Water For Elephants

By Sara Gruen

This book is set around the time period of the Great Depression and Jacob, a young man leaves his life as a veterinary student after losing his parents in a car accident. He jumps aboard a train that houses the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. Since Jacob does not have a home, he decided it would be best to just stay and travel with the circus. He becomes the veterinary for the animals and he begins a long journey of having to put up with everyone and making sure he does his job right. One of the main people he has to put up with is August, the head trainer while also dealing with the fact that he is falling on love with August’s wife, Marlene.

This story begins with Jacob as a 23-year-old man finishing up his veterinary schooling and planning to work with his father. Until, he finds out the news. Then later finds out that his family was in debt the whole time because his father worked on animals for free. This would leave Jacob to pay their mortgage and he already had a lot to deal with so he leaves and jumps on the train. Jacob also tells the story as a series of memories as a 90 or 93-year-old man. The head trainer of the animals in the circus, August, beats the animals and as Jacob is falling in love with Marlene, August becomes suspicious of their relationship and beats both of them as well. In the end, there is a stampede of animals from the circus and August dies. This leaves Marlene and Jacob together to run away and start a new life.

This book was fantastic. I absolutely loved how it went from him as a 23-year-old man to him telling memories as a 90 or 93-year-old-man. This is my type of book and there is definitely a moral to it. The ending is a little too joyful to believe but the magic of the writing convinces you to suspend your disbelief. This is a fiction readers dream. I loved it and I am sure anyone who loves compelling journeys not only under the circus but into the protagonists heart would adore this book as well.