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)

A book you cant stop listening to!

I have heard wonderful things about Water for Elephants, and this was only my 3rd audiobook. After I started listening and getting into the characters I couldnt stop listening!! I switched off between listening during my walks and listening during my long commutes in the car. The book was so good I actually looked forward to my long drives to and from work. I just finished and I am sad it is over. I definitely recommend getting this book. It had the perfect amount of romance and excitement- a few action scenes as well!

A sweet and tender story

I loved this book. I loved both of the narrators, but the old man was my favorite. He reminded me of my dad so much! As I sit here trying to decide what to write, I get a big lump in my throat thinking about these two incredible love stories, love between the man and his wife, and between the man and the circus.

This book offers so many lesson for life if we readers are smart enough to learn them. Each character is trying to tell us something.

When I read the ending, I wanted to jump up and down and shout, "Yes, yes yes!!!" That is the way it should end!

Wonderful book

Enjoyed the book...would recommend it, but found it sad at times listening to Jacob recall his life. Loved the way it ended for him.

Great storytelling

This book was highly recommended to me by a friend, and I am equally enthusiastic. The narrators are excellent, and add greatly to the enjoyment of the book. I was sorry to reach the end of the book, but the conclusion was satisfying - if implausible. Suspend your disbelief and let yourself be carried away by the magic of the circus.

Great Story

I enjoyed this story very much. I listened each time I went to go workout and it was a great motivating factor! Not a whole lot of action going on in this book but the way it's written, really keeps you hooked.

Better than I expected

Highs and lows -- this plays with your emotions. The author gives us an interesting glimpse into the life of a circus. I loved the crotchety reflections of the "old" Jacob, but enjoyed the story of the "young" Jacob more. The ending was a happy one, which I was concerned about the whole way through the book.

A Keeper

This is a wonderful book. It touches the heart with the pain of aging. It shows so clearly how the past is contained within the present. I loved finding out about the depression era circus and the difficulties in just living. But the main character, himself troubled, had a wonderful, albeit difficult life. The love that was his raison d'etre was wonderful to read about. And if the ending was not quite believable it was what we all wanted and would want for ourselves.

Entertaining !!

A very interesting group of characters. Set during the depression, life takes a turn for this this soon-to-be college graduate. An animal lover myself, I enjoyed learning a little about the elephant and other animal antics. While the nursing home scenes made me laugh, they also made me sad for the 90+year old "prisoners" of their own bodies and circumstances. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it with no reservations.

better 2nd half

What made the experience of listening to Water for Elephants the most enjoyable?

I really liked the narrator. I learned a lot. Things I never knew.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I loved the ending.

The movie doesn't do the audiobook justice

Would you consider the audio edition of Water for Elephants to be better than the print version?

Yes, I liked the nararation of this book and the switch in narrators depending on past or present.

What does David LeDoux and John Randolph Jones bring to the story that you wouldn???t experience if you just read the book?

Yes, I like how they switch narrators to let you know whether it's present or a memory.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Not as good as the book. It is a movie now and it just doesn't compare to the book.