Water for Elephants

I wrote a review of this book for my book club members because I wanted to practice some writing and they were captives, I mean a captive audience.




The book I am reviewing is Water For Elephants, by Sara Gruen. I loved this book. I did not skim, or set it down only to return to it months later. I wouldn't say it started slow but the story did climb continuously, and steadily until the end. Not a twist ending or a shocking climax but a very satisfying, tying up the loose ends kind of finish.

This book is actually timely. I know, I know, you are saying how the hell can a book about a guy who joins the circus as a vetinarian in 1929 be timely?! That's because we are in an economic crisis extremely similar to that of the Great Depression. The main difference being that due to the Great Depression our income is protected by the FDIC,right? Anyways a young man (and I assume he is cute) is at Cornell studying vetinary medicine when his beloved parents die and he finds out that he has no inheritance due to his parents putting up all their assets for collateral to pay for his college education. Ok so that is the boring part, or the plot premise.

So he is despondent and jumps on a train out of town only to find that is a train car full of transients. Back then they called them hobos. It's a circus train and he lands himself a job tending to the animals due to his almost complete degree. So without giving away anymore storyline I will fill you in on the writing. It's not overly flowery or poetic, it conveys the neccesary emotions. There is some violence, romance, sex and animal science but all palatable and understandable.Your husband can read and enjoy this. My husband shys away from books with romance, and so do I, but this book's romance is not mushy and the sex scene is not graphic. There is a line about her breasts being like lemons and that's as graphic as it gets. Lemons are good.

Enjoy!