I had always seen great reviews about this book, but simply never got around to reading it. Finally, when I saw a preview of the movie based on this novel on television I decided to add this to my list of books to read. (I tend to do this quiet frequently, and find that the book is always better) In Water for Elephants, ninety-three year old Jacob Jankowski flashes back and forth between his present day in the nursing home and his past, when life went so wrong he joined the circus at twenty-one. Once there he does odds and ends for a place to stay on the train. Soon after they find out that he went to school to be a vet, and it was just his luck the circus had just found themselves short of one for their exotic animals. These animals are mangy, underfed or fed rotten food, and often abused. The sad part of all of this is that most of the events of the novel are based off of true circus events, and just added together into one story line. The author has definitely pulled in key information about circuses in that time that only thorough research could provide. Early on, he finds himself falling in love with the animal trainer's wife, Marlena... and also an elephant, Rosie. The characters and animals in this novel are well rounded, relateable, and detailed so that the reader can not help but feel a connection to each. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can not wait to see how they have interpreted it in the movie coming out next week starring Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson. Can Pattinson pull off a role that is not a vampire? We shall see!
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