Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

[Dark Muse]

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.

[*Classic*Charm*]

Ooh I finished this novel this summer. I LOVED it!! I thought the same thing you did- there is such a realness to the characters.

[AmericanEagle]

I really liked this novel; however, I thought the ending was a bit unrealistic.

[qimissung]

I read it a few months ago. I loved it. I thought her characterization was masterful, and it was a page-turner. I loved being enmeshed in the culture of the circus, not something I had really given much thought to before. The climax was a stunner, and actually I loved the ending; I don't think it had to be realistic, just true to the spirit of all that had gone before.

It reminded me a lot of the ending of Fried Green Tomatoes. I think one of the themes of the book is that we in this country, the United States, persist in setting aside and ignoring old people. And his response to that, as it had been years earlier under seemingly impossible circumstances, was a resounding NO.

[Lynne50]

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.

I have to agree with everyone that posted. I loved this book, too. I recommend this book to alot of people. I can honestly say, it was a story that took me right back to the time of the depression. I felt like I was really there. And at the end, it left me with a different impression of Thomas Edison. I thought Gruen was supposed to publish another book this past fall, but I haven't heard of anything. This one is about apes. If you hear anything about it, please let me know.

[Dark Muse]

I looked her up on a website I use Fantastic Fiction, which is like this datebase with every known arthur you can think of, and in in June 2011 she has a book The Ape House coming out

[Lynne50]

Thanks for the info. I'm kind of concerned, though. I hope it's not another "Water" but with apes. I hope I'm not disappointed.

[Dark Muse]

Hehe yeah, when I was looking her up I noticed she had a couple books she wrote about horses, and I was all execited at first, becasue I use to read any book I could get my hands on that had a horse, but then when I read the discription of the book it made me groan becasue it sounded like something that should be a Hallmark Movie, which needless to say ain't my thing.

[mpeachhead]

It's been awhile since I read it, but I have a quick question: in the intro to the book, the main character's lover kills the villain. At the end, it is revealed to be the elephant who does it. What is the meaning here? Something about how unreliable the old man's memory is? Has he blocked out the murder? Or did the elephant really do the killing.