Water For Elephants
By Sara Gruen
Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, May 2006
335 pages

Review:
Water for Elephants is about a traveling train circus in the 1930's. It is written from the point of view of a 90-year-old man who was the circus veterinarian in his 20's. The writing is captivating. You can almost smell the popcorn and hear the tinny music of the midway. The characters are rich and substantial—from the performers to the owners to the laborers. Their lives are real and wonderful and horrible. There is love, greed, caring, and struggling. The plot is engaging and believable.

I read one page of this book in a magazine article about the writer, Sara Gruen; I was so hooked, I had to go out and buy the book. Water for Elephants is a book I looked forward to picking up every night and was sorry when it ended. The best part is the ending, which ELDR Magazine readers will love for its celebration of life at any age.

Rating:

– Review by eldr.com member Martha Kane [0] of Canton, CT