Tessa fontaines astonishing memoir of pushing past fear, the electric woman, follows the author on a lifeaffirming journey of loss and selfdiscovery through her time on the road with the last traveling american sideshow and her relationship with an adventurous, spirited mother. Water for elephants water for elephants is a romantic period drama that takes place in the depression era with a struggling circus full of misfits as its background. The novel hit the new york times bestseller list and reached number one on july 8, 2007. The title, water for elephants, is almost a little inside joke with the reader once weve finished the book, that is. Winner of the 2007 bookbrowse diamond award for most popular book. The fourth theme shown in the book, water for elephants is suffering. The main circus animal in this novel is an elephant rosie. This may be a totally amateur answer, but i totally thought the book was titled water for elephants because of. It shouldnt be a surprise that in the prologue we cant tell whether jacob is talking about marlena or rosie when he uses the word she he loves them both and thinks of them both as individuals. Water for elephants by sara gruen book club discussion. Discussion of themes and motifs in sara gruens water for elephants.
Jacob jankowski, a retired veterinarian living out his days in an assistedliving facility, drifts in and out of his memories. Well, the phrase reinforces jacobs association with circuses. These book club discussion questions reveal important details about water for elephants by sara gruen. Sara gruen has written an utterly transporting novel richly full of the stuff of life. May 22, 2006 jacob janowskis luck had run outorphaned and penniless, he had no direction until he landed on a rickety train that was home to the benzini brothers most spectacular show on earth.
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. A national bestseller in canada and a new york times bestseller in the united states, this is a book destined to become a beloved fiction classic. Stories similar to water for elephants books, stories, and novels like water for elephants by sara gruen. Water for elephants book discussion questions water for elephants moves between a story about a circus and a story about an old man in a nursing home. 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. Ana is the daughter of matthias, head scribe to herod antipas, tetrarch of galilee. Water for elephants by sara gruen at the best online ebook storage. In the beginning of the novel, jacob mocks another resident of the nursing home who claims to have worked in the circus and carried water for the elephants. Download and read online for free water for elephants by sara gruen. Sara gruen uses her talent as a writer to bring that world alive for the reader. I hate being so enamored with a book and then a crappy movie version comes along and tarnishes it.
The book, water for elephants, has a symbolic study of human need for love and acceptance. The primary symbols are revealed through unique characters that struggle to feed deep internal desires. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. Overall, water for elephants was a book that grabbed me from the beginning. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of water for elephants by sara gruen. Love is a driving force in water for elephants, and its not limited to the love one human feels for another. August feels the need to beat rosie to get her to walk on cue and august beats marlena so she does what he wants her to do. Water for elephants ebook by sara gruen rakuten kobo. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. But also, by carrying the theme of deceit, the title forces. Water for elephants movie tiein by sara gruen, paperback. Even our main antagonist, august has been struck by love.
She always attracts children and adults during the circus show. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Jul 04, 2011 water for elephants is fun, sweet and thrilling and will pull you into the mysterious life of the circus so far that you wont want to leave. Read online water for elephants by sara gruen for free.
On the outside the circus looks like a fun, exciting, and beautiful life, but behind it is suffering and pain. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. Water for elephants is a rich surprise, a delightful gem springing from a fascinating footnote to history that absolutely deserved to be mined. Water for elephants by sara gruen is a must read a story about a 90yearold man remembering his days with a circus during the great depression. All 63 characters in water for elephants are listed by chapter with character descriptions included. Water for elephants is the new york times bestselling debut novel by sara gruen. Water for elephants is the new york times bestselling debut novel. Symbols love is one of the driving forces of this novel. Water for elephants is one of my most favorite books.
Gruen transports us into the world of a thirdrate traveling circus during the great depression. Parade novelist gruen unearths a lost world with her rich and surprising portrayal of life in a traveling circus in the 30s. The circus, the great depression, a complex elephant, equally complex love, the mists and twists of memory articulated in the utterly winning voice of a very old man whos seen it all. People also love animals, and animals love them back. Times, publishers weekly, san francisco chronicle, and washington post lists a usa today and wall street journal best seller an american book association indiebound best seller. Water for elephants is a story about an elderly man, jacob, who recalls an adventure in his younger years. Water for elephants a depressionera circus provides the backdrop for sara gruens latest novel, water for elephants. Think youve got your head wrapped around water for elephants. Analysis and discussion of characters in sara gruens water for elephants. We personally assess every books quality and offer rare, outofprint treasures. Nov 25, 2010 water for elephants is a book about humanity. At what point in his life did he seem to be the happiest. Water for elephants book club discussion questions and answers.
A lot of the moral choices that the characters have made, have most likely been for love for another character. Young jacob is able to do whatever his heart desires including, jumping on moving trains and fighting for the women he loves. Joshilyn jackson, author of gods in alabama so much more than a tale about a circus, water for elephants is a compelling journey not only under the big top, but into the protagonists heart. Water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing month. Choose your countrys store to see books available for purchase. I fell in love with the picture you chose for your book the first time i saw it. So i purchased the book and slowly began retreating. In what ways and to what extent do the words pathetic grandeur describe the world that gruen creates in her novel. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Water for elephants is a book that can be read and reread, recommended and handed off between friends. Water for elephants is an enchanting pageturner, the kind of book that creates a world that engulfs you from the first page to the last. This study guide consists of approximately 58 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of water for elephants. Water for elephants was adapted into a major motion picture starring reese witherspoon, rob pattinson, and.
The author, sara gruen allows readers to read the book from two perspectives, one from young jacob and the other from older presentday jacob. Water for elephants is fun, sweet and thrilling and will pull you into the mysterious life of the circus so far that you wont want to leave. Jacob janowskis luck had run outorphaned and penniless, he had no direction until he landed on a rickety train that was home to the benzini brothers most spectacular show on earth. How do the chapters about the older jacob enrich the story about jacobs adventure with the circus. An atmospheric, gritty, and compelling novel of starcrossed lovers, set in the circus world circa 1932, by the bestselling author of riding lessons. Her works have been translated into fortythree languages and have sold more than ten million copies worldwide. 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. Jacob, the books narrator and protagonist, worked as a vet and trainer of sorts at a circus. It was the great depression and for jacob the circus was both his salvation and a living hell. In the sections of the book set in the present, when jacob is in his 90s, he makes a big deal about his age and seems really upset by it. There are many superstitions associated with the elephant. Young jacob is able to do whatever his heart desires including, jumping on. Jul 23, 2018 water for elephants by sara gruen is a must read a story about a 90yearold man remembering his days with a circus during the great depression. Jacob is working overtime as the narrator of water for elephants.
Only days before graduating from vet school in 1931, young jake learns his parents have died and left him penniless. Mar 01, 2011 water for elephants is an enchanting pageturner, the kind of book that creates a world that engulfs you from the first page to the last. His lie telling the old ladies that he used to carry water for the elephants is what triggers jacobs memory about working with the circus. She demonstrates an exceptional aptitude for writing, and matthias, for a time, indulges her with reed pens, papyri, and other 16 c. Jacob jankowski the protagonist, a 93yearold nursing home resident reminiscing on the time he spent as a circus. He plays the circus owner, who is married to the bareback rider and keeps her. One of the most important themes of the plot that follows the elderly jacob is independence and self worth. This may be a totally amateur answer, but i totally thought the book was titled water for elephants because of the old man in the book that jacob despised. Although i wanted more emotion between marlena and jacob, its a romantic story, full of action, love for animals and a magnificent circus. May 26, 2006 water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing month. Water for elephants symbols, allegory and motifs gradesaver. What makes water for elephants more intriguing is a third character, reminding us why christoph waltz deserved his supporting actor oscar for inglourious basterds 2009.
Animal symbol the main circus animal in this novel is an elephant rosie. Blackandwhite photographs of real american circus scenes from the first half of the century are interspersed throughout the. 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. Theres something endearingly oldfashioned about a love story involving a beautiful bareback rider and a kid who runs off to join the circus. It follows the story of a young man whose circumstances are suddenly altered and who finds himself homeless and jobless. More than just being a performing animal, rosie reflects the desperation of so many. Use these book club discussion questions on water for elephants to lead your book clubs conversation on the story. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. 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 story is told as a series of memories by jacob jankowski, a 93yearold man who lives in a nursing home. Water for elephants book club discussion questions and. Read water for elephants absolutely for free at readanybook. Sara gruens title water for elephants provides a symbolic study of the fundamental human need for love and acceptance. Oct 21, 2009 robert olen butler so much more than a tale about a circus, water for elephants is a compelling journey not only under the big top, but into the protagonists heart.
Elephants good luck symbol a powerful superstition is a remnant of zoolatry, which is an expression of marvel and admiration at the instinct of the elephant. She wrote the book as part of national novel writing month. Sara gruen has a voice to rival john irvings, and i am hopelessly, unabashedly in love with this book. Water for elephants moves between a story about a circus and a story about an old man in a nursing home. 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. I was able to enjoy reading the book, but the sense of distance from the characters is also a little. Rosie would much rather have gin than water, and any elephant trainer worth his salt would know that. Thriftbooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. The denver post so compelling, so detailed and vivid, that i couldnt bear to be torn away from it for a single minute. This book was influenced by very important literary movements, such as romanticism, realism, regionalism, and naturalism. A veterinary student just shy of a degree, he was put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading water for elephants. The primary symbols are revealed through unique characters who struggle to feed deep internal desires. The story is told by its main character, jacob who is now confined to.
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