With a showmans expert timing, gruen saves a terrific revelation for the final pages, transforming a glimpse of americana. The setting of the story changes throughout the book. Water for elephants is fun, sweet and thrilling and will pull you into the mysterious life of the circus so far that you wont want to leave. Sara gruen uses her talent as a writer to bring that world alive for the reader. Ittells the story of jacob, a young man who joins the circus and ends up falling in love with both a woman and an elephant in different ways, thank goodness. Free download or read online water for elephants pdf epub book. The truth is, it is summer and i am desperate for a distraction away from my recent obsession with greys anatomy reruns fueled by netflixs instant queue. Water for elephants is a story about an elderly man, jacob, who recalls an adventure in his younger years. 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. Water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing. 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.
Books that defined a generation water for elephants. I hate being so enamored with a book and then a crappy movie version comes along and tarnishes it. Jacob, the books narrator and protagonist, worked as a vet and trainer of sorts at a circus. Water for elephants is one of my most favorite books. Set in the 1930s, a former veterinary student takes a job in a travelling circus and falls in love with the ringmasters wife. The last notes of water for elephants linger long after the book ends.
Water for elephants is the new york times bestselling debut novel by sara gruen. Read water for elephants absolutely for free at readanybook. Download and read online for free water for elephants by sara gruen. Gruen transports us into the world of a thirdrate traveling circus during the great depression. In one plot, jacob is a young guy just starting out in the world. Later in the book, it is suggested that he is a paranoid schizophrenic, to explain his violence. Water for elephants is a book that can be read and reread, recommended and handed off between friends. Water for elephants, published in 2006, is sara gruen s third book and her most successful to date.
Winner of the 2007 bookbrowse award for most popular book. Water for elephants, sara gruen 9781565125605 boeken. The story is told as a series of memories by jacob jankowski, a 93yearold man who lives in a nursing home. Water for elephants begins violently and then veers into weirder terrain. Her works have been translated into fortythree languages and have sold more than ten million copies worldwide. Water for elephants resembles stealth hits like the giants house, by elizabeth mccracken, or the. He ended up working in a circus, as the shows vet, and fell in love with the equine masters wife. Water for elephants is a delightful, moving book, and the ending was a very pleasant surprise. With robert pattinson, reese witherspoon, christoph waltz, paul schneider. 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. Jacob jankowski, a veterinary student at cornell, discovers that. All we as viewers and fans can hope for is a script, production, and acting body that gives the book the attention it deserves.
After his parents death, jacob jankowski is left penniless and homeless. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of water for elephants by sara gruen. Water for elephants was adapted into a major motion picture starring reese. An american book association indiebound best seller. Although i wanted more emotion between marlena and jacob, its a romantic story, full of action, love for animals and a magnificent circus.
The most interesting aspect of the book is all the circus lore that gruen has so carefully. Water for elephants, published in 2010, is a contemporary novel by sara gruen. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Water for elephants is a thoroughly enjoyable read. Water for elephants by sara gruen is a must read a story about a 90yearold man remembering his days with a circus during the great depression. An atmospheric, gritty, and compelling novel of starcrossed lovers, set in the circus world circa. Review of water for elephants good books for catholic kids. The water for elephants community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you.
Pdf water for elephants book by sara gruen free download. It is also apparent that the more popular a book is, the quicker its screen adaptation gets produced. Sara gruens arresting new novel, water for elephants, explores similar subject matter the pathetic grandeur of the depressionera circus. Use these book club discussion questions on water for elephants to lead your book clubs conversation on the story. Water for elephants by sara gruen book club discussion. Official page for sara gruen and her books, including the international bestseller water for elephants 2006.
Water for elephants by sara gruen, and the 2011 movie. 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. Water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing month. It has sold over 10 million copies worldwide and the movie was released in 2011. 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. 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. These book club discussion questions reveal important details about water for. The book, water for elephants, starts off in the present day, in a nursing home where the main character, jacob jankowski, lives. Water for elephants has two plots going on, both starring the same main character, jacob. With its spotlight on elephants, gruens romantic pageturner hinges on the humananimal bonds that drove her debut and its sequel riding. The main characters of this fiction, historical story are jacob jankowski, rosemary. The only place the movie veers from the original is in its details of the older, current jacob. Goodreads members who liked water for elephants also liked. The two readers, david ledoux and john randolph jones, did a wonderful job of bringing both jacobs young and old to life.
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 by sara gruen thriftbooks. Cant say ive ever been curious enough about its workings to read a book revolving around one, but i am so glad i did because it was sooo much more than that. Water for elephants a depressionera circus provides the backdrop for sara gruens latest novel, water for elephants.
The alternating glamour and squalor of the circus world gruen expertly conjures may truly be one of the greatest shows. It was adult, and it was realistic, and i loved it. In what ways and to what extent do the words pathetic grandeur describe the world that gruen creates in her novel. Events lead him to joining the circus as their vet, working under their unstable boss august whose violent tendencies give everyone reason to be cautious around him, including his beautiful and quiet wife marlena, whom august is very possessive of and who jacob finds himself soon falling in love with. Sara gruen has written an utterly transporting novel richly full of the stuff of life. An atmospheric, gritty, and compelling novel of starcrossed lovers, set in the circus world circa 1932, by the bestselling autho. It stars reese witherspoon, robert pattinson, and christoph waltz the film was released in the united states on april 22, 2011. The story is told by its main character, jacob who is now confined to. A novel of starcrossed lovers, set in the circus world circa 1932.
Apparently water for elephants was a very popular book when it was published. 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 of the same name. She wrote the book as part of national novel writing month. The circus, the great depression, a complex elephant, equally complex love, the mists and twists of memory articulated in the utterly winning voice of a very old man whos seen it all. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 335 pages and is available in paperback format. Overall, water for elephants was a book that grabbed me from the beginning. Its from this nursing home that jacob tells his story, like he is looking back at all the adventures at the circus. I felt like a toddler whose tantrum was being allowed to run its course. Trust us, water for elephants is going to be one of the surprise hits of 2011. Water for elephants by sara gruen at the best online ebook storage. The first edition of the novel was published in may 26th 2006, and was written by sara gruen. Id recommend it to anyone, and will actively seek out other books by sara gruen.