Water for Elephants: Review
Just finished reading Sara Gruen’s Water for Elephants. It was a gift from Matt for Christmas and I’d say “he’s done good.” 
I’ll share my likes and dislikes (while giving away minimal plot) and then rate it on a Chestbump 10-pt scale. I’ll try to do this for every book I read so in the event you are in the market for a good or different book, you can preview my take on it first.
Water for Elephants is a fictional novel that takes place both during the Great Depression and the 1990s. Jacob Jankowski is the main character, and while he’s in a nursing home ailing from nothing but old age, he flashes back on his whirlwind life on the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth (second to Ringling).
As someone who considers herself “over” circuses, this novel forced me to get caught up in a time when circuses were magical, marvelous, and a main form of entertainment for all social classes. What really intrigued me was the love story between Jacob and Marlena, a “performer,” as well as the love story between Rosie, an elephant, and Jacob.
Jacob sprung himself on the circus train after a family tragedy, and thus brought into the mix a way of coping with death I never would have considered before reading in between Gruen’s words.
Gruen’s style isn’t among the extraordinary, (many novels use the flashback approach to tell a story) but the characters she introduces and the expressions of love that Jacob exudes on many levels sets this novel apart from others. Gruen puts an uplifting twist on a story plagued by murder, tragedy, and a lover’s triangle. (All great makings of a fantastic story in my mind.)
Particularly different and refreshing in this novel is the relationship between Jacob and the animals on board AND the relationship between Marlena and the animals on board. As an animal lover myself, it was educational and fascinating to engage in the behaviors and minds of what most people consider baggage stock.
The ending is the BEST part, because it leaves no stone unturned. It ties up with a solid resolution, which is exactly what the reader wants Jacob to gain throughout the entirety of the novel.
TheChestbump.com rating: 8.8
Amanda is a contributing author here at the chestbump. She is the coolest girl you could ever meet. She hails from Fairfield, but busts the stereotype. She needs to update this description:) 
