Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen

'The Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth' is a cash-strapped travelling circus owned by a despicable character named Uncle Al. Set in the Great Depression, times are tough and the circus is struggling to draw crowds. Uncle Al is a cut-throat operator who makes rash and murderous decisions to ensure no one gets in the way of his dream - to truly own the most spectacular show on earth. The story starts rapidly with the main character - the youthful Jacob Jankowski - losing both his parents in a car accident. Just weeks before he is to graduate from veterinarian school, Jacob finds himself unable to cope and, literally, runs away with the circus. ...  Read the complete review

I must admit that I didn't think this book would appeal to me. Much as I enjoy going to the circus, this book is told in first person by a ninety-something year old man and is essentially a love story set in a circus in depression-era America. Just doesn't sound like my sort of thing. But after reading a review on a blog I decided to check it out on amazon, where I was able to read the first chapter. And I was hooked! Thankfully the library had a copy available so I was able to continue reading. The story is told from the point of view of Jacob Kankowkski, who is now in his nineties and living in a retirement home, dreaming of real food and legs that work ...  Read the complete review

Occasionally you pick up a book by accident; it was on sale or happened to be on the shelf right in front of you nose at the library. This book doesn't come with a lot of hype or critical acclaim. Instead you are allowed to discover it for yourself. It pulls you in and you can't put it down until the last page is turned. That's how I fell in love with Water for Elephants. Jacob Jankowski, a Polish American, is 90 or 93 (it stops matter much at a point in life), spending his days in a retirement home when a circus pitches its tent within view of his window. The sight of the circus takes him back to the 1930s when he was a young veterinary student at ...  Read the complete review

It has been so long since I picked up a book and turned its pages that I had almost forgotten the love affair we had shared so many years ago. Then came the year of my first laptop and slowly the books left my shelves to be replaced by hard drives and chargers, books were scrolled through not turned and pages but a sweet and distant memory like your first kiss. Then there was a long trip to be had, no power supply available and a book randomly picked from a shelf at the library. The book was called "Water for Elephants" The title itself seems to be pretentious after all it is no simple task to bring water to an elephant as ...  Read the complete review

I was in Boston airport earlier this year, mooching around the bookstore in there when the manager asked which authors I like, I replied 'James Patterson and Sophie Kinsella' he suggested this book... (looking back I've no idea how those two authors relate to this book!) said I would love it, i'd never heard of it before so I was a bit unsure but I had enough dollars left so bought it, stuck it in my travel bag and forgot about it for a good few weeks.....then I remembered it and thought I'd give it ago, not at all convinced I'd like it.......I could not put it down! It is one of the loveliest books I have ever read! I don't want to say to much ...  Read the complete review