Kat Kennedy's Reviews > Water for Elephants
Water for Elephants
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by
![3270188](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1537750381p2/3270188.jpg)
I can count the number of times I've been to the circus on one hand. Actually, realistically, on one finger.
We were taken once by my grandparents when I was about five. First, last and only time. My parents hate the idea of the circus and scorned it with all the pretentious uninterest that would likely scar their children for life, causing them to grow up embittered, solitary and convicted to write scathing, snarky reviews on GoodReads as a form or self expression in order to share their own misery around and dump their unresolved feelings of angst on others lest it drown them.
So naturally I dove into this book with great excitement. Some dude carrying water for elephants? Sweet!
Well, I can only say that I received the education of a lifetime that led me to believe that in many ways, my parents were right to keep me away from the circus. I don't deceive myself with the thought that modern day circuses are anything like the depression era one featured in this book but I was glad to see that Gruen didn't glorify the trade.
I don't want to ruin the book for you but apparently people didn't just carry water for elephants. In fact, not a single person in this book carries water to an elephant. What? Misleading!
Okay, you don't carry water for elephants. They simply drink too much, apparently. Way to go, Gruen, for disenchanting me from a favored yet forbidden childhood dream of mine.
Isn't the circus supposed to be magical and wonderful and full of smiling faces and happy animals in funny outfits and clowns (actually, no, clowns freak me the hell out! I once attacked a clown when I was 10 years old and at a kid's birthday party and ended up needing stitches in my left foot. I wish I were kidding. Or lying, but I'm not.)
Well, embark on Gruen's, dark, textile and encapturing tale of one's mans journey into the circus to discover the life behind the big-top.
Jacob runs away to the circus, meeting the workers who keep the show running behind the scenes, the Equestrian and Managerie director and finally the Circus owner and Ring Leader, Uncle Al - all to discover that the circus isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Water for Elephants is full of characters both good, bad and in between. It's set in the Depression era and this detail adds a great deal of flavour to the underlying story. Jacob, a Cornell trained vet, goes to work in the Menagerei for the circus to care for the animals. The story gets packed tighter than a tiny car holding twenty-five clowns, all with a crazy foot itch, when Jacob falls in love with the wife of his volitile and crazy boss, August.
This story is at times melancholy, depressing, frustrating and down-right sad. In fact, there were many moments when I wanted to put the book down, pick up some bolt cutters and track down the nearest animal-carrying circus. Not for anything illegal like releasing the animals and releasing them to go and be free or anything. Just so we're all clear on that. If a circus loses it's animals somewhere near where you live, it wasn't me. Honest.
The romance aspect of this book was well done but wasn't actually the main focus. In fact, it was far overshadowed by Gruen's awesome portrayal of a cranky old man who didn't know whether he's ninety-one or ninety-three.
So over all it was a powerful, fun, gripping read that I would highly advise you go read so that when the movie comes out and people ask, you can sneak in with the line, "Well, in the book..." and make yourself look extra smart and well-read. C'mon, we all do it. Go knock yourself out.
We were taken once by my grandparents when I was about five. First, last and only time. My parents hate the idea of the circus and scorned it with all the pretentious uninterest that would likely scar their children for life, causing them to grow up embittered, solitary and convicted to write scathing, snarky reviews on GoodReads as a form or self expression in order to share their own misery around and dump their unresolved feelings of angst on others lest it drown them.
So naturally I dove into this book with great excitement. Some dude carrying water for elephants? Sweet!
Well, I can only say that I received the education of a lifetime that led me to believe that in many ways, my parents were right to keep me away from the circus. I don't deceive myself with the thought that modern day circuses are anything like the depression era one featured in this book but I was glad to see that Gruen didn't glorify the trade.
I don't want to ruin the book for you but apparently people didn't just carry water for elephants. In fact, not a single person in this book carries water to an elephant. What? Misleading!
Okay, you don't carry water for elephants. They simply drink too much, apparently. Way to go, Gruen, for disenchanting me from a favored yet forbidden childhood dream of mine.
Isn't the circus supposed to be magical and wonderful and full of smiling faces and happy animals in funny outfits and clowns (actually, no, clowns freak me the hell out! I once attacked a clown when I was 10 years old and at a kid's birthday party and ended up needing stitches in my left foot. I wish I were kidding. Or lying, but I'm not.)
Well, embark on Gruen's, dark, textile and encapturing tale of one's mans journey into the circus to discover the life behind the big-top.
Jacob runs away to the circus, meeting the workers who keep the show running behind the scenes, the Equestrian and Managerie director and finally the Circus owner and Ring Leader, Uncle Al - all to discover that the circus isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Water for Elephants is full of characters both good, bad and in between. It's set in the Depression era and this detail adds a great deal of flavour to the underlying story. Jacob, a Cornell trained vet, goes to work in the Menagerei for the circus to care for the animals. The story gets packed tighter than a tiny car holding twenty-five clowns, all with a crazy foot itch, when Jacob falls in love with the wife of his volitile and crazy boss, August.
This story is at times melancholy, depressing, frustrating and down-right sad. In fact, there were many moments when I wanted to put the book down, pick up some bolt cutters and track down the nearest animal-carrying circus. Not for anything illegal like releasing the animals and releasing them to go and be free or anything. Just so we're all clear on that. If a circus loses it's animals somewhere near where you live, it wasn't me. Honest.
The romance aspect of this book was well done but wasn't actually the main focus. In fact, it was far overshadowed by Gruen's awesome portrayal of a cranky old man who didn't know whether he's ninety-one or ninety-three.
So over all it was a powerful, fun, gripping read that I would highly advise you go read so that when the movie comes out and people ask, you can sneak in with the line, "Well, in the book..." and make yourself look extra smart and well-read. C'mon, we all do it. Go knock yourself out.
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Reading Progress
September 1, 2010
– Shelved
October 6, 2010
–
Started Reading
October 10, 2010
– Shelved as:
contemporary-fiction
October 10, 2010
– Shelved as:
kat-s-book-reviews
October 10, 2010
–
Finished Reading
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![Penny](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1323234939p1/679025.jpg)
I just knew they were probably treating the animals wrong, or something. Like in Dumbo--btw, to this day I cannot hear the song "Pink Elephants" without it freaking me the crap out. That whole drunken elephant sequence is really messed up, you know that? Scarred me for life at the wee age of five. True story.
I'd been playing with the idea of picking this book up for a while, because it's the sort of book everyone reads, ya know? I don't want to be the only one who passes up on a story about elephants and circus freaks, or whatever. But about a month ago my husband asked if I would like to watch The Elephant Man with him. So I did. THAT movie put me off the idea of circus' (or is it circuses? Circus's? Now that can't be right. Circi? Whatever) for the rest of my life. I mean, talk about a major downer, amirite?
Where was I? Oh, yes, love the review. I thought there would be at least one instance in which the MC carries a bucket of water for the elephants. I'm too literal, I suppose. :S Oh well. Unfortunately, ever since the Elephant Man experience I doubt I'll ever pick this book up. Thanks for taking the time to read it so I don't have to.
![AH](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1275413869p1/3255548.jpg)
![Laura](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1270864763p1/2521695.jpg)
![Kat Kennedy](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1537750381p1/3270188.jpg)
This is what happened. The clown at the party was being extra annoying by using her horn to honk in everyone's ears. So nobody was very sorry when I blindsided her, snatched the horn and took off. She ran after me and caught me but not before I'd started dismantling the horn, dropping bits as I went. We wrestled for a bit and both of us came away victorious. She got the remainder of her horn back, and I walked away the honker part telling her I'd give it back when she learned to be responsible.
Any way, at some point the cylindrical part must have fallen on my foot and been BLOODY sharp. I didn't notice or feel it until maybe five minutes later when I looked down and realized I was bleeding. Everywhere.
I went and found the party mom and asked for a bandaid. She promptly passed out and someone got me an icepack instead (WHY?!) They called my dad and I really couldn't see the fuss. I was only gushing out blood! So three stitches later I was alright.
To this day I have a crescent shaped scar on my foot.
End of story.
![Laura](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1270864763p1/2521695.jpg)
![Kat Kennedy](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1537750381p1/3270188.jpg)
![Joyzi](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1410669310p1/1591538.jpg)
![MD](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1681085327p1/3711086.jpg)
![Katie(babs)](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1242522005p1/179852.jpg)
I don't think the movie will do that well, but I guess we'll see. Also the author wrote Water for National November Writing Month a few years ago. Good for her she got published :)
![scooby](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1473406282p1/6847951.jpg)