Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


It was just okay. I don't know what all the fuss was about or why this book made so many book clubs lists. I was worried it was going to be full of sticky love scenes and it wasn't, which was good, but the main character, the narrator, I couldn't tell you his name right now if my life depended on it. He wasn't fleshed out, he pretty much only existed to show the circus.

I liked the circus aspects and the tales behind them and the photos from the circus archives scattered throughout the book, all these really added.

The problem was the story, it really seemed tacked on to give some substance to the circus anecdotes and I think it might have been better as a non-fiction book about circuses.

For example, I just read Natural Order by Brian Francis, and compare that portrait of a nursing home resident to this one and there is no compare - this one is as one dimensional as cardboard.

For what this story was, as I say, it was just okay. I would come down on just the other side of not recommending it, there are more books better worth your time.



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