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 enlarge | Author: Sara Gruen
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Category: Book
List Price: $13.95
Buy Used: $3.44
You Save: $10.51 (75%)
New (109) Used (214) Collectible (4) from $3.44
Avg. Customer Rating:  1417 reviews
Sales Rank: 51
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 350
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.4 x 1.1
ISBN: 1565125606
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9781565125605
ASIN: 1565125606
Publication Date: April 9, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: A great book in acceptable condition with wear to cover and pages, slant to book. FREE TRACKING in US and email to you when shipped. Inquires welcomed and we want your complete satisfaction!
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| Customer Reviews:
 Entertaining and vibrantly written August 17, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Water for Elephants is the first book in a long time to allow a reader to savor the pages while thirst for the next. What more could you want out of a book???
THe story revolves around the main character, Jacob Jankowski, and a part of his young adulthood. During this period of time, Jacob must fend for himself as he migrated from what he believed would be a promised and lucrative life to a life of uncertainly and of poverty.
Jacob stumbles into a lifestyle within and revolving around work in a traveling circus during the Great Depression era in the United States.
Sara Gruen's writing brings alive every event and character very vividly; the setting simply demands only her very apt and transporting descriptions.
Sara Gruen does transport the reader; the captivating read that feels as if you are just plunked down in the middle of Jacob's life. The reader is absolutely the quintessential "fly on the wall".
We not only observe but feel Jacob's pain, struggles, anxiety, happiness, discomfort, and grief. She has managed to include the reader in her words.
I enjoyed my role as a reader and can only hope that Gruen's other titles enable me to be transported yet again to another world that only Gruen can create.
 Highly disappointing August 16, 2008
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
Read this for a book club I belong to and was very disappointed in it. The novel is not nearly as imaginative as you would believe, given the premise of the story itself. Aside from the circus setting, this is a very conventional book story-wise. Which isn't necessarily a problem, except that the author attempts to stretch the story beyond what it is, often falling way too in love with her writing and going on for long, descriptive asides that lead nowhere. Ultimately, the story is tied together by a very abrupt and rushed ending. Just very unsatisfying. Not horrible but was a disappointment since there is so much critical acclaim tied to this novel.
 Excellent August 14, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Really great book. The characters are interesting, particularly our hero Jacob. The setting is vibrant (a circus during the Great Depression.) The plot moves at a great pace, and the material is really well researched. All of which comes together under some excellent writing that provides just enough detail to make everything real and interesting without banging you over the head with it. Throw in murder, sex and a big elephant wearing pink sequins, and you have a fab book. The very end is charming too. I highly recommend it
Surprising Read August 13, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
My son gave me this book to read while visiting this summer, and the title turned me off. But I'd finished the three James Patterson novels that I'd taken along, and I started to read. Once I started, I became so involved with the character, Jacob, and his life, I couldn't put it down. I read on the plane home and when the book was lost, I immediately ordered a new copy the next day. This is a novel that will be enjoyed by most everyone. I promise.
Heartfelt and Moving August 13, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
A story within a story that will capture your imagination! Who can resist a tale of the day to day lives of people in the circus during the Depression?
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