Water for Elephants

By: Sara Gruen

Narrated by: David LeDoux, John Randolph Jones

Length: 11 hrs and 26 mins

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)

Excellent story and very educational!

My mom is in a nursing home. I was very surprised to feel I was learning about her from this story. It's beautiful. The characters are so well developed. I fell in love! I wanted to join the circus. I wanted to volunteer at mom's nursing home. I wanted to meet and get to know these people! I laughed. I cried. I rejoiced. I want a freaking elephant! Great, great, great book and a wonderful way to spend my time! I might read it again and I rarely do this!

One of my all time favorites!

I just litened to it for the second time and found it just as delightful as the first. The evil characters are appropriately creepy while the 2 main characters make you cheer for adultery. The narrator did a good job of helping you to recognize each character by tone and inflection. A must for you library.

A great story, told to perfection!

Loved it to the max: story, narrators, prformance. Characters, human & all, came to life!

I didn't put it down.

What did you love best about Water for Elephants?

I've never seen the movie. When I heard about this book, just a few days ago, I had to have it. The Circus? Oh yes. I listened almost with out a pause but with many rewinds. Detail, I want detail and Sara Gruen provided it. I could smell it. Elder Jacob was a wonderful character and the story moved well between he and Younger Jacob as he relives the turning point in his life.

What other book might you compare Water for Elephants to and why?

The only other story I've read that comes close, is "Spangle" by Gary Jennings. It's a Circus story. An inside the circus view, which I find fascinating. Rich in historical detail.

Which scene was your favorite?

When elder Jacob goes to the circus I'm right there with him.

Any additional comments?

I guess I'll see the movie, it's supposed to be a good adaption.

Hang on it's worth it.

Any additional comments?

I didn't really know what to expect when I started this book. I was not in the frame of mind for the deep and depressing start and frankly after the first couple of chapters of this book I was about to put it aside. I'm glad I didn't. The book would never be classified as light and fun, but it is very well written and wonderfully performed. And without spoiling it, the end of the book makes getting through the tough early part (and several other depressing parts throughout) well worth it.

Definitely a book you should listen too....

The narrators made the story. This is one of my first purchases and still one of my favorite audible books.

Fun read

The performers were terrific. (Although I found the music a little distracting). It was nice to learn more about old time circus

Not the typical love story

My first intention was to say it is a lovely story, but it is not. It is very tragic and has some nasty characters and situations, But the love story shines even more because of this.

And, don't be misguided, this is not a convenctional love story. It's not the classical boy-meets-girl tell, and there lies the beauty of it. Even when it starts with the end, you can never know what it's going to happen.

A must read for those who believe they know it all

The narrator brings the amazing story alive! Should be required reading...not all life occurs on your phone!

Exciting, sad, funny and Great!

One of my all time favorite books. I loved having the story told by both Jacob at 23 and Jacob at 90 or 93. I highly recommend this book. You just can't go wrong with this one!