Best of all, if after reading an ebook, you buy a paper version of water for elephants. Water for elephants was adapted into a major motion picture starring reese. Ana is the daughter of matthias, head scribe to herod antipas, tetrarch of galilee. Blackandwhite photographs of real american circus scenes from the first half of the century are interspersed. Water for elephants, gruens third novel, is a cozy read that has produced a copious amount of buzz cleveland plain dealer. These book club discussion questions reveal important details about water for.
Water for elephants is the new york times bestselling debut novel by sara gruen. Therefor water for elephants has a more metaphorical meaning that deals with jacobs decision to stay with the circus, providing water for elephants. Winner of the 2007 bookbrowse award for most popular book. In the beginning of the novel, jacob mocks another resident of the nursing home who claims to have worked in the circus and carried water for the elephants. Water for elephants by sara gruen overdrive rakuten overdrive.
Water for elephants ebook by sara gruen rakuten kobo. Water for elephants is a book that can be read and reread, recommended and handed off between friends. The setting of the story changes throughout the book. Water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing month. The circus train only had a limited amount of water on board, and elephants can drink 100300 litres per day approximately 2680 gallons. 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. And he met rosie, an untrainable elephant who was the great hope for this third rate traveling show. As the sadistic august, waltz simmers with alternating charm and viciousness two qualities he perfected in his oscarwinning turn in inglourious basterds. Water for elephants ebook by sara gruen 9781565125858.
A novel of starcrossed lovers, set in the circus world circa 1932. The last notes of water for elephants linger long after the book ends. I hate being so enamored with a book and then a crappy movie version comes along and tarnishes it. Free download or read online water for elephants pdf epub book. On our first date, my husband took me to see tod brownings freaks, a 1932 horror film with a distinctly diane arbus feel. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 335 pages and is available in paperback format. Water for elephants by sara gruen book club discussion.
Water for elephants, 2007, sara gruen water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing month. Sara gruens arresting new novel, water for elephants, explores similar subject matter the pathetic grandeur of the depressionera circus. Use these book club discussion questions on water for elephants to lead your book clubs conversation on the story. Read online water for elephants by sara gruen for free.
Water for elephants is a rich surprise, a delightful gem springing from a fascinating footnote to history that absolutely deserved to be mined. Water for elephants a depressionera circus provides the backdrop for sara gruens latest novel, water for elephants. Books, stories, and novels like water for elephants by sara gruen. The story is told as a series of memories by jacob jankowski, a 93yearold man who lives in a nursing home. There is so much to love about sara gruens water for elephants, from the lush and magical setting of a 1930s circus, to the sweeping forbidden romance, to the heartbreaking recollections of narrator jacob jankowski. Goodreads members who liked water for elephants also liked. Read water for elephants a novel by sara gruen available from rakuten kobo.
Everything, ebooks, audiobooks, periodicals, video, libraries. Every few chapters, the narrative switches from one jacob to the other. Water for elephants sara gruen ebook harpercollins canada. Read water for elephants absolutely for free at readanybook. The title, water for elephants, is almost a little inside joke with the reader once weve finished the book, that is. Jacob is the moral center of the book, recognizing and, where possible. 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. In what ways and to what extent do the words pathetic grandeur describe the world that gruen creates in her novel. Find books like water for elephants from the worlds largest community of readers. A brilliantly crafted and deeply moving novel, water for elephants is the tale of jacob jankowski, now in his nineties, who spends his remaining days fondly drifting through the memories of his early depressionera youth which was spent in the company of circus freaks, clowns and misfits. 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. Water for elephants is the story of jacobs life with this circus.
At its finest, 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. Her works have been translated into fortythree languages and have sold more than ten million copies worldwide. I read water for elephants for our book club, and i expected it to be as slow, dull, and superficial as most of the other books we have read. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. 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. A veterinary student just shy of a degree, he was put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. Sara gruen has written an utterly transporting novel richly full of the stuff of life.
Your story took me to place i could only dream of going. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of water for elephants by sara gruen. 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. It was the great depression and for jacob the circus was both his salvation and a. With gruens bestselling book as his source material here, lawrence concentrates on more domestic horrors missing in his other films. Although i wanted more emotion between marlena and jacob, its a romantic story, full of action, love for animals and a magnificent circus. She wrote the book as part of national novel writing month. Water for elephants is a story about an elderly man, jacob, who recalls an adventure in his younger years. Jacob, the books narrator and protagonist, worked as a vet and trainer of sorts at a circus. 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. The main characters of this fiction, historical story are jacob jankowski, rosemary. She demonstrates an exceptional aptitude for writing, and matthias, for a time, indulges her with reed pens, papyri, and other 16 c. But besides offering a sweepyouoffyourfeet reading experience and a highlyanticipated movie adaptation late this month, there are plenty of. Trust us, water for elephants is going to be one of the surprise hits of 2011.
The first edition of the novel was published in may 26th 2006, and was written by sara gruen. Jacob janowskis luck had run outorphaned and penniless, he had no direction until he landed on a rickety train that was home to the benzini brothers most spectacular show on earth. The runaway international bestseller and beloved fiction classicorphaned and penniless at the height of the depression, jacob jankowski. I fell in love with the picture you chose for your book the first time i saw it. Water for elephants has two plots going on, both starring the same main character, jacob.
Its from this nursing home that jacob tells his story, like he is looking back at all the adventures at the circus. The story is told by its main character, jacob who is now confined to. Immediately download the water for elephants summary, chapterbychapter analysis, book notes, essays, quotes, character descriptions, lesson plans, and more everything you need for studying or teaching water for elephants. In striving to enrich the lives of all readers, teachingbooks supports the first amendment and celebrates the right to read. Read the book on paper it is quite a powerful experience. Overall, water for elephants was a book that grabbed me from the beginning. In one plot, jacob is a young guy just starting out in the world. I believe that of all animals, choosing an elephant as the title animal was appropriate given elephants are known for their good memories.
Does the electronic version of the book completely replace the paper version. The book, water for elephants, starts off in the present day, in a nursing home where the main character, jacob jankowski, lives. 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. Water for elephants water for elephants audiobook, by sara gruen. Gruen transports us into the world of a thirdrate traveling circus during the great depression. Pdf water for elephants book by sara gruen free download. Times, publishers weekly, san francisco chronicle, and washington post lists a usa today and wall street journal best seller an american book association indiebound best seller. The denver post so compelling, so detailed and vivid, that i couldnt bear to be torn away from it for a single minute.
533 1226 1419 958 717 874 586 627 373 67 305 985 726 147 1412 544 68 674 875 377 991 153 209 689 1178 1213 134 467 427 650 474 1477 1142 916 128 741 1268 569 1386 577 594 372 955 1006 385 413 884 650