... Jacob Jankowski

Jacob at 21: In his final weeks at veterinary school, Jacob's parents are killed in a car crash. Unable to concentrate on his exams, Jacob stands up, walks out of the room, walks out of the town, and hops onto a moving train car. It's the beginning of the The Great Depression and the train car he happens to hop belongs to "The Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth". A circus car.

Jacob at 91... or 93: Jacob is in good health and sound mind (except that he can't quite remember if he is 91 or 93). He has been discarded by his children, and childrens children and is forced to put up with gabby old women and patronizing nurses in the nursing home. In the empty lot next door, tents are being erected. The circus has come to town.


Sara Gruen weaves an enchanting tale. The depression era circus provides an ideal backdrop for a young man at a crossroads in life. All the necessary elements are present: A forbidden love with the breathtaking Marlena - the horsetaming star of the show who dons pink sequins; A loveable, cantankerous elephant named Rosie; August, Jacobs spiteful boss; Walter, his midget roommate; Camel, the elderly drunkard; And, my favorite character... on occassion you get to hear from Jacob in his old age where he is a wonderfully lovable, grouchy thing of a man.

Water for Elephants is the type of story you curl up on the couch with a cup of hot tea and become so enthralled that you find, as you finish the last chapter and give a long sigh, that the day has slipped by without a thought and you happen to have a smile on your face.