Review: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Title: Water for Elephants
Author: Sara Gruen
Published: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill; May 2006
Number of Pages: Paperback, 335 Pages

Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Adult, Contemporary 

Plot: (Goodreads.com) Orphaned, penniless, Jacob Jankowski jumps a freight train in the dark, and in that instant, transforms his future.

By morning, he's landed a job with the Flying Squadron of the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. By nightfall, he's in love.

In an America made colourless by prohibition and the Depression, the circus is a refuge of sequins and sensuality. But behind the glamour lies a darker world, where both animals and men are dispensable. Where falling in love is the most dangerous act of all...

Personal Thoughts: A very close and trusted friend told me about this book months ago. Week ago when she mentioned it to me a second time, I decided to buy myself a copy and give it a shot! I'm so glad that I did!

I went into this book not knowing a thing about it - the characters were all new to me and I was completely oblivious to what this book had in store. From the cover, I could deduce that it was about a circus of some kind. Little did I know how much this book would surprise me.

(Warning: Spoilers following).
The basic setting is a circus during the depression in the United States - the 1920's to 1930's when it was all people could do to try and hold a job, and hope to get paid! The story follow twenty-three year old almost college graduate, Jacob. His parents are killed in a car accident early on and he's left to pick up the pieces of what's left, and it's not much. His father was swapping veterinary practices for food instead of money - Jacob was supposed to join the practice after graduation.

After learning of their death's and realizing that their home and the vet practice held nothing for his future, he went on a long walk - ending up jumping onto a circus train. Just his luck, they were in need of a vet for all the animals in the show, so Jacob got to stay on as a new hire. He was useful in many ways...

I don't want to give away the whole story, but needless to say this story is about Jacob and his time with the circus, traveling the country, setting up shoes, falling in love, and dealing with unexpected turns of events that will ultimately change his life forever! Just on a small note - there are some sex scenes, so I would rate this book for mature audiences only! (:

Recommended Age Level: 21+

Rating: 4.5