ms. Gruen describes in the book she probably got watching a cable TV station animal special.

I also concur with the veterinarian reviewer on the slaughter of the horses. If a horse is forced to watch the other beside it die violently, most likely when it smells all that blood, you can bet the ranch it would break its' halter or rope and be nine miles gone.

I also found it very distracting the numerous referrals to minute body languages while the characters talked. Also, even though the story started pretty promising, once Jacob got established as an employee in the circus, it bottomed out into nothing but petty bickerings and jealousies among all the circus employees. Yawn....

It was fast reading, but I started hoping the thing would end soon. And, yeah, the animal stampede at the end I wasn't buying. I think Ms. Gruen could have just watched Nat. Geo or Animal Planet replays of elephants gone bonkers on video in circuses and let Rosie the elephant just get even by squishing those who had abused her.

Reading the back cover of the book did not entice me to read this. A friend told me I had to read it, however. It is excellent. I wasn't sure about it at first but ended up loving it.

This book was recommended to me a 1000 times just by everybody (including Amazon). The thing is I thought it was going to be really depressing: a circus (they really depress me), great depression era.... and when I started reading it.... an old man in a home. Well, I finally thought, ok I HAVE to read it, at least to see why everybody is so in love with it, and now I am one of those people recommending it to everyone!

Sara Gruen obviously has the gift of being a true story-teller, she just makes you read page after page completely forgetting your surroundings. The story is original, it has a drama and a force that absorbs you into it.

If you want to have a great time reading or are looking for a special gift for someone: BUY THIS BOOK!