I haven't done one of these in forever, so please bare with me.
This book was one that I'd been wanting to read for a while. I saw the movie, and thought it was interesting, and one day, stumbled upon the book in Wal-mart. It took a few days for me to get around to starting it, but when I did, let me tell you, I could not put it down. One of the reasons I didn't review it right after I read it was because of some of the controversial pieces in the book. I wasn't sure how to present them. Well, I guess I'll get on with the description.
Jacob Jankowski is a twenty-three year old about to graduate from Cornell, a prestigious university for those who wish to become veterinarians. Only a few days before his final test, his parents are subjected to a horrible car crash and killed. Jacob learns that his father had been paying for his college with the only funds they had, and now there's nothing left. He cannot keep his family's house, or their land, or anything. Gone mad with grief and the terrible realization, Jacob is unable to complete his test, and finds himself running away. Running from his life, from his dead parents, from everything he's ever known.
When Jacob hops a freight train, he enters the wild, colorful, confusing world of the circus. The Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth, to be specific. He meets many not-so-normal people, including Camel, and old drunk laborer, Blackie, a huge brute who's job is to throw people off of trains, August, a don't-judge-a-book-by-its-overly-friendly-cover ring master, and Marlena, the beautiful acrobat/horse trainer/wife of August.
As Jacob learns the ropes, he gets promoted to the circus's vet, leaving his workmen friends behind. He dines with August, Marlena, and the esteemed performers, and bunks with the circus's dog trainer/dwarf, Kinko. And for a while, things go pretty smoothly (excluding some brutal red-lightings and horse-killings). Until Jacob gets a little bit too close to Marlena. August's not-so-nice side comes to the surface, and Jacob gets a taste of pure fury. And when Uncle Al, the circus's current owner, decides he wants to buy an elephant that doesn't know squat, things take a turn for the worse.
Rosie, the elephant that seemingly doesn't know how to do anything, has such love and understanding in her, that even after August beats the living daylights out of her, comes right back as a happy, chipper, giant puppy. But then Jacob learns that Rosie isn't stupid. She just doesn't know English. Being Polish himself, Jacob teaches August some phrases that Rosie understands, and executes beautifully. With things getting better, August invites Jacob to a club with him and Marlena, and August seem to be almost happy. But when Marlena and Jacob dance together, August goes crazy. Now Marlena must decide whether she will stay with her young-and-blind-love husband, or get away from his abusive ways and run away with Jacob.
I know, I know- that wasn't a very good description, but hey, I haven't done this in a couple months. Anyway... this book captivated me in a way that most books don't. It gave me the good, the bad, and the controversial. I didn't put in my description some of the scenes that I didn't prefer. And if you look at those scenes alone, they take away from the book's meaning. I prefer to skirt around them, and take them for what they are, life. But for those of you thinking about reading/buying this book, I warn you- some parts of it are rather graphic. If you absolutely can't stand that sort of thing, it might be better for you to find a different story. But if you can take the book for what it is, almost ignoring those parts, I think you'll like it just fine.
From Water for Elephants, I learned that even though many people seem one way, they can turn out to be completely another. And sometimes that's a good thing, others...not so much. You can't judge a book by it's cover. Also, I forgot to mention earlier, but the story pops back and forth between twenty-three year old Jacob and ninety-something Jacob. I love this part, because it gives you a little piece of what he went through, and what he's going through now that he's older.
Great book, awesome writing. I recommend this book, and give it the awesome-sauce stamp of (cautioned) approval.
Thanks for reading~
~Shay~
