Mar 13, 2024janerf rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Hard to read. So much brutality
Only the very end makes it worth the read.
The audio version is superb, with different voices for young and old Jacob. Great performances.
Jan 09, 2024Alpha_zzz rated this title 0.5 out of 5 stars
I thought this book was incredibly crude and if allowed, I would give it 0 stars. I couldn’t tolerate the crudeness and said “enough” and did not finish.
Feb 14, 2023MyeshaTM rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Favorite Quote: “I cling to my anger with every ounce of humanity left in my ruined body, but it’s no use. It slips away, like a wave from shore. I am pondering this sad fact when I realize the blackness of sleep is circling my head. It’s…
Jul 13, 2021severina2001 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
An elderly man reminisces about his early life in a travelling circus.
Jacob Jankowski is one exam away from becoming a veterinarian when his parents are killed in an accident. When the bank takes everything, Jacob hops the closest train…
This story is not for the faint of heart. It is a gorgeous and heartbreaking romance with twists and turns but it is also a story with a dark, twisted undertone. As Jacob becomes more and more involved with the circus, he begins to…
Apr 26, 2021LucasHill rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
An unmotivated love story stapled on to a larger narrative that just didn't make much sense, partially due to the fact that the supporting characters just didn't distinguish themselves from each other too often. Not for book snobs like me.
An especially interesting, well-written, well-thought-out book. And, one that we definitely want to read the post scriptum discussion in the Kindle version that answers the question of how the author came to have such intimate knowledge of…
I read this book to fulfil the goal read a book with a character in their 20's. It is also on Listopia's 300 books everyone should read once challenge. i enjoyed it. i would like to see the movie someday. it ended in a surprising way and…
A gritty story about a drifter who finds himself part of a travelling circus, there he meets a beautiful woman whom is already spoken for and of course they fall in love! If you like adventurous stories about animals, glittering circus…
Oct 13, 2019Newmommy09 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Re-read this on my Kindle. Still a vivid, great story with rich, vivid prose. The character development I adore as well as the story-telling, the animals and the love story. Just a wonderful read.
Jul 29, 2019jecoons rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This book gives an excellent view for people who have or haven't had to "manage" what life throws their way. I enjoyed it and am glad I didn't live (survive) in the depression era 1930's USA as a human or elephant.
Oct 26, 2018SurreyLibraries_Reads rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
How could you possibly resist a story of an orphan, a travelling circus, love, elephants, and gritty drama? It was a great read. Delightful and heart-warming, if you asked me for just two words to describe it. Set in 1932, the characters…
Aug 04, 2018jcbraacx rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
This story is beautifully written about an elderly man in his 90's living in a care home. It portrays how Jacob, the 92 yr old feels being all alone in this world after his parents died during the Depression years . His vivid imagination…
You enter along with the main character Jacob into the mysterious world of this historical circus world as he uses his veterinarian background to hitch a ride aboard. A narration that switches from past to present this story definitely…
May 16, 2017KatTheGreat rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
A beautifully written story of a particular subculture of people we don't often read about. To me the joy of this book was the depth of the characters, and not entirely the plot (which is at times weak). I think this is the reason the…
May 15, 2017wyenotgo rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
An engrossing quick read, bringing to life a unique and long gone setting, the gritty, exploitative world of the 1930s circus train. The development of the characters is uneven, the two protagonists (Jacob and Rosie) being well drawn and…
Apr 19, 2017loreross rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
[audiobook] The story is good - economical, colorful, largely unchallenging. Airport fare. "Old" Jacob is narrated well, and I want to hear more from him. "Young" Jacob was, unfortunately, intolerable after about 3 hours. They guy has a…
Such a whimsical and fascinating novel. Some of the violence involving circus animals was a little upsetting but overall, I enjoyed reading about Jacob's story!
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Water for Elephants