Christina's Reviews > Water for Elephants

4 stars!

It's the 1930's, in the midst of the great depression and prohibition. At 23, Jacob Jankowski is just days away from taking his final exams at Cornell and becoming a veterinarian. He plans to join his fathers practice. Then he gets the devastating news that both his parents were killed in an automobile accident. They were behind on their mortgage and both their house and his fathers practice belong to the bank. There's nothing left for Jacob, no home to go to anymore. In a daze, he walks out on his exams and just keeps walking, coming across rail road tracks. Once he comes to his senses, realizing he needs to get back to civilization, he jumps a rail road car.
It ends up being a train for the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. One of the men on board, named Camel, takes a liking to him and takes him under his wing. And this is how Jacob finds himself working in the circus, as their veterinarian. His direct boss is August, who can go from utterly charming to seethingly angry and violent in minutes. His wife, Marlena, is a performer with the show. It is with her that Jacob finds himself becoming increasingly attracted to.

Present day finds Jacob as a 93 year old ( or is it 90? ) crotchety man in an assisted living facility, mentally strong but physically, he's having a tough time after a fall. He's dealing with his own failing body and pondering on life, worrying that his mind is starting to deteriorate as well. It's through this older Jacob's thoughts and recollections that we find out his story and how his life came to the point it is now.

Honestly, while younger Jacob had the more interesting setting, I really loved the older version of Jacob. Some of his thoughts were hilarious.

"Sometimes I think that if I had to choose between an ear of corn or making love to a woman, I'd choose the corn. Not that I wouldn't love to have a final roll in the hay -- I am a man yet, and some things never die -- but the thought of those sweet kernels bursting between my teeth sure sets my mouth to watering. It's fantasy, I know that. Neither will happen. I just like to weigh the options, as though I were standing in front of Solomon: A final roll in the hay or an ear of corn. What a wonderful dillemma. Sometimes I substitute an apple for the corn."

That is a thought by Jacob as he ponders the fact that once in assisted living, the real food disapears.

The real star of this book, in my opinion, is Rosie. A bull elephant who is purchased by the big boss, Uncle Al. Rosie has some of the best personality in the book, I think. A lot of animals are a big part of this story, from horses to lions, tigers to polar bears, hyenas to giraffes and a whole lot more. While there was some animal abuse that was a bit hard to read about, to me it sadly seemed realistic to the setting and time that the story takes place in.

I really enjoyed this. It was an interesting time in history to read about, one that I don't often hear much about. It was made even more interesting by the circus life. This is my 2nd novel by Sara Gruen and so far I haven't been disappointed. Not sure if I'll end up watching the movie honestly...I feel like alot of the time, the movie version doesn't live up to the vision of the book I have in my head, if that makes sense? And I'm perfectly pleased by this book, so the movie isn't necessarily a top priority. Im just sorry that I let this book sit on my bookshelf for so long before picking it up.