Comments (203)

What did you think about this title?
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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…
Jun 20, 2022Book_Dragon_Me rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Despite some colourful language I loved this gripping story. It was marvellously, expertly narrated and very enjoyable to listen to.
Jul 29, 2021ReadingDrea rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
The story was okay. Interesting beginning and end.
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…
May 11, 2021
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.
Apr 18, 2021
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…
Jan 05, 2021
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…
Nov 11, 2020karebear111 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Not the typical kind of novel I’m drawn to, but I really enjoyed it.
Jul 23, 2020happycanuck rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Well written, heartwarming and unusual .
Feb 13, 2020
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…
Dec 04, 2019colormeinsunlight rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
One-dimensional storytelling. Airport fare.
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…
Oct 06, 2017Dvdbaker87 rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Couldn't get into the audiobook. The reader's voice was very dry.
Jul 28, 2017
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…
Aug 29, 2016
ok
Aug 11, 2016
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!