Water for Elephants

Water for Elephants
Author: Sara Gruen
Series: ---
Publisher: Algonquin Books
How Received: bought

As a young man, Jacob Jankowski was tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. It was the early part of the great Depression, and for Jacob, now ninety, the circus world he remembers was both his salvation and a living hell. A veterinary student just shy of a degree, he was put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It was there that he met Marlena, the beautiful equestrian star married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. And he met Rosie, an untrainable elephant who was the great gray hope for this third-rate traveling show. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and, ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.

I loved Sara Gruen's other book, Riding Lessons, so I hoped this one would be just as good, if not better - especially since it's been raved about. Although I liked Riding Lessons better, I found myself enjoying this book - it was sweet and I was able to like Jacob, though I couldn't really relate to him. All in all, it was a sweet read.

Overall Rating: 9/10.
Water for Elephants or Riding Lessons?: I was able to relate a lot more to the characters in Riding Lessons, and, though the stories were just as sweet, I like horses more than elephants, so Riding Lessons won out.

Happy reading.

~Nicole