Water for Elephants

Water For Elephants is a beautiful love story. I love the way this book starts, a little old man sitting in a nursing home recovering from a hip fracture, looking back on the memories of his life, a hidden gem under the wrinkles. The writer spins a gripping tale, narrated through the eyes of our Jacob Jankowski. This book is a fantastic love story but is a seemingly accurate depiction of circus life during Great Depression. The Benzini Brothers who claim to be The Greatest Show on Earth was ran by ‘Uncle Al’, a greedy deceitful man who will stop at nothing to realize his big top dreams.

"I am ninety. Or ninety-three. One or the other." Says Jacob Jankowski. He remembers back to the age of twenty-three, his parents having died in a car accident, the shocked Jacob Jankowski who was a veterinary student at Cornell, ran away to join the circus.

Water for Elephants is told in the first person but from two different perspectives--Jacob Jankowski at 23 years of age and again, at 93 years old. Gruen seamlessly weaves the chapters between past and present. Jacob at 23 is finishing up his last semester at Cornell Veterinary School when a family tragedy causes him to flee. He finds himself on a train for the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth in 1931. Needing a vet, the circus hires young Jacob to tend to their menagerie.  It was there that he met Marlena, the beautiful equestrian star married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. Jacob at 93 resides in a nursing home where he laments the curses of old age, the passing of his wife, and the waning affection of his family. The arrival of a visiting circus triggers a flashback to his youthful circus experiences.

As you walk through the pages of this book you feel as if you are there working for the Benzini Brothers yourself, you can almost smell and taste the circus. Author Sara Gruen weaves a delightful tale of suspense and intrigue. Her characters come to life and take you away to join the circus. This is a book that you will not be able to put down.

Author Sara Gruen is originally a Canadian who is now an American citizen, She moved to the States in 1999 for a technical writing job. Two years later she got laid off. Instead of looking for another job, she decided to take a gamble on writing fiction. She is the author of the bestseller Riding Lessons and Flying Changes.  She lives with her husband, three children, two dogs, four cats, two horses, and a goat in North Carolina.

Thanks for stopping by, Now, go grab a cup of coffee or a tall glass of ice tea, crawl out on the front porch swing with a good book and enjoy.