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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 about the Hardcover edition| 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 about the Hardcover edition| Add your feedback

As a young man, Jacob Jankowski was tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. It was the early part of the great Depression, and for Jacob, now ninety, the circus world he remembers was both his salvation and a living hell. A veterinary student just shy of a degree, he was put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It was there that he met Marlena, the beautiful equestrian star married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. And he met Rosie, an untrainable elephant who was the great gray hope for this third-rate traveling show. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and, ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.

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