Water for Elephants
by Sara Gruen
HistoricalAdded on January 13, 2026
Description
Over 10 million copies sold worldwide! * Now A Broadway Musical Starring Grant Gustin and Isabella McCalla #1 New York Times Bestseller * A Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, & USA Today Bestseller "This colorful headlong tale of a Depression-era circus simply can't be beat." —Stephen King A Major Motion Picture starring Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattinson, and Christoph Waltz Jacob Janowski’s luck had run out--orphaned 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. A veterinary student just shy of a degree, he was put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It was the Great Depression and for Jacob the circus was both his salvation and a living hell. There he met Marlena, the beautiful equestrian star married to August, the charismatic but brutal animal trainer. And he met Rosie, an untrainable elephant who was the great hope for this third-rate traveling show. The bond that grew among this group of misfits was one of love and trust, and ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.
Reader Reviews
loved this story-especially how it ended
Other than being blind-sided by a few dirty scenes, I enjoyed this story. It is the story of circus life and was an eye-opener to me, but I have no doubt that these is the kinds of things that happened then. It is set during the depression, and goes back and forth from the eyes of the same character who is alternately a young man in a circus and a 93-year old man in an assisted living center. I thought it was an interesting book, and you can't help but love Rosie, no matter what.
I thought Water for Elephants was a well-crafted novel. It was an especially vivid audiobook.The voices for young and old Jacob were very effective. Be aware, however, it is a sorrowful book; at least for me: having grown up around depression-era stories; and having cared for aging parents until recently. Despite my sadness, I was compelled to find out what happened these characters. I recommend this book.
