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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

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    13,941
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  • 3 Stars
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Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful!

Both the young and the old main character are wonderfully portrayed in this book with excellent readers. I was left at the end wishing for more.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

My New Favorite Book

This unusual story is compelling and well written. What would give someone an idea to write about these subjects? I "googled" Sara Gruen to find out. Every once in awhile a book will come out that I never want to end and recommend enthusiastically. This is one of those books.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Water for Elephants

Couldn't put it down - stayed with this story hour after hour. Takes the listener to a time and place not often visited. Invests the listener in the lives and well-being of its characters. Compelling story - well written, nicely narrated.

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

Amazing

Had to laugh...there was a small carnival at our local fall festival last week....as we walked around with our granddaughter to ride rides and play some games, I looked at the people working the booths and all I could think of was this book....they were the charactors in my book...This book was amazing...one chapter when this guy was 23, then the next he's 90 or 93....back and forth til the most amazing ending. Dying to see the movie, but don't imagine it'll ever compare to how good this book was.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

I loved it!

Captured my attention from the first word. The best read I've had in a very long time. Great narration Totally enjoyable. I resented each time I had to put it down.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Water for Elephants

Loved this story, my first audio book and now I'm hooked. I really enjoyed the narator too.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

This book is FAR better than the movie!

This is a GREAT story. Sara Gruen does an amazing job in her details of each character. Like a good movie, you don't want to walk away or pause. LOVE this book!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful!

What a lovely experience! Both narrators were fantastic and this was such a poignant, beautiful story......with a happy ending! Listened to it twice within a week! Would reccomend this book to anyone!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Good story with some flaws

I enjoyed this book, and it held my attention, but I did cringe at the descriptions of animal cruelty and violence towards humans. The narration was very good, and the characters interesting, and some very entertaining. If it weren't for the violence and animal cruelty, it would be a really great book.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Book

Definitely one of the best audiobooks I have listened to in a while. Excellent choice I pulled an all nighter on this I just couldn't stop

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