Sara Gruen - Water for Elephants

Pros: Complexity of the story and characters
Author's research
Rosie
Cons: Cruelty to humans and elephants a little too realistic for some (including me)

Come on in ladies and gentlemen, step this way for a tale of two circuses and one man in two time periods How can that be, you ask? The circus is a world of magic and mysteries that appeals to young and old alike. This gripping tale of a second tier ...

Pros: Atmospheric, puts you in the center of the three rings, historic photos throughout the book
Cons: Drippy, sentimental, lazy use of stock characters

Does anyone still dream of running away with the circus? Is there a young boy somewhere fed up with the unreasonable demands of school, parents and adolescent society and longs to leave all that behind for the sawdust and sequins of the three-ring ...

Pros: Great read, we love the characters and the animals
Cons: Some may not like the circus setting

Sara Gruen has written quite a lovely story called Water For Elephants. Set in the Great Depression, this novel tells the plight of a young man’s life after his parents die in a horrific car accident. Jacob Jankowski has almost ...

Pros: Quick read; interesting characters; story goes in a straght line like a circus parade.
Cons: Well, it aint the deepest, life-changing story you will ever read...

...OK, OK. I am never going to be a jet fighter pilot, never play first base for the Yankees, never ride that motorcycle from the Bering Strait to Tierra del Fuego.But as an avid reader I can 'do' all that and more; travel to the stars, dive ...

Pros: Great characters, nice plot surprises, steadily moving plot, good detail about traveling circuses of old.
Cons: Can't think of any.

Prologue: Chaos in the tent - the menagerie is running amok. Big cats, horses, apes, bears, a myriad of exotic animals. Panic in the tent: patrons desperate to escape; performers desperate to gain control. Homicide in the tent: one man killed ...

Pros: Very well written, realistic characters, lots of historical info
Cons: The author spoils her own ending in the prologue!

Sara Gruen’s Water for Elephants is a romantic adventure about a destitute young man who finds himself catching a ride on a train full of circus performers at the height of the American Depression. The author based many of the events in this book ...

Pros: Great character development, beautiful story with humor and empathy
Cons: Not one

"Water For Elephants" is one of the best books that I've read in years. On its surface, it's the tale of a man named Jacob Jankowski who we meet when he is 90 or 93 (or, as he says, "One or the other") as he spends his last days in a nursing home. ...

Pros: Unique story, vivid characters, beautiful story
Cons: None (although very tragic at times)

I haven't had a chance to read much since my daughter was born last year, but I received some books for Christmas. I told people that I love books, so just pick some from the bestseller list. As soon as I unwrapped this book, there were oohs and ahhs ...

Pros: An absorbing compelling work of art. A tragedy, an adventure, an amazing story.
Cons: None

Jacob Jankowski is an elderly gentleman narrating his story from the nursing home he now lives in. This is the story of his life. The story starts out with the tragic death of his parents and the loss of his home. His life is turned upside down. He can ...

Pros: --
Cons: --

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 ...

Pros: Emotional, informative, well-written, complex personalities
Cons: Occasionally quite violent, some graphic sex

When we find our days dwindling to only memories, we all hope that what fills our thoughts encourages smiles and not regrets. Wheelchair days in nursing homes that are absent the joys associated with active lives can feel hopeless and hollow. From a ...

Pros: Glimpse into early 20th century circus life, as a backdrop to a delightful story.
Cons: None, really. Excellent work of historical fiction.

What kid doesn't dream of running away to join the circus someday Jacob Jankowski really didn't have that in mind, though, the night he left his ruined past behind him and hopped aboard a train passing through. But there he was, suddenly a part ...

Pros: The whole book, including the cover, is just perfect!
Cons: It ended too soon - I was ready for more & more!

Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants had me from the first page clear through the last page...I couldn't put the book down! It's got everything: adventure, romance, dedication, love, terrible fights, incredible relationships with people and animals, pathos, ...

Pros: Light and easy to get though, this book was a fast paced novel.
Cons: There is not a problem with this book.

The fictional novel by Sara Gruen is one novel that while fluffy is an enjoyable read. The background is the circus life and all the various characters surounding the small life evolving around the big top. Sara Gruen has done alot of research to ...

Pros: Well written, humanizing, layered story of 1930's circus train life.
Cons: Some dialogue and story parts seem far fetched but definitely well compensated.

Water for Elephants is a gritty, fictional account of a train circus in the 1930's as seen though the eyes of a young veterinarian and alternately through the eyes of the same veterinarian as an old man. Although fictional, it is well researched. ...