Water for Elephants: A Novel | Sara Gruen

Water for Elephants: A Novel | Sara Gruen | Loved it

books:

Water for Elephant...

	Water for Elephants: A Novel Sara Gruen Algonquin Books, 2007 - 350 pages average customer review:based on 1509 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Characters!

What a delightful book. I was hesitant at first to pick up, but so very glad I did. It had me in it's clutches on the first page, and I couldn't put it down until the last. What a wonderful cast of characters, both good and evil. I have recommended to many, and hopefully they will read as well. Thank you Sara, for such a good time!

Loved it

This book touched me - especially the pieces of the story when the man is in the nursing home. For anyone that has had a grandparent/parent in that type of environment - it is dead on. For such a rich life - to end up locked in a jail with no family - heartbreaking!

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Really Worth The Effort...

Ok, well after reading the other reviews published mere hours ago i just couldn't help but put in my two cents worth! Firstly i would like to recommend this book, because i really enjoyed it! It has been a little while since i have read it, but it is a favourite of mine (and i would like to add that it is now ranked 62 in the top 100 list of my local bookshop! so hah!) and i thought it was really funny! (in a good way, that is!)

I am totally confused by some of the recent reviews that talk about Jacobs morals, etc. blah blah blah. I think these people should go back and read the whole book again because i really found Jacob to be a likeable character and think he was one of the few in circus who DID have morals and a conscience!

Anyway, this book was moving, funny and incredibly interesting (i just found the whole circus idea really fascinating) and I'm not ashamed to admit that i loved this book! Obviously as it got a 4 1/2 star rating from over a thousand reviews i am not alone... i really recommend this book if you like a story that is well written, original and not the norm! Great Reading!

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Water for Elephants

This book is a good read and I really don't find any real connection to the Biblical story of Jacob and the story of Jacob in Water for Elephants. That seems to be a stretch.
However, I did find this book a good representation of circus life during the hard years of the 1930's and 40's. The explicit sex and the animal cruelty were and are upsetting but fit the development of characters in the book. Interestingly, as I read it I recalled several admonitions from my family in the 1940s---avoid the "carny" workers, don't let go of my hand because you can't trust the circus slicks---they will take your last penny and you won't get in to see the circus if you hang around the hawkers, etc." And I remember my brother being offered a free ticket to get into the circus if he would haul water for the animals. Needless to say, our parents didn't allow it. However, we all thrilled to the circus acts and loved the music and gaudy displays---so much so that when I had grandchildren I couldn't wait for them to be old enough to take in a circus experience. It wasn't in a tent, it was Madison Square Garden and it was still a thrilling experience.
The most significant part of this book for me was the dual storyline involving Jacob the young man and Jacob the 90+ yr. old now living in a nursing home. The fact that Jacob wants to run away again to the circus is certainly understandable when you realize how lonely he is and how he can't find anyone to connect with in the home. Instead of being w/o money to fulfill his life dream of being a vet and in practice w/his father, he is now emotionally starved for a meaningful relationship. That part of the story is what needs to be taken to heart by readers and in some way used effectively in our contacts with the elderly. We are all thirsty for the sustaining quality of the water of life---loving relationships. Thank you Sara Gruen.

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Not as good as expected

Probably one of those cases where my expectations are too high. The combination of good reviews and its long standing on the trade paperback best seller list led to my reading. That combination has led to Middlesex and Life of Pi. Both excellent reads.

Water for elephants is worth reading for the circus description but not much more. Characters cardboard figures and the depression setting was not really used at all. Question the Entertainment Novel of the Year,

reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, page 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15

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