Sara Gruen
***** stars
All Jacob Jankowski wanted was to graduate from Cornell and become a veternarian like his father. However, all that changes when he loses both of his parents to a car accident, and he is left with no money. It is 1931 in America and it's also the time of the depression which means that there are no jobs available especially for Jacob's line of profession. Now Jacob is broke and homeless and wandering around when he stumbles onto a train track in the middle night and he sees a train coming and hops on to it not knowing that this would change his life forever. By morning Jacob realizes he has hopped not only on a circus train, but the Benzini Brother's circus owned by a disturbed man name August and winds up becoming their personal vet. And just by working with the animals, Jacob meets Marlena who is the star of the show and who's unfortunately August's wife. When Jacob starts settling down with his new life the circus gets a surprise from August which he says will really help the show out. He buys them a fifty year old elephant named Rosie, and to top it all off he wants Marlena to ride her. But there is just one problem, Rosie does not understand English so everybody immediately assumes that she is dumb, but Jacob being Polish realizes that she can only understand Polish, and from there it brings him closer to Marlena causing him to fall in love with her. Now Jacob, Marlena, and Rosie the elephant start a relationship between them that will cause love and betrayal among and they will just have to ride it out and see what happens at the end of the track.
I thought Water for Elephants was a great story and I loved the relationship that grew between Jacob, Marlena, and Rosie. You could see that they all loved each other in there own ways and it made them stronger. It also Jacob and Marlena realize what they want out of life. I gave this book five stars because it was so original yet it touched my heart and kept me mesmerized throughout the whole novel. Plus I cannot wait to see the movie that came out Friday, April 22, but I would suggest you read the book first because lets face it, the books are always better.
16 comments:
I do want to see this movie too but will likely wait for DVD. This was my review of the same book posted on amazon.com
4.0 out of 5 stars Sentimental and romantic old-time circus adventure story..., March 30, 2011
Ninety-three-year-old Jacob Jankowski, an unhappy resident of a nursing home, reminisces about his life with the traveling train circus -- Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth -- during the Great Depression. In and out of a small town, usually an overnight, the performers and working men put on a show that involves animals, freaks (the dwarf and the fat lady), the clowns, and all manner of circus act entertainment including a tent just for "gentlemen" and other delights.
Jacob's parents died just as he was about to write his final exams in veterinary school at Cornell University. Because of the hard economic times, his parents mortgaged everything to pay his tuition and thus he was left grief-stricken AND penniless. He ends up joining the Benzini Brothers by an accident of good timing and, because of his vet training, he ends up hired on to care for the horses and other animals. Along the way, the circus owner purchases an elephant named Rosie; she becomes a special part of this story.
Author Sara Gruen weaves a tale of hooking the rubes into coming to the show, second-rate performances that managed to wow the audiences, boozy nights, in-fighting among those with the train, backbreaking work, and other fascinating details of the traveling circus. Jacob quickly assimilates into the hard life and makes the mistake of falling in love with Marlena, one of the performers who has a sadistic husband. Not only cruel to his wife, August also beats and mistreats the animals. What will become of Jacob and the rest of the members of this group of misfits, outcasts, and showmen?
Readers will savor the story and applaud the somewhat maudlin ending. I read it quickly and found it very sweet and entertaining; recommended for teens and adults. Enjoy!
Caveat: there are descriptions of mistreatment and abuse of animals in this book. If that is unpalatable to you, you should skip this book.
I loved this book so much! One of my favorites! Didn't care for the movie as much, it could have been done better.
I wanna see the movie, so i might read the book first. Always wondered what it would be like hopping on a train and seeing where it takes you
I've been told I must read this, and I want to see the movie...so we'll see.
Kinda sounds alright.. I'll probably just go see the movie though.
I LOVED the movie so I am defininetly going to be checking out this book
I'm going to have to read this if I ever see the movie.
I thought the movie put the ending really well. It didn't just end like most book movies do.
People have told me the movie was really good..so maybe I'll read this in the future. x)
I have yet to read this but I have been told it is very good.
I didn't read the book, but I liked the movie.
I have watched the movie. It was good
I watched the movie. I liked it.
It looks great. I can't wait to read the book.
Abby Monteil
This book sounds incredibly interesting. Many people have told me the movie is good, so I bet the book is even better! I have been wanting to read it for a while, but I haven't been able to find the time. I'm definitely going to make sure it's the next book I read!
Emily Davis
Someone in my APUSH class read this for one of his quarter book reviews and when I asked, he told me it was a pretty good book. I haven't read it, nor seen the movie. The trailer is what sparked my interest, and when I saw the guy pick the book, I've been meaning to find time to read it eventually. I'm not a big romance fan, but the storyline aside from that, such as hopping a random train to take you to wherever and adjusting to that place, sounds like it made for a nice book. Hope I can read this soon!
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