As promised...and then forgotten about...here is my review for Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.I loved how this book started. "I am ninety. Or ninety-three. One or the other." Jacob Jankowski, our narrator, says in the opening lines of this book, setting the tone for our main character. Jacob is living in a nursery home when we first meet him and, through his memories, we get to relive his past. When Jacob was twenty-three, he joined the circus. Isn't this something we've all thought about doing at one point or another? Our lives aren't going how we planned, things are falling apart around our feet, and we wonder...what would it be like to just leave this place? Run away. Run away and join the circus. I know I've said it a few times. Well, Jacob really did it. Maybe not intentionally, but he soon became entangled in the magic and mystery, the grit and gristle of The Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth.
We are quickly introduced to the main players in this story. Marlena, a beautiful performer who Jacob instantly becomes infatuated with. August, Marlena's alternately cruel and charming husband, who is also the head animal trainer. Uncle Al, the Ringmaster who is so obsessed with becoming better than his arch rivals, The Ringling Brothers, that he'll go to any means to achieve it. Kinko and Queenie -- Kinko is a clown in the show and Queenie is his Jack Russell Terrier. Camel, the old man who takes Jacob under his wing. And Rosie, the elephant Uncle Al believes will be the salvation of his show.
The characters are all drawn so carefully that I was immediately sucked into this world. Gruen must have researched for an eternity to create a world in which her readers could lose themselves so completely. This book is soaked in circus lore. Little stories are scattered throughout the story, grounding it in reality, yet making it so unbelievable that readers can't help but read on. I really loved Jacob, the ninety or ninety-three year old version. He was just the right about of bittersweet and grumpy to make you feel for him. He's got a lot of attitude, which I loved. The scenes in the nursing home never failed to make me laugh. They also never failed to make me sigh. Older Jacob is so real, so believable that he nearly breaks my heart.
The story itself starts when Jacob jumps on a train, which he soon finds out, belongs to the Benzini Brothers Circus. He is soon hired on as the veterinarian to the menagerie. Through older Jacob's memories, we see how circus life was during the Depression-era. We watch as Jacob falls for the unattainable Marlena. We cringe anytime August makes an appearance. And we fall in love with Rosie. She is a magnificent creature, the story's real hero.
I have to hand it to Sara Gruen for what must have been extensive, meticulous months and months of research. She writes believably about the circus life, making even the weirdest of circus acts seem relateable. She has the lingo down, from grifters, roustabouts, cooch tent, and rubes, and even went so far as to include which song is played when something goes wrong during the show. It is a world of mystery to most of us and this author allows us a peek inside. A glorious, entertaining peek. I truly envy her dedication to getting so many of the details right. She really dug into her research. I'm sure If I were as focused and dedicated as her, I'd finally get around to writing that murder mystery I've always wanted to write. But researching blood and guts and crime scenes? Not really my thing.
Bottom line: Water for Elephants is an amazing book, worthy of every word of praise it's received. It kept me hanging onto every word, all the way to the very last, heart-stopping pages. Gruen does a fantastic job of building the tension to a conclusion that I, at least, didn't see coming. Great characters, great story. Great book. Very highly recommended.
And now, onto the previously mentioned award. As promised, I'll pass it on to a few of my fellow bloggers.
1. Shelly at Stories in the Ordinary
2. Lola at Sharp Pen/Dull Sword
3. Jeannie at The Magic Nutshell
4. Annika at A Swede Abroad
5. Sara at SeeSaraWrite
6. Erica at Ink-Stained Thoughts (Maybe this will make you write more!)
Congrats! You guys rock!
