mycouponz's Full Review: Sara Gruen - Water for Elephants
Jacob Jankowski is a twenty-something with animals and girls on the brain. A bright young fellow, he's almost finished studying to become a vet at Ithaca.
He's out to follow in his dad's footsteps, planning to join his veterinary practice, when all hell breaks loose. In the middle of one of his classes, he's told that both of his parents have been killed in a car crash. If that wasn't bad enough, he finds they left him nothing, and even had to mortgage the house to pay for his education.
With no house, possessions or money to his name in the heat of the Depression, Jankowski jumps aboard a moving train one night, without a clue as to its occupants or destination. The next morning, he discovers it houses the Benzini Brothers' Most Spectacular Show on Earth. It doesn't take long for him to find his place as the animal doctor for the circus.
This is no ordinary circus. The cast includes a tiger, a lion, a 400+ pound lady and other freaks of nature. Jacob finds himself rooming with a dwarf named Kinko in one of the horse carriages. Before long, he has his sights set on his superior's wife, who just happens to be the lady who performs with Rosie, the elephant, another of Jacob's interests. August, his boss, is at times the nicest guy on earth, but in the blink of an eye he brutally relieves his frustrations on the animals, especially Rosie. It's safe to say that Jankowski has his work cut out for him.
From the moment I picked this book up until I finished it today, it had me obsessed. The story shifts back and forth in time with each chapter. At once, Jacob's a 90-year old man living in a seniors' home, and a few pages later, he's back in the '30s, living out his 20-somethings. From a guy who can't remember the nurses' names, to one who gets from one length of the train to the other by jumping on the roofs of each car - at night no less!
Water for Elephants has no shortage of interesting characters. Jacob has unique relationships with everyone he comes into contact with - be it the elephant, his unusual roommate, or the circus' setup crew who got him in the door. With his decrepit situation at the seniors' home, he remembers with vigour most everything that happened to him on and off the train with the circus. He spares no detail recounting those crazy days.
Despite all the time shifting, I found the book very easy to follow along with. Gruen writes very well, and I'll certainly keep an eye out for her other work. She paints a sad picture of the times - one where the crew relies a great deal on alcohol to get them through the days, as that's the only happiness some of them can afford. Crew members go missing in the dead of the night, never to be heard from again. As other circus acts crumble by the day, the performers and other crew are never assured of their next paychecks, and at times have to go long stretches without food. Conditions are even worse for the animals. Gruen describes in no uncertain times what a soft spot Jacob has for the animals, and for his fellow passengers.
Fortunately, this book is fiction, although the author notes that she has done her research on the material covered. The copy I read is a hard cover, and is 335 pages in length.
I have nothing but good things to say about this book. Much as I didn't want it to end, I thought the way it concluded was fair, and didn't leave me hanging, or having to come to my own conclusions. I really liked the story and the way it developed. I think it helped that I also have a soft spot for animals. There is some bad language, drinking, blood and guts and violence, so I would not recommend this book to young adults. I highly recommend this book to all other readers and give it a solid four stars out of five.
Nonagenarian Jacob Jankowski reflects back on his wild and wondrous days with a circus. It's the Depression Era and Jacob, finding himself parentless ...More at HotBookSale
An atmospheric, gritty, and compelling novel of star-crossed lovers, set in the circus world circa 1932, by the bestselling author of Riding Lessons. ...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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