Customer Reviews
So real you can smell the sawdust! - By: Robert Burdock, 26 Nov 2008 
Quite simply Water for Elephants is an exceptional read & one that any reader should not miss out on. Briefly the novel is about a circus struggling to survive the Depression-era years in America, or more specificallly circus life from the perspective of an ad hoc `vetinarian' - Jacob Jankowski, who jumped on the Benzini Brothers circus train by chance, one evening.
The action in Water for Elephants is fast-paced; more than sufficient to keep the reader glued to the pages. `Pit stops' to the action comes in the form of the story reverting back to the nursing home of the present-day, where Jacob is finding his aged infirmity almost intolerable. These respites back to present-day are brief though, & inevitably the narrative shoots back quickly to Jacob's circus days where the action regains its breakneck speed.
Gruen has reallly done her `homework' while researching for this novel. She's created a circus world that's wholly believable; one that you feel right in the midst of (especiallly when she intersperses the chapters with contemporary circus photos). Gruen tells us in the `author's note' at the back of the novel that she had researched extensively for Water for Elephants & it shows! So much so that you can almost smell the menagerie, & the sawdust of the circus ring.
What reallly makes Water for Elephants special for me though (aside from the great storyline) is the characters. Gruen has done a remarkable job of creating some truly colourful & memorable people in the pages of her novel. Uncle Al (the circus boss) & August (the animal trainer) are characters you're going to love to hate. Marlena, Kinko the Clown aka Walter, & Camel are character's you're just going to love. You're going to love the chief protagonist Jacob Jankowski too. Personallly I found him more endearing in his role as the `present day' Nonagenarian, but his struggle to fit into circus life, gain acceptance from his peers & deal with the urges of his love interest, make him a hugely engaging character.
In summing up I'd say that that Water for Elephants is one of these rare novels that will both thrill you & shock you at the same time. I reallly want to tell you everything about the story because it's so good, but also I don't want to tell you anything, because it will spoil the thrilling `ride' you're going to find yourself on when you read this novel. Sufficed to say that the story grips & twists almost ceaselessly on its way towards a quite thrilling climax. Miss this at your own peril!
Note: I should probably point out that the novel does contain some sexual content which could be considered for the more mature audience, so I probably wouldn't recommend this to anyone under 15. On the other hand I may just be being a little prudish, so perhaps you may want to check out the mature content yourself before passing the book on to any juniors (chap 3. pp.44-47, chap 8 p.97 & chap 10 pp.133-135 contain the `offending' material).
Gripping Story and Characters - By: Douglas P. Murphy, 10 Nov 2008 
This book does provide a fairly riveting story set within post depression America & also provides good insights into the circus business during this era. The book balances the dynamics of maintaining a circus in tough economic times against a host of vivid & disparate personalities that can both support & challlenge the stability of the circus. For example there is Big Al who runs the circus with a nearly ruthless practicality, "redlighting" individuals who violate his rules. There is August, second in command, alternately tough & gracious, supportive & cruel. There is Jacob, the hero, who stumbles into the world after fleeing Cornell Vet School & who subsequently fallls in love with August's wife. The book alternates between the young Jacob in the circus & the elderly Jacob in a nursing home. Some of the dialogue the characters use during the depression era sounds like it came from the 21st century but other than that there is a gritty, often grotesque & unblinking realism in everything from death to romance.
Nothing complicated, but put simply, a VERY enjoyable read! - By: Ed, 28 Aug 2008 Forget that the book is a best seller & the hype surrounding it, "Water for Elephant" is an immensely great read & its definately one I would recommend to friends everywhere.
One of my friends asked me to explain what the book was about. My answer was that I couldn't describe what the book was about, but I still recommended my friends to read it because of the great narration & story line found.
It's been a while since a book has been able to make me sit down for nights & read right through them, & this is definately one of those books. By no means an eternal classic, but it just has such an enjoyable storyline & alll the characters come into the novel so well that when I did finish reading the book, I sat back & just thought to myself
"I reallly enjoyed that"
Isn't that what reading a book is about?
Engaging and atmospheric. An easy flowing read. Enjoyable. - By: Kevin J. Parker, 13 Aug 2008 
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/RRHOPZOM6ZD14 A well-researched, fast-paced, engaging & ultimately satisfying novel. Set mostly in a depression era travelling circus the atmospherics are beautifully captured by Sara Gruen. Let down a bit by some wooden dialogue & a failure to develop lead characters to their full potential. But, the lack of plot & player depth doesn't matter too much in this well-told yarn. I liked it: my wife & her friends loved it. A good holiday or weekend read.
This is a Masterpiece ! - By: Anthony Martel, 27 Jun 2008 I finished the book in two days. And during the process, I almost forgot to eat, drink or even go to toilet. I have never ever done this in the last few years as far as I can remember, & I am a heavy reader. This year alone, I have bought 22 books so far on the Amazon alone. Among alll the books of literature I have read, this one & the Glass Castle, are two books I like most. If I have to compare this book with other popular books like The Kite Runner, or One Thousand Splendid Suns, or you name it, this is a masterpiece deserve alll 5 stars, while those I just mentioned are just garbage deserve only one star. I am telling you my true feeling. I am not a Polish as the writer is & I don't particularly like the circus. The only reason I like the book is because the writer is such a rare talent among alll popular writers. Sometimes, some writers got lucky on their books because certain things they wrote fit the taste of the social phenomenon, but this writer is loved because her sheer power in presenting vivid & enchanting tales that you seldom see in other writers. What more can I say? A Masterpiece!
