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)

How Delightful!

What a pleasant surprise. As a lover of historical fiction, I really enjoyed this story set mostly in Depression-era America about, of all things, a young verterinarian who joins a circus. The two narrators, the young and elderly version of the main character, add depth to an already-captivating story. The book is also a tale of life and adventure on the American railroad. This was the era that my parents grew up in and I could hear my father in the pitch-perfect voice of the older Jacob.

sm22

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

no, i did not like the book, the reader was not excited not worth buying

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

there was nothing excite i felt it was a wast of my time. i belong to a book club other member felt the same way i felt

What three words best describe David LeDoux and John Randolph Jones ’s voice?

may be doing another book they will be fine

Could you see Water for Elephants being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

no

An Amazing Experience

First of all, I'm so glad I didn't see the movie first. This book was a moving, funny and eye opening journey from beginning to end, and I am a Sara Gruen fan for life. I loved the reader, also. Read/listen to this book and then go visit an elderly loved one.

Very Exciting!

This book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I typically listen while I'm in the car during my work commute. I often found myself sitting in the driveway still listening. Great performances throughout.

Loved every word

Great book, great story telling. I wanted it to be real and never end. The mark of a really good story telller.

Wonderful!

What can I say about this book? It has everything. My wife and I enjoyed it so much. If you listen to just one book listen to Water for Elephants!

10 Stars for LeDoux!

First and foremost, LeDoux is spot on. The narration in this book is remarkable. It couldn't have been done better than it was. Wow. The book was very good as well, but I really do feel like LeDoux is what made this a spectacular experience.

The storyline was interesting and character driven. I enjoyed every moment of it. Everything did get wrapped in a nice little bow, but sometimes that's a good thing. The events were exciting and, once again, made much more so by LeDoux's amazing narration.

Can I give him 10 stars?

Suprisingly captivating

I must admit that I was skeptical about this book, not thinking I would enjoy a story about a circus. The reviews here were so good that I went ahead and boy, was I glad that I did! The characterization in this novel is just superb; Gruen paints complex portraits of so many people. I particularly enjoyed how Jacob's roommate Walter came to life. The (dual) narration was one of the best I've heard in my many Audible listens. Just a wonderful book!

One of the Best

I found this book by browsing through the award winners and I'm so glad I did! The narration was incredible and realistic. The story was so well written I could actually see it unfold in my mind's eye. I find myself thinking about this book over a month after reading it. It will stay with me for a long, long time.

Enough to Satisfy Your Thirst

Any additional comments?

The Benzini Brothers Circus, where most of the action of Water for Elephants take place, bills itself as the Greatest Show on Earth, knows it’s far from that, and yet still delivers quite a performance. That seems a good metaphor for this novel as a whole. It features genuine wonders and it’s easy to get lost in it, but, when you walk outside its tent again, you have to admit there are better circuses (better novels) doing similar things.

I hope that doesn’t come across as too belittling. This show is a good one – at times a very good one. The love story at its heart has its peculiar effectiveness because it takes place in the shadow of the circus with all the odd animals, petty jealousies, and spangled outfits that implies. The story is a familiar one, but that doesn’t keep Gruen from selling it with good energy and effective pacing. And it kept me hanging on with interest to the final pages.

I found I particularly enjoyed the way the novel balances the exotic magic of the circus with the drearier facts of every day (and seemingly well-researched) historical life. I have not seen the movie, yet I found it easy to imagine Reese Witherspoon as Marlena – a kind of effortlessly beautiful woman with substance beneath her surface. Jacob sometimes irritated me with his impulsiveness, but that provides a good counterpoint to his otherwise too clean, Galahad-complexed self.

That said, it grows more violent than the story itself feels licensed to become, and I came to resent some of the present-day parts of the narrative – and the resolution feels a bit unearned, maybe a bit hurried.

The characters of the Benzini Brothers all know that, somewhere, Ringling Brothers stands as the pinnacle of the circus life. For me, reading this a decade after it came out, that pinnacle remains The Night Circus, a book that, in the end, is simply an all-around better show. Read this and enjoy it – everyone should go to the circus every so often – but keep an eye out for the even bigger show as it makes its way to your town.