Water for Elephants

I just finished reading "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen. It's a story that takes place within a old-fashioned circus in depression-era America. The story follows Jacob Jankowski, a twenty-three year old Cornell student who drops out of college and joins the circus after his life falls apart. In the circus, he falls in love with a few women and learns a lot about another lifestyle that is full of division, social ranks, and absurdity.

Gruen does some clever things in her writing to keep the reader entertained, and the story isn't terrible either. Unfortunately, I found the "love story" between Jacob and his main woman to be pretty two-dimensional. He loves her but there are complications. We get it.

What the author does succeed at is portraying an obscure setting in a totally believable way. There is little doubt in my mind that the circus of the 1930s and 40s must have really been similiar to what is described in this book. There are dramatic flairs, to be sure, but she claims to have based many of the outlandish stories on actual fact.

Anyway, just thought you'd like another book to read. Peace out party people!

---CJ