Water for Elephants Free Book Review and Summary

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This story, written by Sara Gruen, is narrated by Jacob Jankowski, an old cranky man that has been abandoned by his large family and placed into an assisted living home. From the beginning, the reader knows that the man is sharp, as he begins his introduction by saying “Age is a terrible thief. Just when you think you’re getting the hang of it, it knocks your legs out from under you and stoops your back.” However, we know he is losing some of his excitement for life as he admits, “I am ninety. Or ninety-three. One or the other.”

Jacob paints an alarmingly vivid picture of growing old and the reader cannot help but sympathize with this aging man. Nobody likes to imagine growing so old that assisted living will be their only option, and the author, Sara Gruen, paints a bit of a sad picture of what it must be like. Here is a man whose body is failing all around him, but who has lived a rich and unbelievable life. Unfortunately, at the senior living facility he is just another face amidst a crowd of patients.

When a traveling circus begins to set up a tent in the lot adjacent to his nursing home, Jacob is thrown back into a world he once knew – one that he became an unlikely part of when he was just becoming a man. We learn that Jacob’s parents died just as the young man was about to graduate from Cornell with his veterinary degree. Suddenly orphaned, Jacob cannot bear the thought of returning to school to sit for his final exams.

Instead, not knowing where to turn, and left without any money, he jumps a train one night with the thought of running away – only to find out that in that singular leap from ground to train car, he has joined a second-rate circus called the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. He is threatened by some, but taken under the wing by others, and ultimately finds himself in front of the boisterous and unforgiving Uncle Al, the ringleader. Upon discovering that this runaway is a Cornell educated veterinarian, Uncle Al appoints Jacob to be the caretaker of all the animals in the menagerie.

Working in the menagerie, Jacob is watched over by the boss of the circus, an unbalanced, sadistic paranoid schizophrenic named August. A best friend one minute, August is known to turn on a dime and physically abuse anyone in the next minute. The young almost-veterinarian is appalled by the depression-induced living conditions of the animals. Many are not given water for days on end, and others are fed rotting, putrid meat that has been steaming in a hot train car for days while traveling. Jacob wants to fix all this and doesn’t know how to begin, as he is under the watchful eye of August, who has no sympathy for the animals.

From town to town as they travel, the circus finds abandoned train cars, relics of other traveling shows that have failed in the depressed economy. In one town, they find an elephant, Rosie. Uncle Al is thrilled, as now the Benzini Brothers will certainly rival the Ringling Brothers circus (or so he thinks), and Marlena, August’s wife and the show’s lead performer is excited at the prospect of a new act, as her star horse recently passed away.

Jacob and Marlena have equally tender feelings towards the animals, and the two begin to fall in love. They hide their feelings because of August’s tyrannical behavior, but the bond is undeniable.

Throughout his recounting of his young life, the reader wants to know how it all turns out. We know early on that Jacob fathered many children, as he mentions them, somewhat bitterly for leaving him at the assisted living facility. Who was his wife, and the mother of their children? Would it be Marlena? Where is she now? What happened in the 70 years between these flashbacks and present day? The author does a beautiful job of recounting the past, and filling in details of the present, answering any questions so the reader is not left wondering.

The book is a beautifully written and extensively researched story, and is often surprising and funny. I highly recommend Water for Elephants if you’re looking for an enchanting story with adventures that place the reader alongside Jacob and his wild transfer into adulthood.

Characters in the book Water For Elephants

Jacob Jankowski – The novel’s protagonist. He is a “90, or 93″-year-old nursing home resident reminiscing on the time he spent as a circus veterinarian during the Great Depression.

Marlena – A star performer with the circus. Marlena joined the circus after she ran away from home to marry August. She enjoys a special rapport with the horses and cares for them deeply.

August – Marlena’s husband and the head animal trainer. He is alternately charming and brutal, both to the humans and animals aboard the Benzini Brothers train. Later in the book, it is explained that he is a paranoid schizophrenic.

Uncle Al – The violent, abusive owner of the circus. He is known for redlighting circus workers – having them thrown off the moving circus train in the middle of the night to avoid paying them.

Kinko/Walter – A dwarf with whom Jacob shares living quarters on the circus train. Initially, their relationship is rocky, but they develop a strong friendship. At the beginning of the story, he is known as Kinko. Walter is his real name and he only lets his friends call him this.

Camel – One of the first people Jacob meets when he jumps the train. Camel is a drunk who is instrumental in getting Jacob a job with the circus. When Camel gets sick from drinking contaminated Jamaican ginger, Jacob and Walter hide him in their room and care for him.

Rosie – An elephant that Uncle Al buys from another circus. She is believed to be useless until it is discovered that she understands commands only in Polish. She is often the target of August’s rage.

Rosemary – A nurse in the nursing home where Jacob lives who is especially kind to Jacob.

Water For Elephants Reviews

HBO’s Carnival…meets Fried Green Tomatoes
This was a really good, enjoyable, authentic, endearing book. Thoroughly enjoyable read. One of a kind, leaves you wanting more of the circus on the rails of the depression era. – by F.Faulkner

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!!
OK – so I’m not an intellect….but I found this book to be absolutely wonderful. I listened to it on CD as I travelled to and from work. -by S. ERICKSEN

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating
This is one of the most wonderful books I have ever read. Not a slow part in the entire book. Can’t wait to see the movie that is coming out in 2011. – by Melinda E. Casler

5.0 out of 5 stars Cannot wait to see this on the big screen!
Wonderful fast paced read. Not once was I bored with this story! I laughed, cried, and was angered in some parts, but this is what the best books do.

You can buy it for the Kindle: Water for Elephants: A Novel

Buy the Book : Water For Elephants – A Novel

Other Book Information Resources

List of James Patterson Books in Order

Resource by S.Henniman

I am an aspiring artist and writer from Phoenix Arizona. I enjoy golfing, skiing, college football, and hanging out with my two favorite girls (my wife and 4 year old daughter).

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