Water for Elephants

... by Sara Gruen

First of all, I had no idea until yesterday that this was being made into a movie. I am interested to watch it now, though I'm sure I won't like it as much as the book. I didn't picture Jacob looking like Edward from Twilight, nor Marlena as a blond (played by Reese Witherspoon in the movie). I listened to this book as an audio book. I loved it. I had a hard time listening to a lot of it. It's an emotional book, and there is some graphic animal abuse that really bothered me to listen to.

This story is about a young man, just finishing vet school when he learns that both his parents were killed in a car accident. He doesn't sit his final exams, and doesn't graduate from school. Instead, he hops a train, and it is a circus train. The story is told from the perspective of young Jacob (in his 20s) and old Jacob who is 90, or 93, he can't remember. I LOVED the old Jacob parts, though I did choke up a few times while listening to him. Not so much fun when you're in the middle of a run!

You know that old Jacob has lost his wife, and his kids can't take care of him, so they put him in a home. He is mentally fine, just in an old man's body, and turns into a bit of a crotchedy old guy. He connects with one of the nurses at the home, and that relationship is quite touching. He recalls his past life some 70 years ago once a circus sets up in the lot next to the nursing home.

I just really enjoyed this one. Again, I don't want to give much away as I think you should all read it.