May 26, 2006 water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing month. The author, sara gruen allows readers to read the book from two perspectives, one from young jacob and the other from older presentday jacob. The title, water for elephants, is almost a little inside joke with the reader once weve finished the book, that is. A 42yearold asian elephant named tai most recently known for the role of rosie in foxs water for elephants was abused by its trainers in 2005. Water for elephants by sara gruen, 9781565125605, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. When jacob jankowski arrived for the first time at the circus where he worked, he was in awe. Aug 28, 2012 still, given the constraints of time, water for elephants is a decent adaptation. An atmospheric, gritty, and compelling novel of starcrossed lovers, set in the circus world circa 1932, by the bestselling author of riding lessons. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of water for elephants by sara gruen.
At its finest, water for elephants resembles stealth hits like the giants house, by elizabeth mccracken, or the lovely bones, by alice sebold, books that combine outrageously whimsical premises with crowdpleasing romanticism. An atmospheric, gritty, and compelling novel of starcrossed lovers, set in the circus world circa. The following quote from jacob, taken from the book, describes, in detail, the marvelous scene. I water for elephants, walks the memories of ninety or is it ninetythree year old jacob jancowski, who recalls his younger self in the days of circus life.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Based on the acclaimed bestseller, water for elephants presents an unexpected romance in a uniquely compelling setting. Apparently water for elephants was a very popular book when it was published. The story is told as a series of memories by jacob jankowski, a 93yearold man who lives in a nursing home.
This study guide consists of approximately 58 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis. The inspiration for the book was a chicago tribune article about edward. Water for elephants water for elephants audiobook, by sara gruen. On our first date, my husband took me to see tod brownings freaks, a 1932 horror film with a distinctly diane arbus feel. This particular symbol is introduced in the first few pages of the novel, when the older jacob is sitting down to dinner at the nursing home with his. I watched the filmmovie titled water for elephants before reading the book. His stay here is cut short by the death of his parents. The book, water for elephants, starts off in the present day, in a nursing home where the main character, jacob jankowski, lives. Also, if you want a special treat, listen to it on audiobook. The truth is, it is summer and i am desperate for a distraction away from my recent obsession with greys anatomy reruns fueled by netflixs instant queue. The great depression in relation to water for elephants by b. Water for elephants by sara gruen book club discussion. Water for elephants, published in 2010, is a contemporary novel by sara gruen. August is an antagonist and jacob is a protagonist.
Water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing month. Winner of the 2007 bookbrowse diamond award for most popular book. There are three main settings in water for elephants. Jacob jankowski, a retired veterinarian living out his days in an assistedliving facility, drifts in and out of his memories. Water for elephants is the new york times bestselling debut novel by sara gruen. Jacob is the main conflict in the book, water for elephants.
Water for elephants sara gruen books the new york times. All we as viewers and fans can hope for is a script, production, and acting body that gives the book the attention it deserves. The alternating glamour and squalor of the circus world gruen expertly conjures may truly be one of the greatest shows. If youre looking for a rationale for water for elephants, its listed as a scholastic reading counts book side note. Set in the 1930s, a former veterinary student takes a. In one plot, jacob is a young guy just starting out in the world. Learn water for elephants with free interactive flashcards. The water for elephants community note includes chapterbychapter. Water for elephants elephant was abused in 2005, says. Water for elephants, published in 2007, is sara gruens third novel.
An atmospheric, gritty, and compelling novel of starcrossed lovers, set in the circus. With robert pattinson, reese witherspoon, christoph waltz, paul schneider. Some say dont judge a book by its cover and others say dont judge a film by the book. Later in the book, it is suggested that he is a paranoid schizophrenic, to explain his violence. I never left the circus until i closed the back cover of the book and even then i still felt personally connected to the benzini brothers. Water for elephants immediately transported me to a different time and place. August can be very friendly and sweet on the surface, but deep down he is. Water for elephants is one of my most favorite books. Water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing. The novel kept me crying, alternating between tears of happiness and sadness. His heart lurches when he sees that a circus tent is being set up across the street.
Winner of the 2007 bookbrowse award for most popular book. A symbol that is strategically included throughout the story is the title of the novel. But be warned, this isnt the order of events in the book. A thousand splendid suns, memory keepers daughter, etc.
This is where almost all of the action of the story took place. With lines of startling beauty, haunting and evocative scenes and finelydrawn characters who dance off the page, readers can dip in and out of the novel, immersing themselves in jacobs memories. Water for elephants has two plots going on, both starring the same main character, jacob. Water for elephants is fun, sweet and thrilling and will pull you into the mysterious. First, young jacob is found on the campus of cornell university in ithaca, new york. Im not an advocate of boxed reading programs like this, but i know many schools use them. Blackandwhite photographs of real american circus scenes from the first half of the century are. Set in the 1930s, a former veterinary student takes a job in a travelling circus and falls in love with the ringmasters wife. I can fully see why water for elephants by sara gruen has such a polarizing effect on its readers. The illusions, the scandals, the friendship, the hardships, the bonds and the secrets hes kept.
Water for elephants sara gruen read online free books. The setting of the story changes throughout the book. Beautifully written, water for elephants is illuminated by a wonderful sense of time and place. Water for elephants makes use of a framing device similar to one the screenwriter used for the bridges of madison county. The grand rapids press you need this elephant in your life. Only days before graduating from vet school in 1931, young jake learns his parents have died and left him penniless. The novel alludes to books of the most famous authors. A novel 9781565125605 by gruen, sara and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. An old jacob, played by hal holbrook, tells his story in. Gruen transports us into the world of a thirdrate traveling circus during the great depression.
In fact it was because of watching the movie that i was induced to read the book. I hate being so enamored with a book and then a crappy movie version comes along and tarnishes it. Veterinary school student jacob meets and falls in love with marlena, a star. The circus was the main setting of the book, water for elephants. I decided to not watch the movie when i heard it was coming out simply because i didnt want to possibly ruin the experience id had with the book if the movie wasnt uptopar. Create marketing content that resonates with prezi video. When jacob jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, drifters, and misfits, a secondrate circus struggling to. Water for elephants july 5, 2006 a depressionera circus provides the backdrop for sara gruens latest novel, water for elephants. It is also apparent that the more popular a book is, the quicker its screen adaptation gets produced. Oct 21, 2009 water for elephants by sara gruen, 9781565125605, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. She wrote the book as part of national novel writing month. Jacob, the books narrator and protagonist, worked as a vet and trainer of sorts at a circus.
Choose from 70 different sets of water for elephants flashcards on quizlet. Water for elephants questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on water for elephants. Water for elephants is a delightful, moving book, and the ending was a very pleasant surprise. The two readers, david ledoux and john randolph jones, did a wonderful job of bringing both jacobs young and old to life.
Water for elephants book by sara gruen thriftbooks. Water for elephants is a book that can be read and reread, recommended and handed off between friends. 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. Its from this nursing home that jacob tells his story, like he is looking back at all the adventures at the circus. A brilliantly crafted and deeply moving novel, water for elephants is the tale of jacob jankowski, now in his nineties, who spends his remaining days fondly drifting through the memories of his early depressionera youth which was spent in the company of circus freaks, clowns and misfits. Apr 22, 2011 because of this, water for elephants is one of those few magical times when a movie is better than the book it is based on, when all the little details that generally engender people to love a. Water for elephants, 2007, sara gruen water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing month. The last notes of water for elephants linger long after the book ends. May 26, 2006 i read water for elephants for our book club, and i expected it to be as slow, dull, and superficial as most of the other books we have read.
The water for elephants community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. In what ways and to what extent do the words pathetic grandeur describe the world that gruen creates in her novel. Their two, completely separate personalities clash and collide. The title is somewhat of a joke between the author, sara gruen, and the readers.
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