Sara gruen is such a talented writer that it is no wonder i love this book so much. 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 reflects back on his wild and wondrous days with a circus. Informational nonfiction, 693 words, level n grade 2, lexile 540l. It mostly stays true to the story, and the set and costumes gel perfectly. The prologue features a younger version of jacob, who works at a circus and witnesses a murder. Water for elephants is the touching story of jacob jankowski. Based on the novel by sara gruen of the same name, water for elephants is a love story with a 1930s circus as a backdrop. There has been so much hype surrounding this novel an international bestseller, even more so now with the movie soon to be released, but i couldnt anticipate just how much this book lived up to and excelled expectation. Water for elephants a depressionera circus provides the backdrop for sara gruens latest novel, water for elephants. Water for elephants by sara gruen water for elephants by. With the action, forbidden love, hard choices, loss, and so much more, water for elephants is one of the best books i have ever read. We relive jacobs experiences with him as he recalls his past.
Gruen clearly took the effort to realistically recreate her setting and characters. 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 up topar. Listen to water for elephants by sara gruen,john randolph jones,david ledoux for free with a 30 day free trial. Water for elephants is a story about an elderly man, jacob, who recalls an adventure in his younger years. Water for elephants by sara gruen examines the life of 93yearold jacob jankowski who worked for years in the circus as a veterinarian. Water for elephants is one of my most favorite books. Manages the traveling circus that sets up across from the nursing home. May 03, 2011 in water for elephants, the benzini bros. When jacob jankowski, a veterinary student, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, grifters, and misfits, a secondrate circus struggling to survive during the great depression, making onenight stands in town after endless town. It was the great depression and for jacob the circus was both his salvation and a. Sara gruens awards include the 2007 book sense book of the year award. Joshilyn jackson, author of gods in alabama so much more than a tale about a circus, water for elephants is a compelling journey not only.
An atmospheric, gritty, and compelling novel of starcrossed lovers, set in the circus world circa 1932. Listen to water for elephants audiobook by sara gruen, john. The book, water for elephants by sara gruen, is also available on audible. The novel has received high praise from numerous critics, and has. Ive always been a complete sucker for animals, says gruen, whose novel water for elephants has garnered. Sara gruens book, water for elephants, was a runaway best seller an internationally acclaimed novel told as the reminiscences of an old man, jacob, about his experiences with a depressionera circus where he witnessed the brutalities inflicted on people and animals alike. Since the trains used in the movie were located in southern california, filmmakers had to use cgi computergenerated imagery to transform arid mountains into lush green hills with the appropriate skyline in the background. Listen to unlimited audiobooks on the web, ipad, iphone and android. Although the book has a flashy appearance and is easily digested, it. Its not terribly surprising, then, that one of the most memorable characters in this animal lovers new novel is a pachyderm named rosie. I attended a couple of group discussions and a presentation by the author. When jacob overhears a man at the assistedliving center claim to have been a water boy for the elephants on a circus, jacob knows the man is lying because.
But be warned, this isnt the order of events in the book. Water for elephants by sara gruen is illuminated by a wonderful sense of time and place. Water for elephants book jefferson county public library. The title, water for elephants, is almost a little inside joke with the reader once weve finished the book, that is. Water for elephants book midcontinent public library. When a circus comes to town and sets itself up across the street, one of the old coots living in the same home brags that he used to work in the circus carrying water for elephants. Jacob, the books narrator and protagonist, worked as a vet and trainer of sorts at a circus.
I thought it would be useful to have a glossary of circus terms on the wfe film blog. Gruen does an excellent job describing what it might be like to be 90, alone, and losing all you know, even yourself. What parts of water for elephants still hold true for the. Apr 12, 2011 there is so much to love about sara gruens water for elephants, from the lush and magical setting of a 1930s circus, to the sweeping forbidden romance, to the heartbreaking recollections of narrator jacob jankowski. Water for elephants by sara gruen is an absolutely spectacular read. Its the setup of a terrific secret that gruen, like a savvy ringmaster, saves for. When a traveling circus sets up in the parking lot next to his residence, his shaky. Water for elephants is told in the first person but from two different perspectivesjacob jankowski at 23 years of age and again, at 93 years old. Heads up folks water for elephants is coming out as a movie soon and i am looking forward to seeing it. Feb 02, 2012 overall, if you loved the book, you will love the movie. Later, marlena sets up a beautiful meal for the three of them herself, jacob, and august.
Although elephants are a muchloved part of the circus, their fans also want to be sure that these animals are never mistreated. Jan 06, 2016 water for elephants is the touching story of jacob jankowski, a ninetythreeyearold man, who is reminded of his colorful past when a circus sets up next door to his assistedliving center. See more ideas about water for elephants, robert pattinson and elephant. The significance of the title is that carrying water for elephants is a circus myth that people tell and this story actually tells the truth about circus life back then. Although it is only april, i predict that water for elephants by sara gruen will be one of the best books i read this year. Visually, the movie is just what you picture when reading the book, and that makes it magical. It was in this bucolic setting that gruen started writing her third novel following. Elephants is an informational text that describes the largest land animalstheir bodies, their diet, and their families. Its about the illusions in life we set up for ourselves and for others.
Water for elephants movie tiein by sara gruen, paperback. But besides offering a sweepyouoffyourfeet reading experience and a highlyanticipated movie adaptation late this month, there are plenty of opportunities. To ask other readers questions about water for elephants, please sign up. Water for elephants was the oneread book in my community this year.
The book received a mixed reception here, but there was a preponderance of like over dislike among those who attended discussions. Water for elephants ebook san francisco public library. A novel of starcrossed lovers, set in the circus world circa 1932. Water for elephants is an excellent novel depicting railroad circus life during the. The spectacular filming locations of water for elephants. Water for elephants has two plots going on, both starring the same main character, jacob. Jacob, the book s narrator and protagonist, worked as a vet and trainer of sorts at a circus. The narrative of water for elephants, like the circus it describes, relies on showmanship and illusion to communicate its story effectively. When jacob overhears a man at the assistedliving center confess to having been a water boy for the elephants in a circus, jacob knows the man is lying. The book s popular success is proof of the power of illusion and its effectiveness as a literary device. Winner of the 2007 bookbrowse award for most popular book. In one plot, jacob is a young guy just starting out in the world.
The grand rapids press you need this elephant in your life. One night jacob climbs up and jumps each car, while the train is moving, to augusts room, carrying a knife. P but since youve asked, heres an overly detailed answer. Marlena and jacob leave, taking with them circus animals including rosie, queenie and marlenas horses, and. Apr 18, 2020 water for elephants by sara gruen is illuminated by a wonderful sense of time and place. Mar 11, 2011 sara gruens book, water for elephants, was a runaway best seller an internationally acclaimed novel told as the reminiscences of an old man, jacob, about his experiences with a depressionera circus where he witnessed the brutalities inflicted on people and animals alike. The glitz and grit, glam and sham of depressionera circus life limps along in sara gruens water for elephants with little aid from her shoddy prose, predictable plot and underdeveloped metaphor.
Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The circus he joins, in depressionera america, is secondrate at best. Overall, if you loved the book, you will love the movie. And so, sure enough, in water for elephants, a circus picture of which pattinson is nominally the star, every time waltz enters a scene, deploying his skittery intelligence and unsettling leer. Cloud swing a barless swing, really just a u of rope, used in an aerial act. Album water for elephants original motion picture soundtrack. 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. See more ideas about circus, elephant, circus elephant. If youre reading, or have read, water for elephants then youve already come across. Circus is the central theme in comic books of super commando dhruva, an indian comic book superhero. Circus report name of a weekly circus trade magazine. The novel water for elephants by sara gruen tells the fictional tale of a circus veterinarian and was made into a movie with the same title, starring robert pattinson and reese witherspoon.
Apr 21, 2011 and so, sure enough, in water for elephants, a circus picture of which pattinson is nominally the star, every time waltz enters a scene, deploying his skittery intelligence and unsettling leer. The setting is a circus, there is booze everywhere, and sex is gonna happen. The benzini brothers are a circus which travels the country and sets up their one day circus. Jacob meets august and marlena while on his new adventure. The alternating glamour and squalor of the circus world gruen expertly conjures may truly be one of the greatest shows. Photographs of asian and african elephants include captions that feature additional interesting facts. The story is told as a series of memories by jacob jankowski, a 93yearold man who lives in a nursing home. 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. Circus tape adhesive cloth tape used to wrap trapeze bars and other circus equipment. Apr 23, 2011 based on the novel by sara gruen of the same name, water for elephants is a love story with a 1930s circus as a backdrop.
Water for elephants is a 2011 american romantic drama film directed by francis lawrence and written by richard lagravenese, based on sara gruens 2006 novel. He walked out without completing the test and wound up on a circus train. Water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing month. Sara gruen keeps her cats ashes in an urn behind her desk and donates a portion of her book royalties to animal charities. Joshilyn jackson, author of gods in alabama so much more than a tale about a circus, water for elephants is a compelling journey not only under the big top, but into the protagonists heart. There is so much to love about sara gruens water for elephants, from the lush and magical setting of a 1930s circus, to the sweeping forbidden romance, to the heartbreaking recollections of narrator jacob jankowski.
A shattered illusion sets the action of water for elephants in motion. Water for elephants is the touching story of jacob jankowski, a ninetythreeyearold man, who is reminded of his colorful past when a circus sets up next door to his assistedliving center. 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. He begins reflecting on this time in his life because a circus sets up beside his assistedliving center. The first time we hear gruen reference the title in the book is when jacob realizes one of his fellow nursing home patients is telling a white lie about working for the circus. Director francis lawrence has used a few of these words in his tweets, as have the roustabouts and other performers in the film. A circus sets up close to the home, and jacob thinks about his life as a vet in a circus, where her met his wife. According to this series, dhruva was born and brought. All these substories coalesce into one that is set at the time of the great depression to make up the background of this book.
When jacob jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, grifters, and misfits, a secondrate circus struggling to survive during the great depression, making onenight stands in town after endless town. 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. The last notes of water for elephants linger long after the book ends. Water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing. I hate being so enamored with a book and then a crappy movie version comes along and tarnishes it.