Sara gruen has a voice to rival john irvings, and i am hopelessly, unabashedly in love with this book. Sep 07, 2016 author, sara gruen is an excellent novelist. Water for elephants is one of my most favorite books. For interested readers rooting for a satisfying ending, water for elephants succeeds. How do the chapters about the older jacob enrich the story about jacobs adventure with the circus. While reading water for elephants i found the plot hyperbolic and excessively melodramatic and the characters little developed beyond their names. Water for elephants is the touching story of jacob jankowski, a ninetythreeyearold man, who is reminded. Listen to water for elephants and water for elephants chapter summary new releases on your iphone ipad or android. Jacob is working overtime as the narrator of water for elephants. All of the important quotes from water for elephants listed here correspond, at least in some way, to the paper topics we created on water for elephants and by themselves can give you great ideas for an essay by offering quotes about other themes, symbols. 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. The setting of the story changes throughout the book. For such a short story, both characters read full symbol analysis the train station.
After his parents death, jacob jankowski is left penniless and homeless. Water for elephants is the touching story of jacob jankowski, a ninetythreeyearold man, who is reminded of his colorful past when a circus sets up next door to his assistedliving center. Jacob is ninetythree year old and is looking back on his adventures in life while he spends his days in a nursing home. While i enjoyed the movie with robert pattinson and reese witherspoon, the novel is far better. I have read this book and the reason the name is water for elephant is because the main character has a love for animals, and he has a specific bond with one elephants. Written by claire cornwall and other people who wish to remain anonymous. Water for elephants is a rich surprise, a delightful gem springing from a fascinating footnote to history that absolutely deserved to be mined. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. Rosemary is the nursing home caregiver who listens to his stories and gives him real food. Above all, gruen has written a deeply personal tale of life and love in unusual circumstances in. Stories similar to water for elephants books, stories, and novels like water for elephants. Only days before graduating from vet school in 1931, young jake learns his parents have died and left him penniless. Water for elephants analysis posted on march 18, 2008 6 comments i read that the story of jacob is allegedly the backbone of water for elephants. Praised for its meticulous research, superb plot, richly drawn characters, and flawless pacing, water for elephants was nominated for a 2006 quill award for general fiction, was a book sense numberone pick for june 2006, and won the 2007 book browse award for most popular book.
I bought this book because of push advertising and regretted it. 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. The prologue features a younger version of jacob, who works at a circus and. Water for elephants book club discussion questions and answers. She wrote the book as part of national novel writing month. Set in a travelling circus touring the backblocks of america during the great depression of the early 1930s, this is a story of love and hate, trains and circuses, dwarves and fat ladies, horses and elephants or to be more specific, one elephant, rosie, star. In water for elephants, the characters marlena and jacob are drawn together. Jacobs story begins at cornell university where he is studying to come a vet. He has an important role in displaying jacob to be someone who is willing to risk their life in order to help another.
Events lead him to joining the circus as their vet, working under their unstable boss august whose violent tendencies give everyone reason to be cautious around him, including his beautiful and quiet wife marlena, whom august is very possessive of and who jacob finds himself soon falling in love with. Explore our collection of motivational and famous quotes by authors you know and love. Joesph mcguinty says he used to carry water for elephants at the old circuses, which annoys jacob cause he doesnt think its true. August august is the owner of the circus, married to marlena, and a paranoid schizophrenic. Analysis and discussion of characters in sara gruens water for elephants. Water for elephants summary these notes were contributed by members of the gradesaver community. Every few chapters, the narrative switches from one jacob to the other. But the book locked me in and all i could do was turn the pages until i reached page 331 and the story was complete. Trust us, water for elephants is going to be one of the surprise hits of 2011. Beautifully written, water for elephants is illuminated by a wonderful sense of time and place. Related questions and answers for characters in water for elephants. Set during the great depression, water for elephants tells the story of a young man who leaves his life as a cornell university veterinary student after losing both his parents in a car accident, and jumps onto a train that happens to house the benzini brothers most. Gruen transports us into the world of a thirdrate traveling circus during the great depression.
When jacob overhears a man at the assistedliving center claim to have been a water boy for the elephants on. So, i read the story of jacob, son of isaac who was the son of abraham, who almost sacrificed isaac. 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. I hate being so enamored with a book and then a crappy movie version comes along and tarnishes it. Although the vast majority of books that have lexile measures did not change, a small subset of books required updated lexile measures. This study guide consists of approximately 58 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of water for elephants. 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. Water for elephants is the new york times bestselling debut novel by sara gruen. Its from this nursing home that jacob tells his story, like he is looking back at all the adventures at the circus. I read water for elephants a few years ago and from time to time, i reread my favorite novels. You are, of course, free to add your own analysis and understanding of the plot or themes to them. Sara gruen has written an utterly transporting novel richly full of the stuff of life. The circus train only had a limited amount of water on board, and elephants can drink 100300 litres per day approximately 2680 gallons. On our first date, my husband took me to see tod brownings freaks, a 1932 horror film with a distinctly diane arbus feel.
This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of water for elephants by sara gruen. In one plot, jacob is a young guy just starting out in the world. Jacob jankowski is the main character in the book, water for elephants. The animals are mangy, underfed or fed rotten food, and abused. The water for elephants community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and. I was astounded at the lack of research which became clear when i. 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. In the beginning of water for elephants jacob jankowski tells us that he is ninety or ninetythree. Water for elephants thorndike paperback bestsellers. Aug 21, 2009 first let me say this is one of my all time favorite books i would really suggest you reading it if you havent already. Sara gruen spares no detail in chronicling the squalid, filthy, brutish circumstances in which he finds himself. Marlena is married to august, but it is a bad marriage. All of the important quotes from water for elephants listed here correspond, at least in some way, to the paper topics we created on water for elephants and by themselves can give you great ideas for an essay by offering quotes about other themes, symbols, imagery, and motifs than those already mentioned. Setting great depression summer of 31 midwest nursing home significance conservative desperation hot transient staunch boring monotonous role of fate audience teens and young adults americans both movie and novel have the flair of 50s movies in the danger, melodrama. In literature, crossroads often represent a situation in which a character needs to make a crucial decisionjust as the character must choose a physical path, they must symbolically choose a life path. In the beginning of the novel, jacob mocks another resident of the nursing home who claims to have worked in the circus and carried water for the elephants. Books that perform well based on their reader engagement are published by inkitt in different formats and channels.
Readers may find themselves churning through this book at a rapidfire pace, eager to see what lies ahead, then slowing down as they realize the pages are dwindling. Water for elephants book discussion questions water for elephants moves between a story about a circus and a story about an old man in a nursing home. Feb 02, 2012 the movie water for elephants stays close to sara gruens beloved book particularly with the 1930s circus memories section. Love is displayed in a variety of forms, from the love jacob has for marlena to the love jacob shares for the animals on the circus. Charlie enters the book in the secondtolast chapter and plays a small but pivotal role. He diagnoses a lame horse, and august, the mercurial owner, hires him as a vet. Water for elephants chapter summaries flashcards quizlet. Apr 22, 2011 8 big differences between water for elephants book and movie apr. I didnt want to leave the pages that exposed the truth of jacob and marlenas affection or the cruelties of uncle al and august. Water for elephants is a book that can be read and reread, recommended and handed off between friends. Water for elephants is a story about an elderly man, jacob, who recalls an adventure in his younger years. You might like to consider the following adjectives.
In the book, jacobs narration takes place in his own mind. As a whole, water for elephants is a truly enchanting tale that extols the magic of the circus while exposing the gritty behindthescenes element of this americana staple. If you like water for elephants, you might like little heathens by mildred armstrong kalish seabiscuit by laura hillenbrand the adventures of miles and isabel by tom gilling. But be warned, this isnt the order of events in the book. Water for elephants summary water for elephants has two plots going on, both starring the same main character, jacob. Water for elephants thesis statements and essay topics. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. By the end of the novel, marlena is a distinguished dynamic character, knowing that independence and self beliefs are a great deal of who she is.
Water for elephants is fun, sweet and thrilling and will pull you into the mysterious. When jacob overhears a man at the assistedliving center claim to have been a water boy for the elephants on a circus, jacob knows the man is lying because jacob himself once worked as a vet on a traveling circus. Marlena rosenbluth from water for elephants charactour. Classroom ideas posted april 12, 2011 by sara novel novice 5 comments there is so much to love about sara gruens water for elephants, from the lush and magical setting of a 1930s circus, to the sweeping forbidden romance, to the heartbreaking recollections of narrator jacob jankowski. Water for elephants 2011 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Use these book club discussion questions on water for elephants to lead your book clubs conversation on the story. 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.
But when he seen that the circus was in town, he hobbled to the window to see the circus tent. The novel, water for elephants include a number of major themes, here are 5 of the most evident themes seen throughout the novel. In a later flashback to jacobs younger years, jacob is brought to uncle al, the manager of the circus, who taunts him with you want to carry water for elephants, i suppose. Camel is a kind man who also is willing to help someone even though it was dangerous. Water for elephants is the film adaptation of the best selling book. Water for elephants sara gruen the story of jacob janowski a vet trainee at cornell university who is suddenly orphaned and finding himself with no money in the world jumps on a train only to find he has inadvertently joined the circus. This book, as the rest of her collection, was written in english, same language in which i read it.
Water for elephants movie tiein by sara gruen, paperback. Aside from august, marlena, al, camel, and walter, the other people who work at the circus sort. Hills like white elephants symbols from litcharts the. Water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing month. The theme of love love is the most evident theme throughout the novel. These thesis statements offer a short summary of water for elephants in terms of different elements that could be important in an essay. Discover and share water for elephants jacob quotes. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
Water for elephants book club discussion questions and. Set in a travelling circus touring the backblocks of america during the great depression of the early 1930s, this is a story of love and hate, trains and circuses, dwarves and fat ladies, horses and elephantsor to be more specific, one elephant, rosie, star of benzini bros most spectacular show on earth. He tells the circus manager about his time in 1931 with the doomed benzini circus. The only place the movie veers from the original is in its details of the older, current jacob.
Read water for elephants absolutely for free at readanybook. The book, water for elephants, starts off in the present day, in a nursing home where the main character, jacob jankowski, lives. Many years before, jacob is a student at cornell university, studying veterinarian medicine in order to join. Mcguinty is a minor character who appears early on in the book. Water for elephants is an enchanting adventure mustang. 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 by sara gruen at the best online ebook storage. It is considered as a histor water for elephants, an analysis teen ink. Later in the book, it is suggested that he is a paranoid schizophrenic. A water for elephants discussion from reading group guides writers digest interview with sara gruen. The denver post so compelling, so detailed and vivid, that i couldnt bear to be torn away from it for a single minute.
What are six character traits jacob jankowski has in water for elephants. Dec 11, 2011 water for elephants book discussion questions water for elephants moves between a story about a circus and a story about an old man in a nursing home. Whatever magic was included in sara gruens 2006 novel, water for elephants, has not made the arduous journey to the big screen. Many products and services offer lexile measures for their books and reading materials. 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. 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. While he was at dinner, one of the new comers to the nursing home was saying how he gave water to the elephants. Joshilyn jackson, author of gods in alabama so much more than a tale about a circus, water for elephants is a compelling journey not only under the big top, but into the protagonists heart. Water for elephants study guide consists of approx. May 26, 2006 water for elephants is the story of jacobs life with this circus. Jacob jankowski, a retired veterinarian living out his days in an assistedliving facility, drifts in and out of his memories. We are working with the hundreds of companies that partner with us to transition them to. The first major conflict for the character jacob catapults him into a new life and thus creates the rest of the story.
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