To carry water for elephants would be such a strenuous, nearly impossible task. 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. Sara gruen is the internationally bestselling author of water for elephants and at the waters edge. Jacob, the books narrator and protagonist, worked as a vet and trainer of sorts at a circus. The story follows jacob jankowski who was an old man living in a nursing home, as he looks back about a time that defined his 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. Word count 342, guided reading level h, recommended for grades 1 to 2, and providing a great resource for child orientated research for a school projects. Water for elephants was adapted into a major motion picture starring reese witherspoon, rob pattinson, and christoph waltz. Find books like water for elephants from the worlds largest community of readers. Water for elephants has two plots going on, both starring the same main character, jacob. Book club discussion on water for elephants sara gruen. Even the polar bear, who sits on his backside chewing his fourinch claws with his fourinch teeth. These book club discussion questions reveal important details about water for elephants by sara gruen.
Weve probably all seen a movie and wished it were 40 minutes shorter or read a book and thought, damn, this really could have been condensed and lost nothing. The first time we hear gruen reference the title in the book is when jacob realizes one of his fellow nursing home patients is telling a white lie about working for the circus. Water for elephants a depressionera circus provides the backdrop for sara gruens latest novel, water for elephants. 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.
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. Water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing month. Later in the book, it is suggested that he is a paranoid schizophrenic. Water for elephants book club discussion questions thoughtco.
The denver post so compelling, so detailed and vivid, that i couldnt bear to be torn away from it for a single minute. So i purchased the book and slowly began retreating. Its from this nursing home that jacob tells his story, like he is looking back at all the adventures at the circus. Trust us, water for elephants is going to be one of the surprise hits of 2011. Books that perform well based on their reader engagement are published by inkitt in different formats and channels.
A thousand splendid suns, memory keepers daughter, etc. Aimless and distraught, he climbs aboard a train that happens to be carrying the benzini brothers most spectacular show on earth, and inveigles. Blackandwhite photographs of real american circus scenes from the first half of the century are interspersed throughout the. A veterinary student just shy of a degree, he was put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It tells a story of a love between two people that overcomes incredible odds in a world in which even love is a luxury that few can afford. In striving to enrich the lives of all readers, teachingbooks supports the first amendment and celebrates the right to read. Elephants a nonfiction book for early grades all about elephants.
Feb 25, 2008 please recommend a classic that would be good for a book club. In one plot, jacob is a young guy just starting out in the world. Jacob is the moral center of the book, recognizing and, where possible, preventing those cruelties, and in the. 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. One night jacob climbs up and jumps each car, while the train is moving, to augusts room, carrying a knife between his teeth intending to kill august. 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. Elephants world life library by joyce poole paperback from voyageur press. Water for elephants is a rich surprise, a delightful gem springing from a fascinating footnote to history that absolutely deserved to be mined. Winner of the 2007 bookbrowse award for most popular book. Her works have been translated into fortythree languages and have sold more than ten million copies worldwide. Elegant elephants adult coloring book draw 50 animals. 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, the book s narrator and protagonist, worked as a vet and trainer of sorts at a circus. A strange but beautiful combination of animals, romance, and historical fiction, water for elephants tells the story of a man who starts off as a cornell university veterinary student and ends as a tired, old, former circus member.
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. Water for elephants by sara gruen at the best online ebook storage. 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. The stepbystep way to draw elephants, tigers, dogs, fish, birds, and many more.
Another great free creative commons book for children by mustard seed. Beautifully written, water for elephants is illuminated by a wonderful sense of time and place. I hate being so enamored with a book and then a crappy movie version comes along and tarnishes it. When 90something jacob jankowski hears the circus is in town, it brings him back to his younger years, when he traveled the country working for the circus. Stories similar to water for elephants books, stories, and novels like water for elephants by sara gruen. The setting of the story changes throughout the book. Jacob, out of his love for marlena and rosie drove him to carry this gigantic secret, a feat nearly as impossible as carrying water for elephants. Jacob jankowski, a retired veterinarian living out his days in an assistedliving facility, drifts in and out of his memories. Its impossible to describe how tenderly i suddenly feel toward them hyenas, camels, and all. The book, water for elephants, starts off in the present day, in a nursing home where the main character, jacob jankowski, lives. 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. Water for elephants is a book that can be read and reread, recommended and handed off between friends. In what other ways does water for elephants parallel the story of the biblical jacob.
She demonstrates an exceptional aptitude for writing, and matthias, for a time, indulges her with reed pens, papyri, and other 16 c. Please recommend a classic that would be good for a book club. Whatever magic was included in sara gruens 2006 novel, water for elephants, has not made the arduous journey to the big screen. With a showmans expert timing, gruen saves a terrific revelation for the final pages, transforming a glimpse of americana. 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. Do you see any similarities of temperament between the young jacob and the old jacob. Thriftbooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. We personally assess every book s quality and offer rare, outofprint treasures. A love for these animals wells up in me suddenly, a flash flood, and there it is, solid as an obelisk and viscous as water. Water for elephants rona brinlee of the bookmark in atlantic beach, fla.
Water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing month jacob janowskis luck had run out. Edith is a young girl who loses everything in victorian england, her mother to disease, her home to a greedy circus owner, and her best friend to jack the ripper. Jul 12, 2007 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. Awwa manual of practice manual of water supply practices the art of marjorie sarnat.
Use these book club discussion questions on water for elephants to lead your book clubs conversation on the story. Water for elephants movie tiein by sara gruen, paperback. Water for elephants was adapted into a major motion picture starring reese witherspoon, rob pattinson, and. Jan 01, 2007 water for elephants was adapted into a major motion picture starring reese witherspoon, rob pattinson, and christoph waltz in 2011. Jul 20, 2010 sara gruen is the internationally bestselling author of water for elephants and at the water s edge. Water for elephants is the film adaptation of the best selling book. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction.
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. Ana is the daughter of matthias, head scribe to herod antipas, tetrarch of galilee. Blackandwhite photographs of real american circus scenes from the first half of the century are. Goodreads members who liked water for elephants also liked.
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. With a showmans expert timing, gruen saves a terrific revelation for the final pages, transforming a glimpse of. Then gruen shifts readers attention away from the eerie circus to introduce the ninety or ninetythree year old protagonist, jacob jankowski. The book begins with ninety year old jacob remembering a very intense and disturbing event from his time with the circus that will leave you wanting to find out. Please use this display as a guideline and modify as needed. It was the great depression and for jacob the circus was both his salvation and a living hell. I read water for elephants for our book club, and i expected it to be as slow, dull, and superficial as most of the other books we have read. Download and read online for free water for elephants by sara gruen. 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. 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. Water for elephants is one of my most favorite books. Canoe and kayak guide amc quiet water series principles of water rates, fees and charges m1. These citations may not conform precisely to your selected citation style. How do the names of many of the characters reflect names of characters in the biblical account. Water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing.
In the presence of elephants by katy payne out of print try used books. Water for elephants by sara gruen, the elephant whisperer by lawrence anthony, modoc. The story is told as a series of memories by jacob jankowski, a 93yearold man who lives in a nursing home. Only days before graduating from vet school in 1931, young jake learns his parents have died and left him penniless. She lives in western north carolina with her husband and three sons, along with their dogs, cats, horses, birds, and the worlds fussiest goat. Water for elephants begins dark and violent as it braces readers for the tumultuous circus atmosphere during the terrible years of the great depression. Mcguinity lying about carrying water for elephants. Elephants of thailand in myth, art, and reality by rita ringis. Read free book excerpt from water for elephants by sara gruen, page 1 of 7. The title, water for elephants, is almost a little inside joke with the reader once weve finished the book, that is. 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. 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. 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.
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