A national bestseller in canada and a new york times bestseller in the united states, this is a book destined to become a beloved fiction classic. I hate being so enamored with a book and then a crappy movie version comes along and tarnishes it. Read water for elephants a novel of starcrossed lovers perfect for summer reading by sara gruen available from rakuten kobo. Water for elephants opens in the present day with a cranky old jankowski living out his last days in the nursing home. Heads up folks water for elephants is coming out as a movie soon and i am looking forward to seeing it. Is it primarily written for a female audience or will i like it. Beautifully written, water for elephants is illuminated by a wonderful sense of time and place. Later in the book, it is suggested that he is a paranoid schizophrenic, to explain his violence. The story follows jacob jankowski who was an old man living in a nursing home, as he looks back about a time that defined his life.
Water for elephants is the story of jacobs life with this circus. Jacob is the only person in the book who has a handle on a moral compass and as his. From my understanding of both works, the only clear connection is the theme of deception. The novel, told in flashback by nonagenarian jacob jankowski, recounts the wild and. What are six character traits jacob jankowski has in water. I decided to not watch the movie when i heard it was coming out simply because i didnt want to possibly ruin the experience id had with the book if the movie wasnt uptopar. Only days before graduating from vet school in 1931, young jake learns his parents have died and left him penniless. Water for elephants by sara gruen when jacob jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, grifters, and misfits the benzini brothers most spectacular show on earth a secondrate travelling circus struggling to survive during the great depression, making onenight stands in town after endless town. Winner of the 2007 bookbrowse diamond award for most popular book. We personally assess every book s quality and offer rare, outofprint treasures. Its one of the few books that everyone has come back to me saying, water for elephants was so good. May 22, 2006 jacob janowskis luck had run outorphaned and penniless, he had no direction until he landed on a rickety train that was home to the benzini brothers most spectacular show on earth.
Water for elephants, published in 2007, is sara gruens third novel. He begins reflecting on this time in his life because a circus sets up beside his assistedliving center. Water for elephants resembles stealth hits like the giants house, by elizabeth mccracken, or the lovely bones, by alice sebold, books that combine outrageously whimsical premises with crowdpleasing romanticism. In the beginning of the novel, jacob mocks another resident of the nursing home who claims to have worked in the circus and carried water for the elephants. Water for elephants is an enchanting pageturner, the kind of book that creates a world that engulfs you from the first page to the last. Water for elephants was adapted into a major motion picture starring reese witherspoon, rob pattinson, and christoph waltz. Thriftbooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. Younger jacob and older jacob each gets to have his say. A strange but beautiful combination of animals, romance, and historical fiction, water for elephants tells the story of a man who starts off as a cornell university veterinary student and ends as a tired, old, former circus member. Here he says that hes overflowing, bursting with love. Her works have been translated into fortythree languages and have sold more than ten million copies worldwide.
Jacob janowskis luck had run outorphaned and penniless, he had no direction until he landed on a rickety train that was home to the benzini brothers most spectacular show on earth. Water for elephants begins dark and violent as it braces readers for the tumultuous circus atmosphere during the terrible years of the great depression. Find books like water for elephants from the worlds largest community of readers. Jacob jankowski is the main character of water for elephants. At its finest, water for elephants resembles stealth hits like the giants house, by elizabeth mccracken, or the lovely bones, by alice sebold, books that combine outrageously whimsical premises with crowdpleasing romanticism. The circus train only had a limited amount of water on board, and elephants can drink 100300 litres per day approximately 2680 gallons. The inspiration for the book was a chicago tribune article about edward j. Read water for elephants by sara gruen for free with a 30 day free trial read ebook on the web, ipad, iphone and androi. Goodreads members who liked water for elephants also liked.
When 90something jacob jankowski hears the circus is in town, it brings him back to his younger years, when he traveled the country working for the circus. Charlie enters the book in the secondtolast chapter and plays a small but pivotal role. Feb 02, 2012 a strange but beautiful combination of animals, romance, and historical fiction, water for elephants tells the story of a man who starts off as a cornell university veterinary student and ends as a tired, old, former circus member. Water for elephants is a novel that you can easily read more than once. To emphasize this, the whole book is written in the present tense. Times, publishers weekly, san francisco chronicle, and washington post lists a usa today and wall street journal best seller an american book association indiebound best seller. Youre a living piece of history, and id surely love to hear about that collapse firsthand. He was going to a very expensive school to be a vet. Jacob jankowski runs away and joins the circus, proving its never too late to. Water for elephants movie tiein by sara gruen, paperback. Water for elephants is a rich surprise, a delightful gem springing from a fascinating footnote to history that absolutely deserved to be mined.
Trust us, water for elephants is going to be one of the surprise hits of 2011. Jacob jankowski, who is currently ninety or ninetytwo, tells the story of how he left his ivy league training as a vet and ran away after. The setting of the story changes throughout the book. An american book association indiebound best seller. As a young man, jacob jankowski was tossed by fate onto a rickety train that. I read that the story of jacob is allegedly the backbone of water for elephants. With lines of startling beauty, haunting and evocative scenes and finelydrawn characters who dance off the page, readers can dip in and out of the novel, immersing themselves in jacobs memories. Sara gruen is the internationally bestselling author of water for elephants and at the waters edge. She demonstrates an exceptional aptitude for writing, and matthias, for a time, indulges her with reed pens, papyri, and other 16 c. In water for elephants, jacob jankowski is portrayed as both a young man and. An atmospheric, gritty, and compelling novel of starcrossed lovers, set in the circus world circa 1932, by the bestselling author of riding lessons. Its almost like love is a physical thing that he can feel moving through his body. Water for elephants is a book that can be read and reread, recommended and handed off between friends. His parents, on his final day of his cornell academy of veteranary science exams, get killed.
The circus was the main setting of the book, water for elephants. Jacobs story begins at cornell university where he is studying to come a vet. Water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing. It is a book i have recommended to everyone who has asked me what book i would recommend. Set during the great depression, water for elephants tells the story of a young man who leaves his life as a cornell university veterinary student after losing both his parents in a car accident, and jumps onto a train that happens to house the benzini brothers most. Jacob is working overtime as the narrator of water for elephants.
Ana is the daughter of matthias, head scribe to herod antipas, tetrarch of galilee. When 90something jacob jankowski hears the circus is in town, it brings him back to his younger years, when he. As a consequence, it is not surprising that the annual cycle of monsoon rains in the weather pattern of asia plays a major role in determining where elephants live and why they move from place to place throughout the. So an ample water supply is critical for any elephant group. With a showmans expert timing, gruen saves a terrific revelation for the final pages, transforming a glimpse of. The best thing about water is the telling of the story by jacob jankowski, who is a 90 or 93 year old vet depending on how you look at it, now confined in a residential nursing home and looking back into his past. Mar 01, 2011 water for elephants is an enchanting pageturner, the kind of book that creates a world that engulfs you from the first page to the last. Jacob jankowski, a retired veterinarian living out his days in an assistedliving facility, drifts in and out of his memories. I have to admit, when our book club picked this book, i thought it was going to be long and tedious. A novel by gruen, sara and a great selection of similar used, new and collectible books available now at. Weve probably all seen a movie and wished it were 40 minutes shorter or read a book and thought, damn, this really could have been condensed and lost. The book, water for elephants, starts off in the present day, in a nursing home where the main character, jacob jankowski, lives.
Answered questions 22 seen this book around at sales a lotfinally picked it up. Jacob is ninetythree year old and is looking back on his adventures in life while he spends his days in a nursing home. May 01, 2007 water for elephants was adapted into a major motion picture starring reese witherspoon, rob pattinson, and christoph waltz in 2011. The story starts off with ninetythree year old jacob jankowski recounting his life as a young man training at cornell to be a veterinarian. Blackandwhite photographs of real american circus scenes from the first half of the century are interspersed throughout the. Every time i read this novel i find it more and more intriguing. Mar 18, 2008 in water for elephants, deception runs quite rampant, especially from uncle al, who would constantly swindle his own crew and performers.
Oct 21, 2009 water for elephants is the first adult novel ive read and it certainly didnt disappoint. Sara gruens water for elephants at the librarys book discussion group, and. Then gruen shifts readers attention away from the eerie circus to introduce the ninety or ninetythree year old protagonist, jacob jankowski. Its from this nursing home that jacob tells his story, like he is looking back at all the adventures at the circus. As an old man jacob jankowski is very misunderstood.
So, i read the story of jacob, son of isaac who was the son of abraham, who almost sacrificed isaac. This is where almost all of the action of the story took place. Set in a travelling circus touring the backblocks of america during the great depression of the early 1930s, this is a story of love and hate, trains and circuses, dwarves and fat ladies, horses and elephantsor to be more specific, one elephant, rosie, star. 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. She lives in western north carolina with her husband and three sons, along with their dogs, cats, horses, birds, and the worlds fussiest goat. To ask other readers questions about water for elephants, please sign up. With a showmans expert timing, gruen saves a terrific revelation for the final pages, transforming a glimpse of americana. The denver post so compelling, so detailed and vivid, that i couldnt bear to be torn away from it for a single minute. Water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing month.
A thousand splendid suns, memory keepers daughter, etc. Water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing month jacob janowskis luck had run out. First let me say this is one of my all time favorite books i would really suggest you reading it if you havent already. Im not sure if jacob jankowski is a parallel to jacob, son of isaac. Yet, in spite of the decades that separate younger and older jacob, we realize that jacob. Aug 21, 2009 first let me say this is one of my all time favorite books i would really suggest you reading it if you havent already. Blackandwhite photographs of real american circus scenes from the first half of the century are. We relive jacobs experiences with him as he recalls his past. With lines of startling beauty, haunting and evocative scenes and finelydrawn characters who dance off the page, readers can dip in and out of the novel, immersing themselves in jacob s memories. I read water for elephants for our book club, and i expected it to be as slow, dull, and superficial as most of the other books we have read. Jacob jankowski is a complex character who retains the readers interest because of multiple contradictions in his character, so he can be said to show at least six character traits.
Jankowski, im going to get you into the show now before theres nothing left to see, but it would be an honor and a privilege if you would join me for a drink in my trailer after the show. A veterinary student just shy of a degree, he was put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. Water for elephants by sara gruen is an excellent novel that chronicles the life of jacob jankowski and his experiences in the benzini circus, one that is second rate at best compared to the ringling bros. Water for elephants was adapted into a major motion picture starring reese witherspoon, rob pattinson, and. Jacob jankowski is the main character in the book, water for elephants. The novel flashes back to the depression era when jankowskis parents. Sara gruen mines fertile territory in water for elephants. Extravagance, elephants and entertainment on the morning of his senior veterinary science exams at cornell, jacob jankowski is called out of the room by the dean. When jacob jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, drifters, and misfits, a secondrate circus struggling to. Water for elephants by sara gruen free kindle books. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Water for elephants is a treat for the reader, a chronicle of an adventure that permanently alters the life of one twentyoneyearold veterinary school dropout. The story is told as a series of memories by jacob jankowski, a 93yearold man who lives in a nursing home. Water for elephants is one of my most favorite books.
The ladys in the nursing home treat him like he cant do anything for himself. Water for elephants questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on water for elephants. Sara gruens very readable novel is a story of impossible love set in the circus world during the 1930s and is set to be made into a blockbuster film starring robert pattinson and reese witherspoon. Jacob jankowski, a veterinary student at cornell, discovers that his parents have been killed in a car accident. Jacob jankowski from water for elephants charactour. The circus man water for elephants by sara gruen is a fascinating and captivating novel told from the point of view of jacob jankowski, a veterinarian who jumps aboard a traveling circus during the depression in the 1930s. Apr 22, 2011 weve probably all seen a movie and wished it were 40 minutes shorter or read a book and thought, damn, this really could have been condensed and lost nothing. When jacob jankowski arrived for the first time at the circus where he worked, he was in awe.
Set in a travelling circus touring the backblocks of america during the great depression of the early 1930s, this is a story of love and hate, trains and circuses, dwarves and fat ladies, horses and elephantsor to be more specific, one elephant, rosie, star of benzini bros most spectacular show on earth. Elephants need to drink approximately 40 gallons of water each day. From life on a hectic circus, to life inside of a nursing home, sara gruen finds a way to make it all exciting. Jul 20, 2010 sara gruen is the internationally bestselling author of water for elephants and at the water s edge. When jacob jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a. Water for elephants ebook by sara gruen rakuten kobo. The following quote from jacob, taken from the book, describes, in detail, the marvelous scene. Several times in the book jacob compares the idea of love rising up in himself to a wave. Water for elephants is the first adult novel ive read and it certainly didnt disappoint. Tessa fontaines astonishing memoir of pushing past fear, the electric woman, follows the author on a lifeaffirming journey of loss and selfdiscovery through her time on the road with the last traveling american sideshow and her relationship with an adventurous, spirited mother. The novel has received high praise from numerous critics, and has. Water for elephants by sara gruen examines the life of 93yearold jacob jankowski who worked for years in the circus as a veterinarian.
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