Book Review: Water For Elephants

Title: Water for Elephants

Author: Sara Gruen

Publisher: Algonquin Books

Year: 2007

Pages: 335

Genre: Historical Fiction

Rating: 5 stars

One sentence summary: Jacob Jankowski, a ninety year old man in a nursing home, recalls his youth as a circus vet during the Depression Era.

A full synopsis of this book can be found on Goodreads.

Spoiler Level:Low

I'm trying to go through all my old favourites and reread them so I can write accurate reviews for them. I've read this book a couple times a long time ago and I remember being totally enchanted by the story. Reading it now, I can see some of the more technical problems other people might find with it, but for me it still remains flawless. This book has two of my favourite things in books: circuses and grumpy old people. Throw in a little romance and a little murder, and you've got me sold. Told in two alternate time lines, we follow Jacob Jankowski as he joins a travelling circus in the Depression Era and then years later when he's in his nineties at a nursing home. I'm really interested in the idea of aging, memory, and the overall passage of time. Jacob's reflections on his past and struggles with his present made for a wistful, nostalgic story. I really love Gruen's writing style. She has such a way of creating atmosphere and painting a vivid image. The descriptions of the circus, the people, and the animals, were beautiful, and the setting really came to life. Jacob was a sympathetic character in both time lines. I enjoyed both his kindness and naiveté during his circus days and his grumpy, yet humorous, attitude in his nineties. August was a fascinating villain in the way he flipped back and forth between utterly charming and utterly monstrous. Marlena may have been the least developed of any major character, but I found her charming, strong willed, and passionate, and I enjoyed her character. All the other side characters are fantastically drawn and added to the diverse and crazy circus cast. Rosie the elephant becomes a character in herself, and she was super loveable and funny. Learning about life at a circus was so interesting, and even when the greater plot seemed not to be moving I was never bored learning about the minute details. The author did a great deal of research for this book and it shows. Some of the more outlandish plot elements were actually drawn from real events and she did a good job hovering between ridiculousness and believability. I also really enjoyed the ending of the book; there was a happy ending for Jacob despite the hardships he'd been through. Definitely recommended if you like any of the elements I've mentioned.