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When Jacob Jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, drifters, and misfits, a second-rate circus struggling to survive during the Great Depression, making one-night stands in town after endless town. A veterinary student who almost earned his degree, Jacob is put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It is there that he meets Marlena, the beautiful young star of the equestrian act, who is married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. He also meets Rosie, an elephant who seems untrainable until he discovers a way to reach her. Beautifully written, Water for Elephants is illuminated by a wonderful sense of time and place. It tells a story of a love between two people that overcomes incredible odds in a world in which even love is a luxury that few can afford.
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Loved it!
It was full of jargon that was interesting if a little hard to follow, but the storyline was a classic on a new and exciting stage, and I enjoyed it! (even the unrealistic ending!)
Made me want to join a circus!
0could not stop listening to this one. jacob jankowski ends up as a vet traveling with the circus and throughout the book we learn how it happened through stories of jacob as a 23 year old and as a 90 (or is it 93) year old.
the story was not only interesting for being able to get a peak into the circus life at that time, but there was just something so real and vulnerable about the way that he talked while being old.
listening to this as an audiobook really changed the experience as well - i can imagine that reading this would have been less animated and i can imagine it might have dragged more. (there were a handful of scenes that were pretty crude as well)
0This is not only a very enjoyable read, it is a worthy one as well. I will leave the plot summary to other reviewers, but its in form a memoir novel, similar in structure to Little Big Man -- elderly man looking back on his early adventures. In this case, the elderly narrator was for a time a member of a 30's traveling train circus, with all the attendant colorful characters and circus lore included. There are twists and turns, colorful and sympathetic characters, colorful villains you love to hate, atmosphere, romance, and lots of action. As I finished reading it and thought back over the story, I realized this is a movie -- I fully expect to see it optioned sometime in the next year or so. However, this is not a criticism of the book. That it is cinematic, easily filmed, is a compliment to its strong visual storytelling and its tightly honed plot. However, although it would make an outstanding beach book, its much more worthy and weighty than that, if you want to think about the allusions and parallels to other stories, but it completely works as a rip roaring good read. I recommend it highly.
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