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Water for Elephants  By  cover art

Water for Elephants

By: Sara Gruen
Narrated by: David LeDoux,John Randolph Jones
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Publisher's summary

An atmospheric tale of life and love in a Depression-era traveling circus.

Nonagenarian Jacob Jankowski reflects back on his wild and wondrous days with a circus. It's the Depression Era and 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. Jacob introduces us to Marlena, beautiful star of the equestrian act; to August, her charismatic but twisted husband (and the circus' animal trainer); and to Rosie, a seemingly untrainable elephant.

Beautifully written, with a luminous sense of time and place, Water for Elephants tells of love in a world in which love's a luxury few can afford.

©2006 Sara Gruen (P)2006 HighBridge Company

Critic reviews

  • Book Sense Book of the Year Award, Adult Fiction, 2007
  • Audie Award Finalist, Fiction, Unabridged, 2007
" Water for Elephants resembles stealth hits like The Giant's House, by Elizabeth McCracken, or The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold, books that combine outrageously whimsical premises with crowd-pleasing romanticism. . . . With a showman's expert timing, [Gruen] saves a terrific revelation for the final pages, transforming a glimpse of Americana into an enchanting escapist fairy tale.” ( New York Times Book Review)
"Just like a circus, the magic of the story and the writing convince you to suspend your disbelief." ( Booklist)
"Gruen skillfully humanizes the midgets, drunks, rubes, and freaks who populate her book." ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about Water for Elephants

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Overall
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Performance
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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Rosie the bull elephant?

How can Rosie be a bull elephant, she is a female ? Doesn't this bother anyone that "bull" elephant is mentioned at least 200 times in this book? What's wrong with the author checking the most simple and basic facts? I thought the book simple and very predicable, not very well written.

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139 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

This is what Audiobook should be...


This book was a home run all over! Excellent narration, superb storyline, engaging and interesting characters, great imagery and poignant.

The reviews for this book are indicative of how excellent a book this really is. The entire book was done so incredibly well! When I first got this book I didn't really know what to expect, in fact I didn’t even know there was a movie about the book and had I known I probably wouldn’t have got the book due to my aversion at times to overhyped books turned movies... Good thing though because I would have missed out on a very good read...

I found myself fascinated with how the Sara Gruen (the author) introduced Jacob at 23 and at 90 or is it 93 (you'll get it when you read to it). The different struggles with Jacob at these two different stages of life is manoeuvred quite will and interwoven immaculately with the main storyline. I like how the author was able to introduce the topic of growing ‘old and irrelevant’ at one end of the spectrum and being ‘young and impetuous’ at the other end. In both stages (the young and old Jacob) the common thread is tragedy and loss in a sense but eventually finding one’s place once more.

The myriad of characters are all very interesting (as one can expect from a circus) and the relevant characters were all developed quite well! I found all the major and minor characters fascinating... Rose Marie, Uncle Al, Marlena, Camel, Walter, August... I honestly didn’t think any of these characters were short changed in terms of character development in this book and you get to peer into each of them even if it’s just a bit.

Unlike a lot of books that tend to run on incessantly, providing you with seemingly useless details, Water for Elephants doesn't do that. Nor was it too short, it doesn’t leave you thinking that aspects of the books were rushed. It hit that sweet spot that so many books miss some times... that clear, nice balance of not being too long but not being too short and yet still leaves you wanting more. It has its sobering moments that make you nod silently in approval and smiles inwardly leaving you to go through the book a little slower, not wanting to miss the salient, poignant points being mentioned. It of course also has those nail biting moments that makes you sit up a little bit straighter and has you rushing the book trying to figure out what’s next and how everything is going to unfold. The closure at the end of the book was poignant enough and very fitting, but yet I wanted it to continue because it was just so good.

Narration like this is what makes Audible titles and Audiobooks in general worth listening to. David LeDoux portraying John in his 20's was great but John Randolph Jones portraying John in his 90's is AMAZING! I like multiple narrated books and this certainly did not disappoint in any way, shape or form. Inflections were on par, strength of tone was excellent and pacing was superb... A better cast they could not pick and they brought life to these characters in a way I doubt much other narrators could.

I would recommend this to anyone. Excellent writing, pitch perfect narration, engaging story, poignant life truths, sobering in all the right areas, fun in others, great timing, great character development and a very fitting closure. GREAT STUFF!

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127 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

offensive if you don't like R rated movies

I barely made it though the first four chapters of the book before I just couldn't listen to it anymore. I'm disappointed as I had heard it was a good book. For one, the language is too offensive for me to continue listening to. Another reason is that there is a disgusting scene described with a circus prostitute. Need I say more? I wish someone had warned me in a review before I spent the money and time downloading it. So if you don't watch R rated movies and even get offended at some PG-13 rated movies, then this book isn't for you either and you won't have to waste your time or money.

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126 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Narration!!

An interesting story of the depression era and all the crazy characters of a struggling circus at that time. I really enjoyed the narration of the main character as he recounts his circus experiences at the age of 93 (...or was it 90); and also the narration of the same character living the experiences as they occurred. Very well written and very well narrated.

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58 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A colorful & sweet adventure

Author Sara Gruen has spun a charming and unaffected tale of love, revenge and renewal that is made even more enjoyable by the equally gifted talents of David LeDoux and John Randolph Jones (dual narrators). This audio book was a giggle and a tear rolled into one. I'm very tempted to read a hard copy of this now just to see how it compares (and holds up) to what is now one of my favorite audio books. Superb!

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55 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

One of the best books this year

Honestly, when I initially read the book summary and saw that it was about circus life, I was turned off and did not want to purchase it. When I read the reviews, I decided to buy it. I generally dislike circuses, but this author detailed circus life with vivid detail and emotion. I was impressed by her depiction of the elderly Jacob and his emotional response to aging. Perhaps this will cause people to regard the elderly with more tender loving care.
The two readers of this book added incredible depth and should be nominated for a grammy. I let my children ages 8 thru 15 listen to this book (there were a few sexually explicit scenes which I fast forwarded through) and they loved it and thought it would make a great movie.

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53 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A must read!

This book was thoroughly engrossing. I found myself thinking about it all day, and looking forward to the next time I could listen. A wild assortment of characters, brought very much to life. I loved the reader too. I highly recommend this book, especially if you love a happy ending - this one is the best!

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53 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A story to sink your world into

This was an amazing audio book. I just finished it and I already feel empty without it. The narration was spot on, the music was a great touch to really draw me into the life of the "show". I couldn't stop listening and when I did I dreamt of all the wonderful, bright, and vivid characters.

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51 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

This book is awful.

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Perhaps someone intrigued by circuses from the former half of the 20th century... or by grumpy old men in nursing homes.

Would you ever listen to anything by Sara Gruen again?

No.

What didn’t you like about David LeDoux and John Randolph Jones ’s performance?

It was over the top at times, or the characterization was just off.

Any additional comments?

This book is not well written, and the storyline is just plain boring. The writing is overly simplistic and I found it hard to be interested in or feel empathy for the protagonist. A novel must either have masterful writing or an intriguing plot line (or both, ideally). In my opinion this had neither.

I enjoy slow plots when the writing is well-done. Take Lolita for instance... The plot moves slowly, but Nabokov's writing is so beautiful and rich that you just enjoy the experience. I can also appreciate a book that albeit not well-written, has an enthralling plot. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo isn't exactly a literary masterpiece, but the story is engaging and you cannot wait to learn to more.

Overall, I did not enjoy this book nor would I recommend it to others.

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44 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Captivating and endearing

The character development in this book is very rich. You become quick 'friends' with the endearing characters, no matter their quirks and downfalls in life. The readers were wonderful. I've listened to this book multiple times!

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44 people found this helpful