Water for Elephants

I know what you’re thinking. A book about the circus? Seriously? Give me a break. Well, let me start by saying I never thought I would LOVE a book about the circus so much. I was skeptical about this book. A friend of mine told me to read it a year ago and every time I went into the bookstore I would veer towards it, thinking “this time I will pick it up,” but I just couldn’t do it. Even though she raved about this book. And every time I walked passed it, I could hear it yelling at me, “Get over here and read my jacket cover.” I couldn’t believe that a book about the circus would be appealing to me. At the time I was obsessed with all things vampire and supernatural for that matter so a book about the circus was beyond the realm of possibilities. I’m happy to report that I have let go of my vampire addiction and have moved on to greener, much more livable pastures. No worries though. My Twilight series remains close by just in case I need a quick fix.

A few weeks ago I made another trip to the store and sitting in one of the well positioned displays was Water for Elephants. I walked over to it, picked up a copy and read the back. I decided “what the hell” and purchased my copy. When I went home I did a quick IMBD search to see if there was any talk on turning this book into a movie. I don’t know why I do that but I do. I always check to see if the book I’m reading will become a movie. Turns out it is. And three excellent actors have signed on. Reese Witherspoon will play Marlena. Christoph Waltz will play her husband and animal trainer August and Robert Pattinson will be the lead, Jacob Jankowski. This got me excited. I flipped to the prologue and was hooked. Prologues can be iffy. They can set up a book perfectly or they can destroy it. This prologue set me on the edge of my seat for a ride I only ever expected to take at the circus, not just reading about the circus.

Here is the basic synopsis from The Booklist: Life is good for Jacob Jankowski. He's about to graduate from veterinary school and about to hook up with the girl of his dreams. Then his parents are killed in a car crash, leaving him in the middle of the Great Depression with no home, no family, and no career. Almost by accident, Jacob joins the circus. There he falls in love with the beautiful performer Marlena, who is married to the circus' psychotic animal trainer. He also meets the other love of his life, Rosie the elephant. This lushly romantic novel travels back in forth in time between Jacob's present day in a nursing home and his adventures in the surprisingly harsh world of 1930s circuses.

It was easy to fall for Jacob Jankowski in this book. His naïve innocence makes you want to wrap him up and show him the way. You will root for him and the animals he cares for in the same way you would root for the underdog baseball team at the final game of the World Series. This was one of those books that had a stellar opening then a bit of a drag in the middle but led up to a superb finale. The world created by author Sara Gruen became so real to me that I half expected to bump into Jacob, Marlena or August in real life. Just the other night Rosie the elephant and the star of the circus act made an appearance in my dream. You know a book is good when you fall asleep thinking of it, dream about it, then wake up thinking about it. The characters become actors in the dreams your mind creates. In the direction you would have taken the story long after the last printed word has been read off the page. This is what makes a book live forever.

What song am I listening to as I write this blog thinking about Water for Elephants? Rewind by Paolo Nutini http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vylvoD-ZZk

Enjoy. Pick up your copy and let me know what you think. IMBD has the film set in pre-production stages. Looks like it will be awhile before they start filming. I wouldn’t expect the movie to hit the big screen until late 2011 so you have plenty of time to read it first.

UPDATE: I just read that production for the film version of Water For Elephants will begin this May. Yay, Clappy Jumps. Looking forward to it.