Review

I sped through this book in just a few days. In fact, I read about 90% of it on a plane ride home from my folks’ house. It reminded me a lot of “The Circus in Winter” which I read on another plane ride earlier this year (coming back from Egypt). Tonally the two are quite similar, and obviously the subject matter is very much the same. Where “Water for Elephants” differs is in its allegiance to one specific story. And it’s a good one.

Not really a page-turner in the classic sense, it more like… beckons to you. Amidst all the bustle and fuss of the Depression-era bigtop, a very simple coming-of-age story just kind of happens. Gruen’s flashback device works effectively to create a sense of character and humanity, but the bread crumbs she drops along the way within this device never really materialize into anything. It’s not a huge deal, as the story is what it is, but I found myself wondering what might’ve been if she’d paid more attention to her own foreshadowing.

The one thing I’m left with after finishing this lovely little read is just how well the author has painted her picture. As I fell into this world, its colors really did seem worn and faded — in my mind’s eye, that is. I’m not exactly sure how a writer pulls that off, or if it was even intentional, but it suits the story to perfection (or perhaps vice versa). I’d recommend “Water for Elephants” to anyone who’s a little nostalgic for the way things were — especially if you’re a circus lover.