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  • "I cling to my anger with every ounce of humanity left in my ruined body, but it's no use. It slips away, like a wave from shore. I am pondering this sad fact when I realize the blackness of sleep is circling my head. It's been there awhile, biding its time and growing closer with each revolution. I ... Continue

    "I cling to my anger with every ounce of humanity left in my ruined body, but it's no use. It slips away, like a wave from shore. I am pondering this sad fact when I realize the blackness of sleep is circling my head. It's been there awhile, biding its time and growing closer with each revolution. I give up on rage, which at this point has become a formatlity, and make a mental note to get angry again in the morning. Then I left myself adrift, because there's really no fighting it"

    

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• ― Amusaur83 said on Jul 27, 2008 about the Paperback edition| Add your feedback

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  • While there are no real surprises in this story, it is a great read and definitely worth the time. I enjoyed every second of this one and thought the story was very original and heart warming.

    Sara Gruen is an incredible storyteller and her captivating use of details were enough to keep me ex ... Continue

    While there are no real surprises in this story, it is a great read and definitely worth the time. I enjoyed every second of this one and thought the story was very original and heart warming.

    Sara Gruen is an incredible storyteller and her captivating use of details were enough to keep me excited to hear what would happen next.

    This story was also a great reminder to me of why I will never join the circus.

    

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• ― catchburns said on Jul 8, 2008 | Add your feedback

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  • I thought this book was a quick and easy read. It was also pretty well written and seemed well researched. The problem was I didn't care at all for the characters or the storyline, and every other page just seemed like it was about animal abuse of some kind. I don't have the stomach for that sort ... Continue

    I thought this book was a quick and easy read. It was also pretty well written and seemed well researched. The problem was I didn't care at all for the characters or the storyline, and every other page just seemed like it was about animal abuse of some kind. I don't have the stomach for that sort of thing. I might give other books by this author a shot sometime, but this one was definitely not for me and I wish I would have realized how much animal abuse there was going to be going into it. I would have gladly skipped this one.

    

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• ― Deanna Kyre said on Jun 9, 2008 about the Paperback edition| Add your feedback

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  • So I had read many many good reviews for this book but had decided there was no way I was going to like it because I wasn’t particularly interested in the premise of the book but finally I picked it up at the library. I highly recommend it, thought it was great!

    

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• ― Eperce said on Apr 20, 2008 about the Paperback edition| Add your feedback

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  • A beautiful novel, one of my favorites of 2006.

    

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• ― Icedream said on Sep 2, 2007 about the Paperback edition| Add your feedback

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  • This book reminded me a bit of Fried Green Tomatoes and also Tuesdays with Morrie in that it was an elderly person telling the story of his life. In this case, Jacob Jankowski, the main character, went into the circusafter his parents where killed in a car accident right be for he was to graduate fr ... Continue

    This book reminded me a bit of Fried Green Tomatoes and also Tuesdays with Morrie in that it was an elderly person telling the story of his life. In this case, Jacob Jankowski, the main character, went into the circusafter his parents where killed in a car accident right be for he was to graduate from Cornel w/his degree in Vetrinary Medicine. He was planning to go into his father practice but as it turned out his parents had mortgaged everything to pay for Jacob's education. There was nothing left after the bank took their share. Depressed and grieving Jacob joins the circus where he meets his future wife and a bull elephant by the name of Rosie. You will fall in love with Rosie as she has a sense of humor and a personality. Also she understands Polish which Jacob is fluent in. It's a good story and the audio book is done really well.

    

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• ― Angie (angiebro) said on Jun 19, 2007 | Add your feedback

An atmospheric, gritty, and compelling novel of star-crossed lovers, set in the circus world circa 1932, by the bestselling author of Riding Lessons.

When Jacob Jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, drifters, and misfits, a second-rate circus struggling to survive during the Great Depression, making one-night stands in town after endless town. A veterinary student who almost earned his degree, Jacob is put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It is there that he meets Marlena, the beautiful young star of the equestrian act, who is married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. He also meets Rosie, an elephant who seems untrainable until he discovers a way to reach her.

Beautifully written, Water for Elephants is illuminated by a wonderful sense of time and place. It tells a story of a love between two people that overcomes incredible odds in a world in which even love is a luxury that few can afford.

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