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Book: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Genre: Fiction
Length: 331 pp.
Progress (pages): 3,161/15,000 (21%)
Grade: A
Amazon Summary: Life is good for Jacob Jankowski. He's about to graduate from veterinary school and about to bed the girl of his dreams. Then his parents are killed in a car crash, leaving him in the middle of the Great Depression with no home, no family, and no career. Almost by accident, Jacob joins the circus. There he falls in love with the beautiful performer Marlena, who is married to the circus' psychotic animal trainer. He also meets the other love of his life, Rosie the elephant. This lushly romantic novel travels back in forth in time between Jacob's present day in a nursing home and his adventures in the surprisingly harsh world of 1930s circuses. The ending of both stories is a little too cheerful to be believed, but just like a circus, the magic of the story and the writing convince you to suspend your disbelief. The book is partially based on real circus stories and illustrated with historical circus photographs.
My Thoughts: I have been in a reading slump for the past twenty days (I've only finished one book in that time, believe it or not), but not because I was reading a terrible book. In fact, I was reading two books, but it just seems like I haven't been in the mood for reading lately.
Now, I think I am.
Having heard so many glowing things about this book, I had high hopes. I don't remember hearing anything even remotely bad about this book, so I came into it expecting to love it... and wasn't disappointed at all. I definitely did love it, and finished the lastt two hundred pages or so in two sittings.
This book was a powerful representation of circus life; it is obvious that Sara Gruen did her research on Depression-era America and circus life during that time, and it just makes the book all the more authentic to read the note in the back about the real-life events that inspired some of the antics in the story. It seemed real from start to finish.
Of course, it was more than just a "circus book." If it was, I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it as much as I did. I loved the romance in the book, the angsty bits, the... ahem, inappropriate bits, the funny bits, and the dark bits as well. I do have to admit my squick button was hit several times during the course of the story (I'm sure those who read the book can figure out which bits), but it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story.
My favorite aspect of the book was, by far, the growth of Marlena and Jacob's relationship throughout the book. August made me nervous, because I wasn't sure how they were ever going to be together, but I was glad they found a way. The progression of the relationship was believable as well, going neither too fast nor too slow. It struck a nice, even pace; it seemed right.
One of my favorite characters was Walter. At first, he strikes you as this mean, dirty guy, but throughout the story, he shows his depth, through his love for his dog, Queenie, and his devotion and loyalty to Jacob whenever he manages to get himself into a spat. He made me laugh, in some spots.
All in all, it was a great book. Sometimes, I felt the nursing home bits dragged on a little too much for my tastes, but that was only because I was eager to get back to Marlena and Jacob. The ending, as others have said, was absolutely perfect, and made me smile, particularly in regards to the actions of Marlena and Jacob toward the end. The ending just showed how suited Marlena and Jacob were to each other, and how suited Jacob was toward the circus.
I wouldn't go so far as to call it a favorite, but if you haven't read it already, do so.
Currently Reading:
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
And I am also in the mood to relax with some good ol' comfort reading:
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling
I very much want to get through the whole series back-to-back; I haven't actually done that before. And I claim to be Harry-obsessed...
Genre: Fiction
Length: 331 pp.
Progress (pages): 3,161/15,000 (21%)
Grade: A
Amazon Summary: Life is good for Jacob Jankowski. He's about to graduate from veterinary school and about to bed the girl of his dreams. Then his parents are killed in a car crash, leaving him in the middle of the Great Depression with no home, no family, and no career. Almost by accident, Jacob joins the circus. There he falls in love with the beautiful performer Marlena, who is married to the circus' psychotic animal trainer. He also meets the other love of his life, Rosie the elephant. This lushly romantic novel travels back in forth in time between Jacob's present day in a nursing home and his adventures in the surprisingly harsh world of 1930s circuses. The ending of both stories is a little too cheerful to be believed, but just like a circus, the magic of the story and the writing convince you to suspend your disbelief. The book is partially based on real circus stories and illustrated with historical circus photographs.
My Thoughts: I have been in a reading slump for the past twenty days (I've only finished one book in that time, believe it or not), but not because I was reading a terrible book. In fact, I was reading two books, but it just seems like I haven't been in the mood for reading lately.
Now, I think I am.
Having heard so many glowing things about this book, I had high hopes. I don't remember hearing anything even remotely bad about this book, so I came into it expecting to love it... and wasn't disappointed at all. I definitely did love it, and finished the lastt two hundred pages or so in two sittings.
This book was a powerful representation of circus life; it is obvious that Sara Gruen did her research on Depression-era America and circus life during that time, and it just makes the book all the more authentic to read the note in the back about the real-life events that inspired some of the antics in the story. It seemed real from start to finish.
Of course, it was more than just a "circus book." If it was, I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it as much as I did. I loved the romance in the book, the angsty bits, the... ahem, inappropriate bits, the funny bits, and the dark bits as well. I do have to admit my squick button was hit several times during the course of the story (I'm sure those who read the book can figure out which bits), but it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story.
My favorite aspect of the book was, by far, the growth of Marlena and Jacob's relationship throughout the book. August made me nervous, because I wasn't sure how they were ever going to be together, but I was glad they found a way. The progression of the relationship was believable as well, going neither too fast nor too slow. It struck a nice, even pace; it seemed right.
One of my favorite characters was Walter. At first, he strikes you as this mean, dirty guy, but throughout the story, he shows his depth, through his love for his dog, Queenie, and his devotion and loyalty to Jacob whenever he manages to get himself into a spat. He made me laugh, in some spots.
All in all, it was a great book. Sometimes, I felt the nursing home bits dragged on a little too much for my tastes, but that was only because I was eager to get back to Marlena and Jacob. The ending, as others have said, was absolutely perfect, and made me smile, particularly in regards to the actions of Marlena and Jacob toward the end. The ending just showed how suited Marlena and Jacob were to each other, and how suited Jacob was toward the circus.
I wouldn't go so far as to call it a favorite, but if you haven't read it already, do so.
Currently Reading:
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
And I am also in the mood to relax with some good ol' comfort reading:
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling
I very much want to get through the whole series back-to-back; I haven't actually done that before. And I claim to be Harry-obsessed...
