Water for Elephants

by Sara Gruen

Reviewed by Vishma Raj

REVIEW: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

ISBN#: 9781616200817

THE STORY: Jacob Jankowski, an old man, is at a nursing home. As he feels like he is slipping, going downhill towards the end, he has flashbacks of when he was a twenty-three year old young man. His flashbacks begin with when Jacob was about to get his degree at Cornell’s Veterinary School and he received horrible news of his parents passing away in a car accident. He learns that he has no job or inheritance from his parents, so he gives up and runs away, hopping onto the first train he saw. He realized that he had just went on a circus train, but before he knew it, he was part of the show. A man named Camel introduced him to the ringmaster, Uncle Al. The Benzini Brothers, the show he somehow joined, brought him in as the veterinarian. At the show, Jacob has to work with August, who is the head of the animal acts, and Marlena, who is one of the stars of the circus. Marlena is August’s wife, but her and Jacob somehow fall for each other during his time at the show. As the circus traveled around, they got an elephant named Rosie. August hated Rosie, so Jacob helped, training Rosie and working with August to help her with the act. August starts to become more violent with the stress, while Jacob and Marlena slowly fall in love behind everyone’s backs. August becomes jealous, so he accused them of having an affair and hurt both of them. Marlena leaves August so she and Jacob can be closer together. While this was going on, the circus was running out of money, meaning they had to toss people out of the show to their deaths. Some of the ones who were tossed out returned, setting the animals loose and causing a riot. During the commotion, Jacob saw Rosie the elephant killing August. The show is ruined. Marlena and Jacob are finally free, so they try to rescue the animals and leave to join the Ringling Brothers Circus.  

MY OPINION: As someone who does not particularly like reading too much, I did not expect this book to be anywhere near as great as it turned out to be. I was entranced by the drama, the slight humor, the adventures, and every little part of this story. The author used so much detail to set the scene and tone for each part. I could clearly image everything the author was describing, whether it was the grand circus tent or the small cot that Jacob slept in. The author pulled you in so you could be attached to each of the characters, feeling the same anger, heartbreak, and overall emotions that the characters did. There was some advanced vocabulary, so some parts would be a little confusing. I would reccomend this book for anyone older than twelve or thirteen years old, since there is some strong language, confusing vocabulary, and mature scenes.    

STUDY QUESTIONS AND VOCABULARY:

FIRST SECTION

1. Who is the main character?

1a. The main character is a man named Jacob Jankowski. (pg. 7)

2. How did Jacob join the circus?

2a. He ran away from home and went onto a train that he soon realized was a circus train. (pg. 28)

3. What happened to Jacob’s parents?

3a. Jacob’s parents died in a car accident when he was twenty-three years old. (pg. 16-17)

4. What was Jacob’s job in the show?

4a. Jacob was the veterinarian. (pg. 59)

5. How old was Jacob when he joined the show?

5a. Jacob was twenty-three years old when he joined the show. (pg. 51)

reconstituted (pg.7)

coroner (pg. 17)

burnished (pg. 55)

apoplectic (pg. 78)

ingratiating (pg. 89)

MIDDLE SECTION

6. Who is Rosie?

6a. Rosie was August’s elephant. “She’s fifty-three and she’s perfectly brilliant.” (pg. 124)

7.  Why does Walter dislike August?

7a. Walter dislikes August because if you mess with him, “you’re going to find yourself dead [or] red-lighted, if you’re lucky.” (pg. 158)
8. Why is August different?

8a. August is different because he has something like mood swings, so he can be very nice, but also very mean. (pg. 170)

9. Why has Uncle Al always wanted to say “Hold you horses! Here come the elephants!”

9a. Uncle Al has always wanted to say that because that is what Ringling says, and he wants to be Ringling. (pg. 162)

10. Why did Jacob lie about the reason he joined the show?

10a. Jacob lied because he had never even heard of the Benzini Brothers before this. (pg. 204)

menagerie (pg. 125)

subsides (pg. 141)

recessed (pg. 149)

abscess (pg. 161)

roustabouts (pg. 200)

LAST SECTION

11. What is happening to Jacob?

11a. Jacob is “slipping.” He’s starting to forget important parts, and he is worried that “it’s all downhill from here.” (pg. 225)

12. Why did August hurt Rosie so much?

12a. Other than his anger, “there was no call to be that brutal.” (pg. 230)

13. What is Marlena planning in her tent?

13a. Marlena wanted to have a party to surprise August with a celebration after the show. (pg. 243)

14. Why did August go nuts when he saw the surprise?
14a. He thought Marlena was having an affair with Jacob, so he hurt both of them. (pg. 256)

15. Why does August act strangely?

15a. August acts strangely because he is ill and is paranoid schizophrenic, so he is “mad as a hatter, [but] he’s also brilliant.” (pg. 301)

promenading (pg. 235)

delirious (pg. 237)

assurances (pg. 256)

strenuous (pg. 287)

paranoid schizophrenic (pg. 301)