sarah_rimk 's review for:

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
3.0

This story was different that what I expected. I found it a little difficult to stick with at times, but overall a very interesting story. It particularly picked up for the last 3rd or so.

The story is interwoven with Jacob as a 90 (or 93) year old man and Jacob as a young man working at the circus. I actually found that I connected more with the elderly Jacob and found many of the characters in his young life rather coarse. They were well-developed characters, I just didn't find them particularly likable. As things went on, I found myself becoming a bit more attached to some of the characters and developing stronger negative feelings toward others. I became more invested in their lives over time.

I am actually surprised that this story was written by a woman. The voice of the male characters and the overall story seems much more like it was written by a man....not that it is particularly important. The female characters are less developed and more mysterious, perhaps because that is how they seem to Jacob.

Overall, an enjoyable book.