Hey, it’s Shannon!
I’ve been neglecting doing this post because this movie was released quite a while ago! And I was doubting that anyone would actually still be interested. Here we go anyways!
I’m one of those people who like to read a book before I watch the movie. Around the time that I was going to purchase this book, I remembered how much I enjoy audiobooks hahaha (am I the only one??). I really like having them on my iPod and listening to them during my walks or runs because, for me, listening to the same ol’ music over and over… and over! gets suuuper boring and I find myself very uninspired during my run and my runs are somewhat less enjoyable.
Anyways, I found Water for Elephants on audiobook via iTunes for only 5 dollars! (cdn funds). Usually I find that audiobooks can be even pricier than buying the actual physical copy! So I was very pleasantly surprised. Unfortunately… the pleasant surprise started and stopped with the price… I have to be honest I was looking forward to the book. I mean, a movie with Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson has to be good! And my natural conclusion was that the book from which the movie was based with these great actors has to be great! Right?? Wrong….
I really struggled to finish this book. It took me a few months ! For some reason I found the plot just plain old boring. You’d think a book about the secret inner workings of a circus and a secret love would be exciting! And I guess some parts were… but they were overshadowed by an overwhelming sense of… underwhelm-ment…
A Short Intro to the Plot:
(Don’t worry there are no real spoilers for those of you who want to read this book)
The story surrounds the memories of Jacob Jankowski, a young veterinary student (about 23 years of age) at Cornell University. I must admit, an interesting angle to the novel is that the story bounces between a young Jacob and his 90 year old self in a nursing home (if you purchase the audiobook it is really nice how the readers do the voices). The story begins with the young Jacob preparing for his final exams at Cornell, and then tragedy hits – Jacob’s parents are killed in a car accident leaving him with absolutely nothing. During his final exam, Jacob breaks down and is unable to complete his test. From there, Jacob leaves and jumps onto a train which he soon finds out to belong to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. Luckily for Jacob, when Uncle Al (the owner of the circus) discovers his education and training, he becomes the show’s veterinarian. The audience is eventually introduced to Marlena (the beautiful performer who captures Jacob’s affections), August (Marlena’s paranoid schizophrenic husband) and various other characters who help and inhibit Jacob’s journey with the circus.
For the most part the characters were well developed, they truly take on a life of their own, so for that I really do applaud the author, Sara Gruen. However, the love story between Jacob and Marlena was soo boring! They meet… and then they’re in love? And yes I’m aware that there is such thing as love at first sight for some people, but as a reader/listener I want to truly see the love connection build between these two characters! Because this novel is in fact a love story when it comes down to it, I found myself not being completely convinced of their affection for one another – there was nothing special about it and I found myself not caring if they ended up together or not.
Also, something I was not anticipating at all! was that there was 18A content in this novel hahaha. By that I mean bad language, sexually explicit content and violence against humans and animals! I understand that maybe this won’t bother some people, and I guess it can add to the intensity of the story, but I personally didn’t appreciate it.
Conclusion:
Even though this book is far from my favorite, I have met people who liked this book, and there are other reviews I read online that also found this novel very enjoyable.
As for the audio book quality on iTunes. I’d say for the price it’s a decent buy. The voices are done really well and really bring Gruen’s character’s to life without distracting from the plot. That being said, if I didn’t have someone basically reading this story to me, it probably would have ended up being one of those books that I set down on my shelf to collect dust. So, would I personally recommend this novel? Honestly, I probably wouldn’t.
Please feel free to let me know your thoughts on the book! Also, I haven’t watched the movie, but if anyone is interested in a book-movie comparison, make sure to let us know!
Thanks for reading 🙂
happylamp
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