When Jacob Jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, grifters, and misfits -- the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth -- a second-rate travelling circus struggling to survive during the Great Depression, making one-night stands in town after endless town. Jacob, a veterinary student who almost earned his degree, 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. 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.
This book was utterly fantastic. I adore historical fiction, but I've been lingering on novels set in King Henry VIII's court and similar eras, and I'd been craving something set in the 20th century for a change. I received a copy of [b:Water for Elephants|43641|Water for Elephants|Sara Gruen|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170161179s/43641.jpg|3441236] for my birthday, and it was so wonderful that as soon as I finished the last page, I seriously contemplated flipping back to the front and starting over again immediately.
The narrator is 90-year-old Jacob Jankowski, living in an old-folks' home and hating his life in between the increasingly-infrequent visits from his children and grandchildren. The only bright spot in his life right now is that the circus has come to town, and his family has promised to take him this weekend. This leads us back to the 1920s, during the Depression and Prohibition. A young Jacob drops out of veterinary school and ends up joining a traveling circus. The ringmaster, Uncle Al, doesn't mind that he doesn't have his degree; the animals in the circus are only good to him if they can perform or work. As Jacob tries to find his place in the complicated dynamic of the circus behind the scenes, he falls in love with Marlena, one of the performers. Unfortunately, she is married to August, the head animal trainer, who is charming one moment, and hysterically violent the next.
This book had everything I wanted: romance, heartbreak, murder, quirky characters... but most of all it took me to a period in time that I had not really been to yet. The behind-the-scenes look at a Depression-era circus was so fascinating. But the scenes with Jacob in the nursing home were splendid as well. I wanted this book to never end.
