Water for Elephants
Audiobook CD - 2006
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Age Suitability
Add Age Suitabilityrachelhoback thinks this title is suitable for between the ages of 13 and 56
Michelle M. Veilleux thinks this title is suitable for 13 years and over
Notices
Add NoticesViolence: fighting, blood, nothing too bad but may be frightening to young people
Quotes
Add a Quote"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."
Summary
Add a SummaryJacob Jankowski is just a normal, young adult that is studying at college to become a vet. However, everything changes when both his parents died. Homeless and without any money, Jacob takes his chances by jumping onto a passing train. There he is welcomed as a vet for the animals. As the days go on, he's become great friends with August, a circus boss, and his wife Marlena, a performer. Slowly Jacob begins to fall in love with Marlena and hate August for his cruelty to the animals and other men. Meanwhile, the circus buys an elephant named Rosie, who at first seemed stupid and worthless, was soon a main act of the show, thanks to Jacob. Then August accuses Jacob and Marlena of having an affair behind his back, which made him go into a madmen state, beating up Jacob and hitting his own wife. Suffering enough of the abuse, Marlena divorces him and Jacob was there immediately to support her. As Uncle Al (overall circus manager) realizes that August is becoming difficult to work with due to his hate for himself because of what he did to Marlena and Jacob, he forces Jacob to try to get Marlena and August back together. However, Jacob doesn’t follow the command, still having affairs with Marlena, but when his two close friends gets 'redlighted', he realizes that Uncle Al was going after him. Luckily enough, a terrible stampede happened on the next circus act, leaving many of the workers homeless, and August and Uncle Al dead. Jacob immediately marries Marlena and decide to join Ringling's circus, where they had their first child. As the story goes, another story unfolding as well - the one with Jacob as ninety or ninety three (it's a debate throughout the book) reflecting on what happened through his life in the circus and his life now, in a nursing home with others of his own age or younger. In the end, even though no one came to visit Jacob and take him to the circus near the senior’s home, Jacob was determined and arrived at the circus on his own. There, he meets the manager of the circus who listens to his story and offers him a job in the circus as a ticket holder, and never does Jacob go back to the nursing home.
Comment
Add a CommentI read this book to fulfil the goal read a book with a character in their 20's. It is also on Listopia's 300 books everyone should read once challenge. i enjoyed it. i would like to see the movie someday. it ended in a surprising way and was quite entertaining.
Not the typical kind of novel I’m drawn to, but I really enjoyed it.
Well written, heartwarming and unusual .
A gritty story about a drifter who finds himself part of a travelling circus, there he meets a beautiful woman whom is already spoken for and of course they fall in love! If you like adventurous stories about animals, glittering circus delights and historical settings you may enjoy Water for Elephants.
One-dimensional storytelling. Airport fare.
Re-read this on my Kindle. Still a vivid, great story with rich, vivid prose. The character development I adore as well as the story-telling, the animals and the love story. Just a wonderful read.
This book's relevance was enhanced for me because I remember hearing senior folks in my life talk about when the circus came to their small towns. Times were not good for people back then. It is right up there with my favorites. If you only saw the movie, suggest you read it.
This book gives an excellent view for people who have or haven't had to "manage" what life throws their way. I enjoyed it and am glad I didn't live (survive) in the depression era 1930's USA as a human or elephant.
How could you possibly resist a story of an orphan, a travelling circus, love, elephants, and gritty drama? It was a great read. Delightful and heart-warming, if you asked me for just two words to describe it. Set in 1932, the characters and the storytelling of their adventures is quite charming. (submitted by JB)
This story is beautifully written about an elderly man in his 90's living in a care home. It portrays how Jacob, the 92 yr old feels being all alone in this world after his parents died during the Depression years . His vivid imagination takes him to the days of being a circus vet and jumps on a moving train. He meets a group of rough looking guys who decide to let him stay on the train and finds out it is a circus train . Jacob ends up meeting the circus trainer and his wife and later falls in love with her.
I also loved the transition to his real life and how the care aids really looked after him despite his negative attitude. Brilliant!