She wrote the book as part of national novel writing month. Her works have been translated into fortythree languages, and have sold more than ten million copies worldwide. Water for elephants is the new york times bestselling debut novel by sara gruen. Sara gruen writing styles in water for elephants sara gruen 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.
Water for elephants is a book that can be read and reread, recommended and handed off between friends. Water for elephants was adapted into a major motion picture starring reese witherspoon, rob pattinson, and. Featuring the evergreen appeal of humananimal friendships and set in an elephant sanctuary, we bought a zoo meets jurassic park in a gripping story about a thirteenyearold girl, a cast of elephants, and a surprising new arrivala woolly mammoth. Its the story of jacob, who runs away to the circus during the depression when his life falls apart around him.
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 but besides offering a sweepyouoffyourfeet reading experience and a highlyanticipated movie adaptation late this month, there are plenty of opportunities to study the. Well, the phrase reinforces jacobs association with circuses. Sara gruen has written an utterly transporting novel richly full of the stuff of life. I fell in love with the picture you chose for your book the first time i saw it. The climax of the the book, water for elephants, is when several survivors who were redlighted return to the circus during one of the shows. 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. Find books like water for elephants from the worlds largest community of readers. Water for elephants is a story about an elderly man, jacob, who recalls an adventure in his younger years.
I bought this book because of push advertising and regretted it. Written by claire cornwall and other people who wish to remain anonymous. Death of parentsthe death of jacobs parents was the first main event that happened in the book. She demonstrates an exceptional aptitude for writing, and matthias, for a time, indulges her with reed pens, papyri, and other 16 c. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of water for elephants by sara gruen.
Incorrect book the list contains an incorrect book please specify the title of the book. With lines of startling beauty, haunting and evocative scenes and finelydrawn characters who dance off the page, readers can dip in and out of the novel, immersing themselves in jacobs memories. Water for elephants summary these notes were contributed by members of the gradesaver community. In what ways and to what extent do the words pathetic grandeur describe the world that gruen creates in her novel. The films did create the right atmosphere, but i kept thinking that the movie was there primarily to showcase the rising star pattinson rather than do anything else. In one plot, jacob is a young guy just starting out in the world. Jacob is the main conflict in the book, water for elephants. Use these book club discussion questions on water for elephants to lead your book clubs conversation on the story. Read water for elephants online by sara gruen books free 30. These book club discussion questions reveal important details about water for elephants by sara gruen. Jacob, the books narrator and protagonist, worked as a vet and trainer of sorts at a circus. Inappropriate the list including its title or description facilitates illegal activity, or contains hate speech or ad hominem attacks on a fellow goodreads member or author. So tensions are rising much like the shows attendance. It may be slightly over hyped, but it certainly deserves of most of the praise its receiving.
Ana is the daughter of matthias, head scribe to herod antipas, tetrarch of galilee. Times, publishers weekly, san francisco chronicle, and washington post lists a usa today and wall street journal best seller an american book association indiebound best seller. A meticulously researched, fastpaced, engaging and ultimately very satisfying novel set mostly ina depression era travelling circus. But something about this book made we want to write anyways. The title, water for elephants, is almost a little inside joke with the reader once weve finished the book, that is. Because of this, water for elephants is one of those few magical times when a movie is better than the book it is based on, when all the little details that generally engender people to love a. Read unlimited books and audiobooks on the web, ipad, iphone and android. Because the police escorted jacob out of the testing room he was never able to finish his schooling at. Your story took me to place i could only dream of going. At the waters edge, ape house, water for elephants, riding lessons, and flying changes. Feb 25, 2020 water for elephants film on air magazine.
Goodreads members who liked water for elephants also liked. Water for elephants in one plot, jacob is a young guy just starting out in the world. Water for elephants film on air magazine in 2020 water. I was astounded at the lack of research which became clear when i. Jacob is the moral center of the book, recognizing and, where possible, preventing those cruelties, and in the. Reading for a book discussionwhether you are the leader or simply a. Water for elephants by sara gruen examines the life of 93yearold jacob jankowski who worked for years in the circus as a veterinarian. The truth is, it is summer and i am desperate for a distraction away from my recent obsession with greys anatomy reruns fueled by netflixs instant queue. His life wasnt always like this, however, because jacob ran away and joined the circus when he was twentyone. In the book, jacobs narration takes place in his own mind.
August is an antagonist and jacob is a protagonist. Water for elephants has two plots going on, both starring the same main character, jacob. But also, by carrying the theme of deceit, the title forces us to question the truthfulness of jacobs story. Read water for elephants by sara gruen for free with a 30 day free trial. The movie water for elephants stays close to sara gruens beloved book particularly with the 1930s circus memories section. Her works have been translated into fortythree languages and have sold more than ten million copies worldwide.
With gruens bestselling book as his source material here, lawrence concentrates on more domestic horrors missing in his other films. The band starts playing very fast and the redlighters set all the circus animals loose. Books, stories, and novels like water for elephants by sara gruen. So i purchased the book and slowly began retreating. At the beginning of water for elephants, he is living out his days in a nursing home, hating every second of it.
Water for elephants by sara gruen book club discussion. As the sadistic august, waltz simmers with alternating charm and viciousness two qualities he perfected in his oscarwinning turn in inglourious basterds. While reading water for elephants i found the plot hyperbolic and excessively melodramatic and the characters little developed beyond their names. Water for elephants was adapted into a major motion picture starring reese witherspoon, rob pattinson, and christoph waltz. Water for elephants is fun, sweet and thrilling and will pull you into the mysterious life of the circus so far that you wont want to leave.
We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. Although i wanted more emotion between marlena and jacob, its a romantic story, full of action, love for animals and a magnificent circus. Elephants have the largest bodies of all land animals, the largest brains, and some of the most unique social behaviors and family structures. I havent read water for elephants and having watched the movie i found it a bit unremarkable, but i do agree with you that christoph waltz did a very great job. August can be very friendly and sweet on the surface, but deep down he is a cruel and cold man. Water for elephants movie tiein by sara gruen, paperback. This text explains what happens when a male elephant becomes a. On our first date, my husband took me to see tod brownings freaks, a 1932 horror film with a distinctly diane arbus feel. Water for elephants questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on water for elephants. The only place the movie veers from the original is in its details of the older, current jacob. They create a plan to completely ruin the circus for good. Originally written as part of the monthlong nanowrimo challenge, water for elephants became sara gruens bestselling novel and the basis for the 2011 film of the same name.
Water for elephants is beautifully shot, but wounded if not ruined by the need for. We relive jacobs experiences with him as he recalls his past. R696 w38 2006 water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing month. Whatever i read, either goes in my head or my heart, not on paper or on the web for that matter. The water for elephants community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you.
I hate being so enamored with a book and then a crappy movie version comes along and tarnishes it. Overall, water for elephants was a book that grabbed me from the beginning. He begins reflecting on this time in his life because a circus sets up beside his assistedliving center. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. 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. Winner of the 2007 bookbrowse award for most popular book. At the end of your latest novel, water for elephants, you reveal the. The denver post so compelling, so detailed and vivid, that i couldnt bear to be torn away from it for a single minute. Sara gruens book, water for elephants, was a runaway best seller an internationally acclaimed novel told as the reminiscences of an old man, jacob, about his experiences with a depressionera circus where he witnessed the brutalities inflicted on people and animals alike.
Water for elephants is a rich surprise, a delightful gem springing from a fascinating footnote to history that absolutely deserved to be mined. Spam or selfpromotional the list is spam or selfpromotional. The story is told by its main character, jacob who is now confined to. Their two, completely separate personalities clash and collide. Water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing month. Water for elephants is a moving tale about circus life during the depression era with quirky characters and complex emotions underlying the characters actions. 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. Every few chapters, the narrative switches from one jacob to the other. Commonlit raising elephants free reading passages and. There, he works as the shows vet, and falls ever more in love with marlena, the star of the circus and beautiful wife of the temperamental ringmaster august. Rising from the harvests and oil fields of the oklahoma dustbowl, pretty boy floyd. Water for elephants is one of my most favorite books. 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.
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