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What are readers saying about Water for Elephants?
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Amy posted a review at 2009-11-21 21:53:25.
(Language: English)
  
Could have been a bit deeper and more complex but it really kept me reading. I enjoyed the book. I also really liked the main character - he's someone I would like to know.
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Julie posted a review at 2009-11-19 21:29:46.
(Language: English)
What a great heart warming story
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Lisa posted a review at 2009-11-16 18:51:56.
(Language: English)
great read
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Sharon posted a review at 2009-11-14 14:48:40.
(Language: English)
GREAT book!! I was a little worried about reading another circus-y book after "Geek Love", but I really liked this one!
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Brittney posted a review at 2009-11-12 14:12:52.
(Language: English)
It was a great look into an old man's life-really makes me appreciate my grandparents more and want to spend more time with them as they grow older!
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Timothy posted a review at 2009-11-11 19:13:44.
(Language: English)
I wanted to love "Like Water for Elephants" as much as the reviewers said I should. The premise revolves around a young boy running away with a traveling circus and pretty much living the harsh reality of any kid's dream. It sounds endearing and harrowing and horrific all at the same time (i.e. something you would want to read), right? Sara Gruen, the novel's author, does a great job at cluing you in on the people and their mannerisms as well as the gruesome lives they lead. There's no shortage of grit and highly improbable behavior here. The main character, Jacob Jankowski, faces drunken strong-men, lions, and a midget with an ax to grind. All this while falling for a beautiful dame and trying to acclimate himself to the life of a 1930s D-rated circus show. My problem with the plot itself mostly fell on the lack of depth that the author felt she needed to go to get her point across. Using a writing style indicative of some major Hollywood movies, everything builds up for about 3 or 4 paragraphs until, at the climatic point, we have a page break and then the plot jumps to the aftermath of the matter. Ms. Gruen would even edge a tryst for several chapters before leaving you with virtually nothing to show for it. The prologue for the novel fools you into believing you're going to see what it is that's happening behind the magic curtain. This is the sucking point that gets you to read all 335 pages of the plot. The problem is, I don't think even the author knew what it is that's going on behind that Big Top tent. The novel felt very "okay" and extremely over-hyped much like the Benzini Brothers circus she wrote about.
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Helen posted a review at 2009-11-08 10:06:03.
(Language: English)
Colourful and atmospheric, November 8, 2009 By Helen Simpson (Leeds, England) - See all my reviews Circus life, during the American Depression. Told in the first person by Jacob Jankowski a young college boy who is suddenly orphaned and penniless and finds himself literally on board the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth! There's a prologue where we discover a secret which Jacob has kept for seventy years then we begin the story, alternating between 1931 and the modern day with an elderly Jacob. Very easy to read...I found myself flicking pages quickly. Gruen seems to capture the circus's attraction and glitz as well as it's often uncomfortable reality. The hierarchy from the roustabouts to the performers and bosses is fascinating and Gruen's descriptions bring to life the days when circuses had trains (conjuring up images from Dumbo!) The novel pulls you in, starting off slowly and ends up unputdownable as you have to find out what eventually happened/happens. I found the contrast between the way the Jacob of 'then' and 'now' is treated, both startling and thought provoking and ultimately I just really enjoyed reading about something I had little knowledge of, with a good twist in the tale.
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Megan Fagre posted a review at 2009-11-04 16:23:56.
(Language: English)
I read a lot and this book just didn't do it for me. I expected the animal cruelty aspect but not the porno descriptions that had nothing to do with the plot of the story. I felt like the author needed filler for the book so she put in these raunchy parts just to keep the reader interested. Not up to my expectations at all.
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Dana posted a review at 2009-10-25 15:28:24.
(Language: English)
Good
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