Water for Elephants
Ratings435
Average rating3.9
Got about halfway through before I realized that I wasn't going to start liking the character. A very plot-driven book. The setting started out interesting but turned a little cliche.
The book is delightful. There are touching moments. I like it and recommend it to readers
No exaggeration, I think I cried about 10 seperate times reading this book, it's something about old people that really gets the waterworks going, especially lonely, forgotten, old people.
I really truly loved this book so much, everything about it was so utterly amazing. Gruen wrote so beautifully and I cared about all the characters so much, they all had such personalities and really came to life. The pacing was good and I unusually enjoyed the flashbacks between Jacob's circus days and him being in the nursing home. I was apprehensive about the ending, I was expecting to be heartbroken but I'm so glad that it was tied up into a happy ending for Jacob.
i saw the movie a decade ago and a couple times since and i never knew it was based off a book.. so anyways i already know what happens and how it ends but this book had me on the edge of my seat the whole time and i nearly DNFed because it stressed me out so much (from the TW- animal abuse) but i prevailed and here i am just a little bit more traumtized but ok with it
I'm not gonna actually review this because it's overdone but I will say this has so much animal abuse in it. If you cannot handle that, do not read it.
I did very much enjoy this story even if all the animal abuse made me cringe and want to put down the book in the middle. However this is a circus book so I can't really hold that against it, it was a pretty realistic depiction in places.
I liked the main character Jacob and I enjoyed how the narrative switched between his present life in a nursing home and his flashbacks to his time spent at the Benzini Brothers Circus. Honestly, I don't think I would have enjoyed this book nearly as much if it was just a straightforward tale of his time in the circus.
As others have commented Marlena is a bit flat of a character and I wish she had a little more going on, but then again since the story really wasn't about her I'm not sure what could have been added to make her more interesting.
2.5 *
Mediocre...characters are underdeveloped, especially Marlena. It's predictable and in the end I really didn't care about anyone.
The look at the inner workings of a circus in 1931, all the shine that the public sees removed, is interesting, though.
I really struggled to see how this was a bestseller. I read up to Chapter 10, but I could not go any further.
The story idea is interesting, I think that's the one thing Gruen had going with this book. Everything else, I did not enjoy: characters were flat, interchangeable, and unlikeable; there was too much dialogue; going back and forth with the setting did not help move the story forward.
What I did read, however, was theatrical. There was a lot going on, I could definitely see it working as a movie, or at the very least, a script. But it did get predictable, and that came down to the writing and storytelling.
Would not recommend.
I could not put this down.
Told from two perspectives, by the same character at different ages, this tale was better than I could have hoped. Circus life is mysterious, and while this book certainly cast light on the topic, the reader is left with an undiminished awe. The story was wonderfully crafted and immersive, but the mechanics of the writing won the day.
As mentioned, we are given two perspectives. The first, Jacob at 93 years old. He remembers his days on a traveling circus during the great depression. The second, Jacob at 23, recounting his intimate interactions with circus workers, performers, and bosses. The basis for all glory that this story is consists of the entire narative being done in first person. That alone, done with as much skill, is worthy of a reader's admiration. It was so immersive, there were times I actually felt I was living in Jacob's world.
Finally, the characters were incredibly dynamic. Their psychology was flawless. Their role in the story was precisely achieved. I could not put this book down.
A lovely story. Jacob is old and in a nursing home and his reminiscing about his days working for a circus. We go throught the behind the scenes of what happens to the animals, the workers and also the beginning of a love story for Jacob.
For me, it was a hard to put down book, well written, Jacob was a great character that by the end of the book, you want a happy ending. It's a romance, love triangle and a good vs bad novel. Worth a read and eventually a re-read.
I was on a movie based on the book kick the other day when I was filling my netflix que and this was one that I was able to watch the other day. I was surprised, all I knew going in was that it was a book. I had not looked at the actors in it nor anything about the book. I was pleasantly surprised because I like those actors and experiencing such a story on hard times and the life in a carnival was very neat. Watching the film I'm not sure if I would like the book or not, because I think it might have lost my interest. However, it was very interesting and challenging in parts to watch. I would watch it again.
I was completely enchanted by this story. I'm glad I didn't see the movie, but read the book first. I found it interesting that the author had done so much research, as the subject and time and place in her story are areas she wasn't familiar with. She showed a world that has largely disappeared and a noble character that isn't often seen in fiction today. This is a book that is hard to put down.
Loved this book! What's better than a great story? A great story with a fabulous ending!
I started this book this morning...and I finished it by dinner time.
I was captured within the first lines, driven to find out what would happen to the main characters (and I must admit that Rosie was among my favorites). A solid story, lovely bursts of prose, the pain of star-crossed love, the lump in the throat for the aged man...
...and delight at the conclusion.
Now, tell me if you've heard this one...
Present day: Old person looks back on younger self.
Past: Jack is having a tough time. He doesn't belong on the ship—er, train, whatever—but he ends up there. He's from a lower class. He meets Rose, she's from a higher class and she's involved with a crazy man, an elitist. From the beginning we know four things: 1) Jack and Rose's paths will cross, 2) they'll fall in love, 3) Mr. Rose will not be happy, and 4) the ship is going to sink. Blah blah blah dancing, blah blah blah necklace, blah blah blah “steamy” sex.
It worked the first time, it makes sense it would work a second.
Water for Elephants is not Titanic for several reasons, but it certainly seems likely it was drawn from the same source. Moving the story to a circus train leaves room for endearing characters and puts on display a nearly forgotten ritual. It's a good story, but it's not much more than a good story. What I mean is that Water for Elephants is extremely plot-centric. There's action, like when Jack and Rose are running around on the ship—err, train. It's a good story. Everything else is basic at best. The language is no more than is necessary to carry the story. The characters' sole purpose is to move the story along.
I've been meaning to read this novel since it first came out. The reason I didn't read it sooner: It became too popular and I knew it couldn't live up to the hype. It couldn't, but it was good. It doesn't have a whole lot to offer, but it is a fun ride. Right up until the moment that Rose promises she'll never let Jack go. Never. Until she does.
Excellent book! Great character development. Very touching and inspiring story. Can't wait to see the movie!
Vivid settings and a fine love story in this one, but the characters seemed developed in a hurry.
This book Is a new favorite of mine. I've read one of the authors books prior to this one and I'm surprised at the difference in her writing. This book is very rough and keeps you wanting more and more.
I'm not too sure why everyone I've talked to loved this book so much. I liked it, it entertained me, but I wouldn't say I loved it and can't wait for the movie to come out.
The simple twist of the story was excellent and quite surprising and I was upset and saddened at the appropriate times, but to me it was just your average against all odds love story set to a circus life backdrop. I felt like Jacob was slightly annoying as a 23 year old, but charming and endearing as a 93 year old. Marlena was quite one dimensional. Maybe because the story is told from only Jacob's perspective we don't really get the full effect of all the surrounding characters, but I would have liked to have known more about Marlena, August, Walter & Camel.
But I guess that's the mystery of the whole thing, isn't it? Knowing the story only as well as your narrator knows it.
Although I enjoyed this book it wasn't what I was expecting! I had high hopes for this book and unfortunately it didn't live up to my expectations. Saying that it was a quick read, and I was happy to pick it up each day but I was always waiting for something to happen!!
I decided to read this book as part of a book group on the recommendation of my wife. She read it at trip-hammer speed some time ago and I had wanted to pick it up since then, but it wasn't until the book club that I finally did. I wish I would have sooner!
Gruen's tale of depression-era circus life is an interesting microcosm of general depression-era life. We see examples of the closeness of the “family” with which one is surrounded (even if it is not “blood” family), the resilience of the people when faced with adversity, the ingenuity and unapologetic re-use of everything - even people and animals in ways most of us would not want to think - and so on. Perhaps most enjoyable arethe way Gruen weaves the theme of friendship across classes and genders and how she captures the relationship that many of us have with pets (even though these pets are circus animals) without being overly sentimental.
One of my pet peeves in contemporary literature is this overly sentimental stance. Gruen avoids it with deftness. Her story is touching without trying to hard, which makes it more believable. Her story is, at times, difficult without wallowing in itself. Her characters live through great sadness yet are not defined by it. In short, Gruen writes this book the way we live our lives...when something bad happens, we buck up and get through it. When something good happens, we revel in it and then move on.
The ordinary becomes extraordinary as you read this book. You'll find yourself a part of the story.