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    Water for Elephants
    Water for Elephants
    Water for Elephants
    Audiobook11 hours

    Water for Elephants

    Written by Sara Gruen

    Narrated by David LeDoux, John Randolph Jones and Multiple Narrators

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Jacob Jankowski reflects back on his wild and wondrous days with a circus. In the Depression Era, Jacob, finding himself parentless and penniless, joins the Benzini Brothers ‘Most Spectacular Show on Earth'. There he meets the freaks, grifters, and misfits that populate this world: Marlena, beautiful star of the equestrian act; August, her charismatic but twisted husband (and the circus's animal trainer); and Rosie, the seemingly untrainable elephant Jacob cares for.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherW. F. Howes Ltd
    Release dateDec 1, 2015
    ISBN9781510018525
    Water for Elephants
    Author

    Sara Gruen

    Sara Gruen is the author of the New York Times bestseller Water for Elephants and Riding Lessons. She lives with her husband and three children in a conservation community outside Chicago.

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    Reviews for Water for Elephants

    4/5

    10,568 ratings744 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Sara Gruen's novel "Water for Elephants" has many of the familiar ingredients of popular fiction — suspense, passion, murder, a love triangle and so forth — but it's set mostly in a circus, which by itself makes it fairly unique. I can't remember the last time I read a novel about a circus.The story is about a young man who drops out of veterinary school just before graduation after his parents — who have mortgaged everything to pay for his education — are killed in an accident. It's the heart of the Depression, and Jacob is left with nothing. He winds up on a circus train and is given a job because the circus needs a veterinarian, even one without a degree.Jacob quickly falls in love with Marlena, who performs a spectacular act with black and white horses and who inconveniently happens to be married to August, the ringmaster with a violent temper.We know Jacob survives the dangerous situations the story places him in because he is remembering all this from a nursing home while in his 90s, but how he survives and what will happen to Marlena, August, Rosie the elephant and other characters keeps us interested.Gruen is a wonderful writer, and her book feels authentic, as if she researched it very carefully. The circus photographs before most of the chapters add to the realism.
    • 4/5
      Thanks to my avid aversion to animal abuse and my intense phobia of clowns, I have never been a big fan of circuses. I broke through my general fear of the big top, late last year, when I ventured into the magical world of the not-so circus-like Night Circus. Not that I’m about to run away with carnies, now, but my success with that test did positively propel me forward to try something a bit more traditionally tightrope.Though I don’t usually go in for books that have been turned into blockbusters, I came across Water for Elephants a little while ago and though, oh what the heck. Just reading a book doesn’t mean I have to watch the movie, right? I was well rewarded with a much grittier (and clown-free) story than I had anticipated. The story was nothing all that new; love and friendship and hurdles getting to and through each. The details, though, were the bits that made the entire book work for me.Much of the serious violence (and there’s a lot) and dark, emotional turmoil was well worked into the story, not simply there for shock value. There was a bit of human brutality (which was unfortunately, fairly predictable to anyone who has read stories dealing with mental illness and domestic violence) but more than the person-to-person combat, the neglect and hurt felt by the animals was what had me in tears the most. As I mentioned above, animal cruelty is one of the reasons I have never been into circuses. This book, then, was not much of a shock, though it did, certainly solidify my view.I did enjoy the book a great deal, though, I certainly won’t be watching the movie based on friends’ reviews. There’s simply too much emotion and inner thought, integral to the book, that I don’t think will translate to the movie.
    • 5/5
      Very well written. I truly enjoyed reading this book. it was on my TBR list for quite some time and im glad I finally got around to reading it. Many heart felt movements, when he was an old man how he would explain how his life was changing simply because he lived in a home and was getting older. I personally took care of elder people and it was very heart felt to remember what it is like for them. In a story none the less but it is still very true how they feel.

      I could tell where the story was going but it wasn't a secret either. The journey to get there was fantastic. The friendships made and the hardship of what not only Jacob went through but the other characters as well. I loved how the book ended. He was truly where he belonged.

      Now Im going to watch the movie. Probably going to make me mad because lets be honest what movie was ever better than the book.. ill wait.. :)
    • 4/5
      Running away and joining a travelling circus may have been a dream for many people, but when life's unpredictability engulfs Jacob Jankowski, that's exactly where he finds himself. After the untimely death of his parents and the inability to complete his veterinary education at Cornell, Jacob finds himself part of "Benzini Bros Most Spectacular Show On Earth". This circus outfit is its own society, complete with unspoken rules and punishments. Jacob navigates this new society with the help of an alcoholic crewman named Camel. Soon, Jacob's talents as a budding vet are revealed and he quickly climbs the employment ladder. Unfortunately, his boss is the unpredictable August who is married to Marlena - the woman with whom Jacob is destined to fall in love. The story was a good one and I enjoyed the narrative fluctuating between the present-day Jacob and his reminising about past events. Equally enjoyable was the historical context for this time period. Both the Depression and Prohibition had an impact on the lives of the characters and the circus which employed them. The novel clearly portrayed life in a traveling circus as a hard and unstable life, with uncertainty always looming on the horizon.
    • 2/5
      This was a nice story, and an easy read. I liked the ending and it was interesting enough to keep reading. The characters were fairly interesting and the plot made sense. I liked it. I would recommend it, especially for a book club or something along that line. Fast read.
    • 5/5
      I listened to this during the time of the COVID-19 crisis, and it was a delightful respite from the drudge of bad news. And also a stark reminder of tough times, the depression, and the resilience of the human spirit. The characters are fantastical— even Rosie the elephant comes to life— and the narrators are spot on. I especially appreciated the senior “Jacob” role, the poignant experience of the nursing home and the chance to gain some insight and empathy into that fierce denouement. Bravo!
    • 5/5
      This may be one of my favorite books. The author did an excellent job of creating a realistic and believable world, especially since she had no personal experience with circus' prior to writing this novel. I loved how she wove in details that seemed minor but still added to the story. The only thing I didn't really like was the death of Walter, but in order for the book to have a legitimate ending it probably was the only way to close that storyline. I was worried near the end that this was going to have some surprise ending, like discovering that Jacob was just like the other old man in the home, that all of his memories were false, but he believed them so much that they became real to him. I was very glad that did not happen!
    • 5/5
      I was hesitant to read this book at first. My usual genres are women's fiction, with a very heavy emphasis on chick lit. When a friend recommended this book to me, my first thought was "You want me to read about circuses? In the Depression era? Ummmm, no, I don't think so." I honestly thought this book was SO not my thing.But she persisted, insisting that I MUST read this book. So I decided to give it a try, if only to get her off my back. :) I am SO glad I did. It was awesome! I was hooked from the first few pages. If I had to put the book down, I was thinking about when I could get back to read it again. It grabbed me and wouldn't let go (as trite as that sounds, it was true).It was a quick read, and the writing was lively and tight. It never bogged down, the plot was exciting and kept the book moving forward at a rapid pace.I highly recommend this book. Even if you think you WON'T like it, give it a try anyway. It's that good!
    • 5/5
      This was such a great audio. I so loved the two narrators that switched back and forth from past to present. And the story itself was simply breathtaking, poignant, and altogether wonderful. It makes me want to learn more about those circuses from long ago and the people that were a part of them. Definitely one of my favorite reads this year.
    • 3/5
      I'd heard so much about this book over the years, including raves from some of my favorite authors. A friend loaned her copy to me and I was eager to get into it. The story is great, but I can't rave about this book. I hate that I can't, because there's no real reason. I don't think it was all the hype, either. There was just something that kept me from really connecting with this book, even though I was engaged with the story and wanted to know what happened. Jacob, the main character, just didn't seem that real to me. I felt like I should have known him better, yet when he did certain things, I couldn't understand his reasoning for it. That being said, this is a good book, and the ending more than made up for anything I was feeling throughout the story.
    • 4/5
      I read this book in one day. It's a real page turner, and I really enjoyed all the background about the circuses...interwoven into the story so cleverly...along with historical photographs. As literature...well, I'm not sure it really holds up. I suppose time will tell.
    • 1/5
      I thought this was pretty poorly written. It wasn't believable and the only reason I finished is cuz the plot was interesting. I was disappointed and skimmed to the end after the halfway point.
    • 4/5
      This was a very predictable and easy read; although quite entertaining and enjoyable. I learned a lot about the circus as far as social structure and menagerie details. Not a thinker book, a great beach, "I'm burned out" book.
    • 2/5
      This book symbolizes the reason why I am still reading YA books. I have recently become disillusioned with YA books because the majority of what I read is a recycled plot, recycled characters, with a recycled, often instalove romance. But then, I read this book. The story is unique, I don't loath the main character or his love interests, and the romance, while fairly fast, was not instalove. You'd think I'd love it, so why didn't I?Well, there was a lot of cussing. I'm generally tolerant of cussing in books because I can skip over it or change it to "bleep" when I read it. I was reading this via audiobook, so I couldn't do either of the things I usually do, but even so, I probably wouldn't have allowed mere cussing to make this book, which could have been a four or five star read, down to two stars. The problem, for me, was the sex. Or the vulgarity in reference to sex. When a character was having sex or naked, the detail the author gave was far, far too explicit, making me want to cover my ears. What's worse is that the book didn't need these details. It didn't even need most of those scenes, but the ones that were necessary for the plot did not need to be that explicit. Even though, overall, I liked the narrator, the fact that he kept giving so much detail for these things made me like him a lot less.Probably another reason why I didn't like the book as well is that I watched the movie (which was very good) first. For some reason I've found that most of the (admittedly few) times when I have enjoyed a movie more than a book it's because I watched the movie first. The movie cut most of the vulgarity and nudity in order to be PG-13, but it still kept the characters and story line. The movie also moved me more emotionally. It was very upsetting to see the abuse of Rosie, and I truly felt for Marlena's difficult position. In the book, the abuse of Rosie had a problem of being told rather than shown, and so it wasn't as moving, though I still did feel for Marlena in her difficult situation
    • 5/5
      A great reading of a great story. A whole new perspective than reading it in paperback years ago.
    • 4/5
      Was good, but it wasn’t the way I remembered it when I read the book. Of course I have never had a book read to me. It went much faster.
    • 3/5
      Read it the weekend before we saw the movie at Jaume I, and the movie made apparent what was marvelous about the book. The framing story of Jacob as an old man in a nursing home made bits in the circus even more heartbreaking - when Camel and Walter got redlighted was the most apparent. The narrative was perfectly paced, but I did not underline a thing. Not a bad thing, just an observation.1st Jaume I CineForum
    • 5/5
      Water for Elephants is one of those books that I can't say much more about than that it is just a really good novel. It is difficult to describe what makes it good. It is well-written and well-crafted, to the point that the writing seems effortless and you are drawn into the story and forget that you are reading. I finished it over just a few days (three, I think), and was captivated by interesting characters and a well-constructed plot. I highly recommend it and definitely intend to read more by Sara Gruen!
    • 4/5
      Setting: United StatesReview? Maybe later or maybe not. I'm honestly to tired to think of how to describe how wonderful and amazing but also terrible and shocking this book was.
    • 4/5
      This was a very predictable and easy read; although quite entertaining and enjoyable. I learned a lot about the circus as far as social structure and menagerie details. Not a thinker book, a great beach, "I'm burned out" book.
    • 3/5
      Interesting premise. Having just recently gone to the Ringling Bros show when it came through Salt Lake City, I found the behind-the-scenes circus stuff especially interesting. I also learned a little something about a side effect of Prohibition I hadn't known about before (jake leg, which apparently afflicted more than 100,000 Americans between 1930 and 1931, according to the author's note at the end of the book). I'm not a fan of novels written in the present tense, but the plot and characters were compelling enough to keep me reading and even got me to forget about the present tense for pages at a time. Fun, quick read.
    • 4/5
      I wasn't expecting so much drama here, but there it was. It made for a page turner story. More than that though I really enjoyed the storytelling. Besides, who doesn't like the circus. The element of adventure here also grabbed at me. I always enjoy a good story about leaving behind the civilized world and going on an adventure. This was certainly an adventure for Jacob. The audio version was superb as well. I do recommend the audio to those who have not read the book as of yet.
    • 2/5
      Did not like the amount of graphic animal cruelty, the domestic violence, gritty circus life details. Too dreary.
    • 4/5
      Beautiful. I've watched the movie, but the book has far more feeling.
    • 3/5
      I don’t normally read best sellers – well, at least not best sellers written in the last two centuries – but Mom does and I pick up her discards. Thus, Water for Elephants. I won’t go into the story, which is pleasant enough and easily readable in a couple of hours - somewhat melodramatic. However, there is a connection to junk science – or perhaps junk history. The novel is set during Prohibition, and one of the characters comes down with “jake leg” – Jamaican ginger extract paralysis. I wrote an earlier book review (Death in the Pot) that discussed this in the context of food poisoning. The gist is that Jamaican ginger extract was 70% alcohol, but unpalatable due to the ginger. However, bootleggers discovered that the Treasury Department tested the stuff by distillation; if 30% of the stuff didn’t boil off below 250° F it was assumed to be genuine Jamaican ginger extract. The bootleggers substituted tasteless and alcohol soluble tri-cresyl phosphate for ginger extract and sold the result.In Water for Elephants, however, it’s not bootleggers that are at fault – since everybody knows bootleggers are the salt of the earth – it’s “the manufacturers” – since everybody knows manufacturers are evil. (I suppose you could argue that since bootleggers were making the stuff on an industrial scale they could be described as “manufacturers” – but in that case so are Mexican drug cartels). Further, in Water for Elephants describes tricresyl phosphate as “a plasticizer” – since, again, everybody knows plasticizers are evil. A little Web searching shows 1943 as the first time “plasticizer” appeared in popular literature; Water for Elephants is set in 1931. (It’s possible that “plasticizer” was used earlier in technical literature, but it’s unlikely that the country doctor who uses the term in the novel would run across it; in 1931 tri-cresyl phosphate was used in hydraulic fluid. Apparently, hydraulic fluid isn’t evil enough).Well, a minor point in an otherwise enjoyable novel – but this sort of thing always gripes me a little.
    • 2/5
      Well written and the author really captured the essence of a circus train in the 30's. However, as much as I liked the writing, I found the violence in the book almost too much to bear. The indiscrimate throwing of people off trains when there wasn't money to pay them or to just plain get rid of them was disturbing. Also, the horrid treatment of Rosie the elephant by August brought tears to my eyes. At least Rosie got her revenge. This just isn't my kind of book, but I read it because so many people said it was wonderful. Sorry, I just didn't care for it at all.
    • 3/5
      Recommended by everyone at yoga class, this book was the featured title for the central NY region to read. However, I was not as enthuiastic as my friends. It didn't grab me. I enjoyed the authors choice of words in many instances, but I was just not compelled to find out what happened to the characters. It was just ok.
    • 4/5
      Interesting narrator, I liked that the view was split between the present and the past. Did give a realistic view of Circus life, did not skimp on the less savory aspects. Enjoyable story.
    • 4/5
      A great book and movie but really sad. Definitely would recommend.
    • 2/5
      It tried. It really did. But there was nothing really new in this same-old untouchable love story. The shocking revelation and secret were neither, nor really that big a deal to me. The device of narrating at two stages of life, young and old, has been done to death, and reminded me at times of The Green Mile without the shout-out to Tuck Everlasting.