Author: Sara Gruen
Publisher: Algonquin Books
# of Pages: 421
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
For sometime I had heard the most amazing reviews of this book! I got a copy in December but I wanted to wait until the new year so that I could start January off in style (you can see how far behind I am with posts!) and this book did not disappoint. Another reason is that I love anything linked to elephants! Books, clothing, home accessories – if it’s got elephants on it I want it!
From amazon: The Great Depression 1929 – when Jacob Jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, grifters, and misfits in the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth a second-rate travelling circusstruggling to survive making one-night stands in town after endless town. Jacob, a veterinary student who almost earned his degree, is put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. He meets Marlena, the beautiful young star of the equestrian act, 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.
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.
I loved this book! It has shot straight to the top of my recommended books and I’ve already recommended it to many of my family and friends. I found the characters easy to relate to and that also immediately I was emotionally invested in them, including Rosie the elephant!
“With a secret like that, at some point the secret itself becomes irrelevant. The fact that you kept it does not.”
“Age is terrible thief. Just when you’re getting the hang of life, it knocks your legs out from under you and stoops your back”
Books & Adventures 