Both female and male african elephants have tusks which they use to help find and dig for food. Set in the 1930s, a former veterinary student takes a job in a travelling circus and falls in love with the ringmasters wife. Water for elephants was adapted into a major motion picture starring reese witherspoon, rob pattinson, and. Download and read online for free water for elephants by sara gruen. Water for elephants has two plots going on, both starring the same main character, jacob. Later in the book, it is suggested that he is a paranoid schizophrenic, to explain his violence. To ask other readers questions about water for elephants, please sign up. As the sadistic august, waltz simmers with alternating charm and viciousness two qualities he perfected in his oscarwinning turn in inglourious basterds. 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, according to. Your story took me to place i could only dream of going. 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. Water for elephants is the story of jacobs life with this circus. Water for elephants ebook by sara gruen rakuten kobo. Just to put it out there, ill admit straight off the bat that im one of the people who enjoyed this book.
Water for elephants, which has sold more than 4 million copies to date, was a surprise hit by a littleknown author when it was first published in 2006. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. I didnt really feel the love between the characters because they were so two dimensional. She wrote the book as part of national novel writing month. 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. 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. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of water for elephants by sara gruen. Every few chapters, the narrative switches from one jacob to the other. Ana is the daughter of matthias, head scribe to herod antipas, tetrarch of galilee.
Asian elephants are endangered due to loss of habitat because of increasing human populations in asia. For starters, weve got forbidden love and adultery. The denver post so compelling, so detailed and vivid, that i couldnt bear to be torn away from it for a single minute. Young jacob is able to do whatever his heart desires including, jumping on moving trains and fighting for the women he loves. Use these book club discussion questions on water for elephants to lead your book clubs conversation on the story. With gruens bestselling book as his source material here, lawrence concentrates on more domestic horrors missing in his other films. The family elephantidae also contains several nowextinct groups, including the. Water for elephants was adapted into a major motion picture starring reese witherspoon, rob pattinson, and christoph waltz. She is an animal lover who lives with her husband, three children, five cats, two goats, a dog, and a horse in an environmental community north of chicago.
On our first date, my husband took me to see tod brownings freaks, a 1932 horror film with a distinctly diane arbus feel. It may seem all sequins and charm on the top but underneath there is something darker. Elephantidae is the only surviving family of the order proboscidea. As excitement for the movie builds, sales of the book are skyrocketing once again, with more than 800,000 copies shipped by publisher algonquin within the last month. A novel of starcrossed lovers, set in the circus world circa 1932. Water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing. Charlie enters the book in the secondtolast chapter and plays a small but pivotal role. Marlena is married to august, but she and jacob fall in love. Young jacob is able to do whatever his heart desires including, jumping on. Sara gruen has written an utterly transporting novel richly full of the stuff of life.
Water for elephants is one of my most favorite books. Trust us, water for elephants is going to be one of the surprise hits of 2011. Water for elephants was adapted into a major motion picture starring reese. It was a fast read which i always appreciate, because im perpetually drowning in a list of books tbr and it was fairly easy to get through. Because elephants eat so much, theyre increasingly coming into contact with humans. Overall, water for elephants was a book that grabbed me from the beginning. Some african elephants are known to migrate as far as 35 miles a day in search of water. I understand that the elephants are brutally beaten. Jacob and marlena simmer with sexual tension for about the first threequarters of the text. The story is told by its main character, jacob who is now confined to. But be warned, this isnt the order of events in the book.
With its spotlight on elephants, gruens romantic pageturner hinges on the humananimal bonds that drove her debut and its sequel riding. Water for elephants elephant was abused in 2005, says. If you liked water for elephants by sara gruen, here are some books like this. The state of chu used elephants in 506 bc against wu by tying torches to their tails and sending them into the ranks of the enemy soldiers, but the attempt failed.
Author interview sara gruen, author of water for elephants. Its from this nursing home that jacob tells his story, like he is looking back at all the adventures at the circus. Sara gruens very readable novel is a story of impossible love set in the circus world during the 1930s and is set to be made into a blockbuster film starring robert pattinson and reese witherspoon. With robert pattinson, reese witherspoon, christoph waltz, paul schneider.
Elephants use their trunks to help them lift up food, and they also use them to suck up water and pour it into their mouth. May 09, 2011 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, according to animal defenders international. The setting of the story changes throughout the book. Her works have been translated into fortythree languages and have sold more than ten million copies worldwide. Water for elephants is an excellent novel depicting railroad circus life during the early part of the 20th century. 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, 2007, sara gruen water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing month.
African elephant, facts and photos national geographic. In one plot, jacob is a young guy just starting out in the world. She demonstrates an exceptional aptitude for writing, and matthias, for a time, indulges her with reed pens, papyri, and other 16 c. So i purchased the book and slowly began retreating. What links here related changes upload file special pages permanent link page information wikidata item cite this page. Sara gruens first novel, riding lessons, was published in 2004.
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. Books, stories, and novels like water for elephants by sara gruen. These book club discussion questions reveal important details about water for elephants by sara gruen. Although i wanted more emotion between marlena and jacob, its a romantic story, full of action, love for animals and a magnificent circus. The title, water for elephants, is almost a little inside joke with the reader once weve finished the book, that is. In december 554 ad, the liang dynasty used armoured war elephants, carrying towers, against western wei. 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. The story is told as a series of memories by jacob jankowski, a 93yearold man who lives in a nursing home. The prologue features a younger version of jacob, who works at a circus and. Water for elephants is a rich surprise, a delightful gem springing from a fascinating footnote to history that absolutely deserved to be mined.
Elephants can wander great distances looking for enough food and water. Water for elephants is a love story, with a triangle at its center. Book recommendations for people who like water for elephants by sara gruen. Water for elephants is a story about an elderly man, jacob, who recalls an adventure in his younger years. 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. May 26, 2006 water for elephants, 2007, sara gruen water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing month. Sara gruens arresting new novel, water for elephants, explores similar subject matter the pathetic grandeur of the depressionera circus. Water for elephants is a book that can be read and reread, recommended and handed off between friends. The author, sara gruen allows readers to read the book from two perspectives, one from young jacob and the other from older presentday jacob. Jacob, the books narrator and protagonist, worked as a vet and trainer of sorts at a circus.
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. What are the main conflicts in sara gruens novel water for. Water for elephants by sara gruen at the best online ebook storage. The small, nomadic herd of mali elephants migrates in a circular route through the desert in search of water. The animals are mangy, underfed or fed rotten food, and abused. Water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing month.
Sara gruen spares no detail in chronicling the squalid, filthy, brutish circumstances in which he finds himself. 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. Elephants were used for warfare in china by a small handful of southern dynasties. I hate being so enamored with a book and then a crappy movie version comes along and tarnishes it.
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