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One of my biggest life’s joys is expanding my horizons. Be it my gastronomic, ideological, geographic, or in this case, my literary horizon. The book club I’ve helped organized has been in existence for 5 months now and we’re on our 4th book. Every book has been something I normally would not pick for myself to read. Water for Elephants, this month’s read was no exception. It’s a historical fiction about a dude named Jacob who quits veterinary school during the Great Depression and runs away from his life. He hops a train only to find himself on a circus train. He gives in to fate and joins the circus. Totally not my kind of normal reading. Circus? Great Depression? Not appetizing to my literary palate. (Where’s Edward vs Jacob? ….. Just kidding!)
How was I so wrong! Another one of my life’s joys that only happens occasionally is coming across a book that I savour. As I’m reading along, I’m actually already mourning the story’s end because I’m so immersed in its world and never want to leave. This is what Water for Elephants did for me. Sara Gruen draws you in the world behind the magical circus of the 1930s. There’s not a lot of magic behind the scenes of a circus but there’s magic in the personalities she gave her animals. (I’m in love with Rosie the elephant.) I’ll spare you the plot. Suffice it to say Jacob falls in love with a married performer, Marlena. No book’s perfect, I wish there was a little more depth in her human personalities. I wish she made Marlena stronger. But hey at least I wasn’t rooting for her demise like I did other weak women of literature (Hello Catherine from Hemingway’s Farewell to Arms). Sara’s writing and dialogue really transports you. I finished the book last night while in a bubble bath yet would swear I was riding a train and smelling animal body odor and hay. Sara Gruen did good. Please see for yourself! Do it soon too! The movie is in the making. Hello, Rob Pattinson;) |
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