Book called water for elephants

I am pondering this sad fact when i realize the blackness of. I thought it would be useful to have a glossary of circus terms on the wfe film blog. In one plot, jacob is a young guy just starting out in the world. Jul 04, 2011 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.

Water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing. Mar 02, 2017 just read a delightful book called water for elephants by sara gruen. Water for elephants is an excellent novel depicting railroad circus life during the early part of the 20th century. Water for elephants chosen as schenectady one book. His job brought him happiness, especially while marlena was there. 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 historical novel by sara gruen. Water for elephants was adapted into a major motion picture starring reese witherspoon, rob pattinson, and. Water for elephants is the story of jacobs life with this circus.

Jul 23, 2018 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. Gruen transports us into the world of a thirdrate traveling circus during the great depression. Therefor water for elephants has a more metaphorical meaning that deals with jacobs decision to stay with the circus, providing water for elephants. The story is told as a series of memories by jacob jankowski, a 93yearold man who lives in a nursing home. Focusing on the freaks in the circus, geek love is something i could understand someone finding truly offensive. Jacob is the moral center of the book, recognizing and, where possible, preventing those cruelties, and in the. Water for elephants by sara gruen, 9781565125605, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Book club discussion on water for elephants sara gruen. Beautifully written, water for elephants is illuminated by a wonderful sense of time and place. How do the chapters about the older jacob enrich the story about jacobs adventure with the circus. How many pages are in the book water for elephants answers.

It was written by sara gruen and published in 2006. Distinctive features of all elephants include a long trunk, tusks, large ear flaps, massive legs, and tough but sensitive skin. That is what gets the ball rolling in the first place. Water for elephants welcome to the homesteading today forum. 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. Use these book club discussion questions on water for elephants to lead your book clubs conversation on the story. Elephants are grayish to brown in color, and their body hair is sparse and coarse.

While i enjoyed the movie with robert pattinson and reese witherspoon, the novel is far better. I give up on rage, which at this point has become a formality, and make a mental note to get angry again in the morning. I believe that of all animals, choosing an elephant as the title animal was appropriate given elephants are known for their good memories. This may be a totally amateur answer, but i totally thought the book was titled water for elephants because of the old man in the book that jacob despised. The trunk, also called a proboscis, is used for breathing, bringing food and water to the mouth, and grasping objects. 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. Water for elephants moves between a story about a circus and a story about an old man in a nursing home. Water for elephants begins violently and then veers into weirder terrain. Water for elephants by sara gruen, like water for chocolate by laura esquivel, the water is wide by pat conroy, the color of. It was adult, and it was realistic, and i loved it. Tusks, which are derived from the incisor teeth, serve both as weapons and as tools for moving. On the morning of his senior veterinary science exams at cornell, jacob jankowski is called out of the room by the dean. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of water for elephants by sara gruen.

Then i let myself drift, because theres really no fighting it. Sara gruens book, water for elephants, was a runaway best seller an internationally acclaimed novel told as the reminiscences of an old man, jacob, about his experiences with a depressionera circus where he witnessed the brutalities inflicted on people and animals alike. Aug 28, 2012 water for elephants is a treat for the reader, a chronicle of an adventure that permanently alters the life of one twentyoneyearold veterinary school dropout. Elephant, largest living land animal, characterized by its long trunk, columnar legs, and huge head with temporal glands and wide, flat ears. Jacob, once it becomes known that he has veterinary skills. Every few chapters, the narrative switches from one jacob to the other. Water for elephants is a rich surprise, a delightful gem springing from a fascinating footnote to history that absolutely deserved to be mined. Apr 22, 2011 because of this, water for elephants is one of those few magical times when a movie is better than the book it is based on, when all the little details that generally engender people to love a. The setting of the story changes throughout the book. Elephants suck water up their trunks like a straw and then squirt the water into their mouths. Water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing month. The circus travels around and eventually acquires an elephant named rosie. Sara gruen has a voice to rival john irvings, and i am hopelessly, unabashedly in love with this book. It tells a story of a love between two people that overcomes incredible odds in a world in which even love is a luxury that few can afford.

Sara gruen has written an utterly transporting novel richly full of the stuff of life. Elephants have massive ears that they use as fans to cool their bodies. Trust us, water for elephants is going to be one of the surprise hits of 2011. 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. Times, publishers weekly, san francisco chronicle, and washington post lists. The last notes of water for elephants linger long after the book ends. These book club discussion questions reveal important details about water for elephants by sara gruen. Water for elephants july 5, 2006 a depressionera circus provides the backdrop for sara gruens latest novel, water for elephants. Many years before, jacob is a student at cornell university, studying veterinarian medicine in order to join. So i purchased the book and slowly began retreating. Water for elephants is one of my most favorite books. Water for elephants is the touching story of jacob jankowski, a ninetythreeyearold man, who is reminded of his colorful past when a circus sets up next door to his assistedliving center. Her works have been translated into fortythree languages and have sold more than ten million copies worldwide. Elephantidae is the only surviving family of the order proboscidea.

For those who find it offensive, i warn you to stay away from a little book called geek love. I couldnt understand how a modern writer knew so much about all the secret in and outs of depression era train circuses, but the author spent 4 months reading all she could find on that. Sara gruen spares no detail in chronicling the squalid, filthy, brutish circumstances in which he finds himself. It tells a story of a love between two people that overcomes incredible. 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. Its from this nursing home that jacob tells his story, like he is looking back at all the adventures at the circus. Jacob jankowski, a veterinary student at cornell, discovers that his parents have been killed in a car accident. But be warned, this isnt the order of events in the book. Water for elephants is a book that can be read and reread, recommended and handed off between friends. Water for elephants is an enchanting pageturner, the kind of book that creates a world that engulfs you from the first page to the last. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Water for elephants is an elevating story with a heart.

Set in the 1930s, a former veterinary student takes a job in a travelling circus and falls in love with the ringmasters wife. From the perseverance of a terrier named queenie, to the charm of rosie the. May 26, 2006 water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing month. The novel centers on jacob jankowski and his experiences in a traveling circus called the benzini brothers most spectacular show on. 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 has two plots going on, both starring the same main character, jacob. An atmospheric, gritty, and compelling novel of starcrossed lovers, set in the circus world circa. This study guide consists of approximately 58 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of water for elephants. The denver post so compelling, so detailed and vivid, that i couldnt bear to be torn away from it for a single minute. Joshilyn jackson, author of gods in alabama 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. Oct 21, 2009 water for elephants by sara gruen, 9781565125605, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Well, the phrase reinforces jacobs association with circuses. With robert pattinson, reese witherspoon, christoph waltz, paul schneider.

At a later point, the show aquires an elephant named rosie who is thought to be stupid because. Tessa fontaines astonishing memoir of pushing past fear, the electric woman, follows the author on a lifeaffirming journey of loss and selfdiscovery through her time on the road with the last traveling american sideshow and her relationship with an adventurous, spirited mother. The title, water for elephants, is almost a little inside joke with the reader once weve finished the book, that is. But also, by carrying the theme of deceit, the title forces. She wrote the book as part of national novel writing month. The family elephantidae also contains several nowextinct groups, including the. Its called water for elephants because of the main characters job jacob jankowski worked in a circus group, benzini brothers most spectacular show on earth and one of his jobs was to bring water for elephants in the circus. Water for elephants was a completely different read for me. Water for elephants movie tiein by sara gruen, paperback. Water for elephants summary water for elephants has two plots going on, both starring the same main character, jacob.

The alternating glamour and squalor of the circus world gruen expertly conjures may truly be one of the greatest shows. I cling to my anger with every ounce of humanity left in my ruined body, but its no use. Water for elephants resembles stealth hits like the giants house, by elizabeth mccracken, or the lovely bones, by alice sebold, books that combine outrageously whimsical premises with crowdpleasing romanticism. When jacob overhears a man at the assistedliving center confess to having been a water boy for the elephants in a circus, jacob knows the man is lying because jacob himself once worked. Water for elephants is a treat for the reader, a chronicle of an adventure that permanently alters the life of one twentyoneyearold veterinary school dropout. I felt like a toddler whose tantrum was being allowed to run its course. Winner of the 2007 bookbrowse award for most popular book. The grand rapids press you need this elephant in your life. They are found most often in the savannas, grasslands, and forests of africa and asia. 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. With a showmans expert timing, gruen saves a terrific revelation for the final pages, transforming a glimpse of americana. They can use their trunks like hands to pick up food and reach high places. Praised for its meticulous research, superb plot, richly drawn characters, and flawless pacing, water for elephants was nominated for a 2006 quill award for general fiction, was a book sense numberone pick for june 2006, and won the 2007 book browse award for most popular book. I watched the filmmovie titled water for elephants before reading the book.

A national bestseller in canada and a new york times bestseller in the united states, this is a book destined to become a beloved fiction classic. The animals are mangy, underfed or fed rotten food, and abused. Book club discussion on kite runner khaled hosseini, books, 143 replies please recommend a classic that would be good for a book club. Review of water for elephants good books for catholic kids. A thousand splendid suns, memory keepers daughter, etc. These african giants can hear sounds over very long distances.

Elephants are mammals of the family elephantidae and the largest existing land animals. Water for elephants is a story about an elderly man, jacob, who recalls an adventure in his younger years. Because of this, water for elephants is one of those few magical times when a movie is better than the book it is based on, when all the little details that generally engender people to love a. This leads jacob to share quarters with a dwarf named walter who is known as kinko to the circus and his dog queenie. The story could essentially be jacob proving that mr. His lie telling the old ladies that he used to carry water for the elephants is what triggers jacobs memory about working with the circus. Jul 12, 2007 water for elephants begins violently and then veers into weirder terrain. I read water for elephants a few years ago and from time to time, i reread my favorite novels. Director francis lawrence has used a few of these words in his tweets, as have the roustabouts and other performers in the film. Water for elephants welcome to the homesteading today. Water for elephants book club discussion questions and answers.