Water for Elephants

De: Sara Gruen

Narrado por: David LeDoux, John Randolph Jones

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

Reseñas de la Crítica

• 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)

Music on audible books

I find the music a bit distracting and often too loud. Otherwise, really loved this book

Water for Elephants

???Water for Elephants??? is a story about the circus, being in love, and hard times. The narration is done with two voices for the main character, at ages 93 and 23. LeDoux??? and Jones??? and their distinctive phrasing make Sara Gruen???s hero unforgettable.

Life happens; a 23 year old Jankowski is about to graduate from Veterinary school when his parents die in a car crash. In the 1929 crash of the car and the American economy, Jankowski???s life shatters. He is mentally broken; unable to take his final Veterinary exam. He has no money; his family is gone; he hops a train to anywhere. And the story progresses at the speed of life and memory.

Wonderful!

This book had me at the 90 or 93 year old Jacob. This was such a heart warming story of how we can truly be destined for a certain calling and never lose that passion.

Like listening to a good movie

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

I thoroughly enjoyed this audio book, and would highly recommend it to anyone who likes a good story. Great skill in the narration, with both gentlemen totally selling their version of the younger / older character.

Probably the best audio book to which I've listened.

Great narrator's.

Absolutely loved the narrator's they did an amazing job. finished it in just two days

Great story with 2 great narrators!

I had so much fun listening to this story. I really enjoyed how well each character was developed, even the small ones. Even before seeing the movie, I could easily picture all of the events unfold in my head. The two different narrators were great in expressing the emotions of the characters they portrayed. I highly recommend this book to any audiobook listener

Wonderfully touching story

Beautifully narrated. Compelling story. So enjoyable to listen to. As is usually the case with books that have been turned into films, the book is far better than the movie!

Amazing Book

Loved listening from start to finish. The story was great and the narration did justice to every part of the story. I would definitely recommend it.

Best audiobook

I have read this book, but listening to it was amazing. The two narrators made it my favorite audiobook to date!

Happy I Finally Listened, But....

I was a little bored? It was entertaining enough but I just wasn't enthralled with the story as some of the other reviewers. Maybe I'm being too harsh.

The narration is flawless, though. Wow.