I just finished reading Water for Elephants and I thought it was a brilliant and amazing book. I was captivated from the very moment I first picked it up. It was one of those books, that once I started reading I did not want to stop.
The story is wonderfully and skillfully told. It is a tale about the life of the circus in the days of the depression, and the hardships of the people, as well as the corruption, cruelty, and endurance. It is full of gritty wit and really brings the scene and people to life. It is so vivid and so "real." The characters really draw you in.
It is a very moving and gripping story, though parts of it are painful to read, it is filled with both sadness and joy and ends bittersweet, and yet still with the lingering feeling of hope.