Water for Elephants

By: Sara Gruen

Narrated by: David LeDoux, John Randolph Jones

An atmospheric tale of life and love in a Depression-era traveling circus.

Nonagenarian Jacob Jankowski reflects back on his wild and wondrous days with a circus. It's the Depression Era and Jacob, finding himself parentless and penniless, joins the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. There he meets the freaks, grifters, and misfits that populate this world. Jacob introduces us to Marlena, beautiful star of the equestrian act; to August, her charismatic but twisted husband (and the circus' animal trainer); and to Rosie, a seemingly untrainable elephant.

Beautifully written, with a luminous sense of time and place, Water for Elephants tells of love in a world in which love's a luxury few can afford.

©2006 Sara Gruen (P)2006 HighBridge Company

Critic reviews

• Book Sense Book of the Year Award, Adult Fiction, 2007
• Audie Award Finalist, Fiction, Unabridged, 2007

" Water for Elephants resembles stealth hits like The Giant's House, by Elizabeth McCracken, or The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold, books that combine outrageously whimsical premises with crowd-pleasing romanticism. . . . With a showman's expert timing, [Gruen] saves a terrific revelation for the final pages, transforming a glimpse of Americana into an enchanting escapist fairy tale.” ( New York Times Book Review)

"Just like a circus, the magic of the story and the writing convince you to suspend your disbelief." ( Booklist)

"Gruen skillfully humanizes the midgets, drunks, rubes, and freaks who populate her book." ( Publishers Weekly)

Swept away

This beautifully written story was wonderfully narrated by the two gentlemen as Jacob at 23 & 90...or 93. I absolutely loved it and was sorry when it ended. I especially enjoyed the elder Jacob's view of life in a nursing home. I would highly recommend this as a transporting read. I am listening to it again and enjoying the second time around.

I guess I expected too much.

While I didn't actively dislike this audio book, I wasn't really enchanted with it and expected much more because of the high ranking in audible favorites.
I did like certain story lines, like the Walter/Jacob relationship the and the Rosemary/Jacob (older Jacob) story line that was so realistic, other lines were touched on, like the Elephant and man connection or the horse and woman connection, but were left fairly sketchy and under developed.
I also felt that some of the descriptions, especially of the uncomfortably sexy type were overly graphic and didn't add much to my understanding of the characters and the story line. I even found myself fast forwarding through those spots.
I could easily imagine some of the scenes as if they were happening on a movie screen due to the abundance of incidental details and descriptive captures of the characters' movements and mannerisms.
So I won't say that it is a waste of time, but just that it is fairly easy and unchallenging and I prefer something possibly a little bit more "meaty" and interesting. I liked the ending.

Who doesn't love the circus?

So how could I resist a story with a circus, a love story, and a right good curmudgeon? I couldn't. This is a wonderful book which hasn't recieved nearly enough attention.

What's all the hype about?

Would you try another book from Sara Gruen and/or David LeDoux and John Randolph Jones ?

I probably wouldn't read another book by this author simply because I didn't enjoy this book. The story was well developed, the characters also, but I just didn't like the story line. I didn't care for the various characters. Perhaps the circus just isn't my thing.

What about David LeDoux and John Randolph Jones ’s performance did you like?

The readers were fine. Rather harsh vocals, but they fit the characters and setting.

Was Water for Elephants worth the listening time?

Not in my book.

Overhyped

Any additional comments?

Water for Elephants had me excited to begin with. I had not watched the movie, and I didn't know what it was about, but I was looking forward to finding out. The book starts off with a bang and really sets the mood for what kind of a crazy, exciting story it will be. Unfortunately, it falls flat shortly after, and all the way until the end. Sure I was charmed by the 90 (or 93) year old Jacob, and I sat with a huge grin on my face at the end of the book, but I could not relate to young Jacob and the main storyline at all.

The bond between Jacob and Marlena is watery thin, I really wish Sara Gruen had spent more time creating a better reason for why they fell so in love with each other. Considering their romantic interest with each other is the main drive of the story, it is beyond me how shallow it is. Because of this, I struggled to find the story interesting and found Jacobs old nursery home and life more interesting than the circus life, which is rather unfortunate.

Even if you're just looking for a love story, there are far better books out there, like the outlander series! I was quite disappointed by Water for Elephants, and spent most my time wishing it would end sooner rather than later.

The performance by the narrators was absolutely delightful, and the music added in the background made it more magical than it deserved to be. Performance gets a well deserved 5/5, I wouldn't have finished the book without the help of David and John

tough to get through

I thought this book was far from great I found it to be boring.

Excellent book, even for someone who craves action

This is not my usual genre of choice. I tend to lean towards sci-fi, fantasy, or thrillers. But, I'm always trying to expand my horizons, so I thought I'd try literary fiction for a change.

The well-written characters and dialog sucked me in. The plot lacked some of pizzazz that I generally prefer, but it was gripping, full of drama and danger. I was satisfied.

I would have given this book 4 stars across the board, but the incredible writing and narration of the old man in the nursing home was A+ work, and some of the best listening audible has shown me so far.

Makes reality magical

Eater for Elephants is spectacular. Written with grace and compassion, the story intertwines youth and old age with equal pain, humor, and our irresistible search for adventure.

Loved this story

The story was beautiful written and extremely engaging, it was a great listen and really enjoyed the voices of the two readers.

water for elephants

loved this book! so so so much better than the movie! You won't be disappointed!