Title: Water for Elephants  

Author: Sara Gruen

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Algonquin Books

Format: Paperback

Pages: 335

Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Winner of the 2007 BookBrowse Award for Most Popular Book.

An atmospheric, gritty, and compelling novel of star-crossed lovers, set in the circus world circa 1932, by the bestselling author of Riding Lessons.

When Jacob Jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, drifters, and misfits, a second-rate circus struggling to survive during the Great Depression, making one-night stands in town after endless town. A veterinary student who almost earned his degree, Jacob is put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It is there that he meets Marlena, the beautiful young star of the equestrian act, who is married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. He also meets Rosie, an elephant who seems untrainable until he discovers a way to reach her.

Beautifully written, Water for Elephants is illuminated by a wonderful sense of time and place. It tells a story of a love between two people that overcomes incredible odds in a world in which even love is a luxury that few can afford.

Review:

I loved this book! This is my second Sara Gruen book and it did not disappoint. I watched the movie when it came out, and loved it so I was excited to read it!

The book held my attention for the whole book! I loved how it was written in both the past and the present, with Jacob looking back on his times in the circus. Jacob was a loveable character that developed quite a lot in the book! I didn’t really like Marlena at first as a character, but the more you got to know her and her struggles, you really come to love her as a character!

The adventures in this book are also so fun! Getting a glimpse at circus life, and seeing how it’s not as glamorous as it’s cut out to be, and that everybody has their own issues and struggles! This book is the whole package and I definitely recommend it!

Happy reading!