First, young jacob is found on the campus of cornell university in ithaca, new york. Water for elephants every book has the same basic hero archetype. Aug 05, 2008 a meticulously researched, fastpaced, engaging and ultimately very satisfying novel set mostly ina depression era travelling circus. This is where almost all of the action of the story took place. Water for elephants is a 2011 american romantic drama film directed by francis lawrence and written by richard lagravenese, based on sara gruens 2006 novel of the same name. They create a plan to completely ruin the circus for good. Jacob, the books narrator and protagonist, worked as a vet and trainer of sorts at a circus. I tried talking to my resident bible expert aka best friend, but she wasnt very familiar with the story and the significance of. Gruen transports us into the world of a thirdrate traveling circus during the great depression. Read free book excerpt from water for elephants by sara gruen, page 1 of 7. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. If you say that you carried water for elephants, i am. It shouldnt be a surprise that in the prologue we cant tell whether jacob is talking about marlena or rosie when he uses the word she he loves them both and thinks of them both as individuals. Winner of the 2007 bookbrowse diamond award for most popular book.
He jumps aboard a passing train and discovers he has landed on the train of a travelling circus. She demonstrates an exceptional aptitude for writing, and matthias, for a time, indulges her with reed pens, papyri, and other 16 c. The story in this novel is told as a series of memories by a ninetythree year old man called jacob jankowski. When jacob jankowski arrived for the first time at the circus where he worked, he was in awe.
How do the chapters about the older jacob enrich the story about jacobs adventure with the circus. Sara gruen has said that the backbone of her novel parallels the biblical story of jacob, in the book of genesis. On the first night after his leaving cornell, for example, jacob as did his biblical namesake lies back on the bank, resting my. The animals are mangy, underfed or fed rotten food, and abused. Read online water for elephants by sara gruen for free. According to the novel this period is the most difficult, because it has a huge. Water for elephants, an analysis case study template. There are three main settings in water for elephants. Sara gruen spares no detail in chronicling the squalid, filthy, brutish circumstances in which he finds himself. Water for elephants is an enchanting pageturner, the kind of book that creates a world that engulfs you from the first page to the last.
Water for elephants is the new york times bestselling debut novel. Theres a reason water for elephants is considered a modern classic by many people. She wrote the book as part of national novel writing month. Jacob janowskis luck had run outorphaned and penniless, he had no direction until he landed on a rickety train that was home to the benzini brothers most spectacular show on earth. It was the great depression and for jacob the circus was both his salvation and a living hell. It stars reese witherspoon, robert pattinson, and christoph waltz the film was released in the united states on april 22, 2011. Water for elephants, published in 2006, is sara gruens third book and her most successful to date. In water for elephants, deception runs quite rampant, especially from uncle al, who would constantly swindle his own crew and performers. I fell in love with the picture you chose for your book the first time i saw it.
Water for elephants book discussion questions water for elephants moves between a story about a circus and a story about an old man in a nursing home. Sara gruen mines fertile territory in water for elephants. A veterinary student just shy of a degree, he was put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. 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. I hate being so enamored with a book and then a crappy movie version comes along and tarnishes it.
This is a very good example of why one should have no expectations when. May 22, 2006 jacob janowskis luck had run outorphaned and penniless, he had no direction until he landed on a rickety train that was home to the benzini brothers most spectacular show on earth. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of water for elephants by sara gruen. His stay here is cut short by the death of his parents. 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. The title, water for elephants, is almost a little inside joke with the reader once weve finished the book, that is. Sara gruens very readable novel is a story of impossible love set in the circus world during the 1930s and is set to be made into a blockbuster film starring robert pattinson and reese witherspoon. But also, by carrying the theme of deceit, the title forces. May 26, 2006 water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing month. May 05, 2016 and from the present day setting, the devoted nurse, rosemary, is a breath of fresh air.
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. At its finest, water for elephants resembles stealth hits like the giants house, by elizabeth mccracken, or the lovely bones, by alice sebold, books that combine outrageously whimsical premises with crowdpleasing romanticism. The relevance of this book, and the plot, isnt the story itself, but the setting and the psychological environment. Water for elephants is the new york times bestselling debut novel by sara gruen. Sara gruen has written an utterly transporting novel richly full of the stuff of life. 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 read water for elephants a few years ago and from time to time, i reread my favorite novels. The water for elephants community note includes chapterbychapter summary and.
After all, thisis definitely a book for adults that engages with very adult themes, language, and subject matter. An atmospheric, gritty, and compelling novel of starcrossed lovers, set in the circus. 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. As the sadistic august, waltz simmers with alternating charm and viciousness two qualities he perfected in his oscarwinning turn in inglourious basterds. A national bestseller in canada and a new york times bestseller in the united states, this is a book destined to become a. The title is somewhat of a joke between the author, sara gruen, and the readers. Water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing month. Water for elephants is one of my most favorite books. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics.
What is the theme of water for elephants by sara gruen. While i enjoyed the movie with robert pattinson and reese witherspoon, the novel is far better. Im not sure if jacob jankowski is a parallel to jacob, son of isaac. Read water for elephants absolutely for free at readanybook. Water for elephants is a fictional novel by sara gruen that is set in the depression.
Ana is the daughter of matthias, head scribe to herod antipas, tetrarch of galilee. A detailed discussion of the writing styles running throughout water for elephants water for elephants including including point of view, structure, setting, language, and meaning. It was the great depression and for jacob the circus was both his salvation and a. The circus was the main setting of the book, water for elephants. And from the present day setting, the devoted nurse, rosemary, is a breath of fresh air. His years were filled with schooling and court cases, compared to a lifetime of adventures with the circus lived by jacob. It follows the story of a young man whose circumstances are suddenly altered and who finds himself homeless and jobless. Water for elephants is a book that can be read and reread, recommended and handed off between friends. The novel, water for elephants, written by sara gruen and directed by francis lawrence, tells the story of a man named jacob jancowski, played by robert patterson, who starts off as a cornell university veterinary student and ends as a. Water for elephants by sara gruen at the best online ebook storage. In april 2011, the film water for elephants, starring reese witherspoon and robert pattinson. Astonishing, touching, and humorous water for elephants is that exceptional tale with an account so riveting, one is unwilling to turn it down. Water for elephants book club discussion questions and. To ask other readers questions about water for elephants, please sign up.
The last notes of water for elephants linger long after the book ends. Well, the phrase reinforces jacobs association with circuses. Mar 18, 2008 it came up as question 16 in the water for elephants reading group guide. With the background of a lawyer, joseph is not one to turn down an argument. The setting of the story changes throughout the book. Water for elephants book club discussion questions and answers. With gruens bestselling book as his source material here, lawrence concentrates on more domestic horrors missing in his other films. I know i shouldnt do this, but somehow i cant help myself. A meticulously researched, fastpaced, engaging and ultimately very satisfying novel set mostly ina depression era travelling circus.
The alternating glamour and squalor of the circus world gruen expertly conjures may truly be one of the greatest shows. Although water for elephants is a novel, the description of the circus, the effect it has on each of the characters and even the details the author gives us on how it is built are essential, and cannot be ignored. On our first date, my husband took me to see tod brownings freaks, a 1932 horror film with a distinctly diane arbus feel. People also love animals, and animals love them back. But besides offering a sweepyouoffyourfeet reading experience and a highlyanticipated movie adaptation late this month, there are plenty of opportunities.
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. Water for elephants moves between a story about a circus and a story about an old man in a nursing home. One of the most important themes of the plot that follows the elderly jacob is independence and self worth. Sara gruen uses her talent as a writer to bring that world alive for the reader. Love is a driving force in water for elephants, and its not limited to the love one human feels for another. For example, death of jacobs parents and marlenas white horse are the. In striving to enrich the lives of all readers, teachingbooks supports the first amendment and celebrates the right to read. Its from this nursing home that jacob tells his story, like he is looking back at all the adventures at the circus. Apr 12, 2011 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. Sep 07, 2016 author, sara gruen is an excellent novelist. Trust us, water for elephants is going to be one of the surprise hits of 2011. What is the authors style of writing in water for elephants.
Jacob jankowski jacob jankowski is the narrator of the novel, and senior in college whose ready to explore the world and find where he belongs. 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. Blackandwhite photographs of real american circus scenes from the first half of the century are. A symbol that is strategically included throughout the story is the title of the novel. This particular symbol is introduced in the first few pages of the novel, when the older jacob is sitting down to dinner at the nursing home with his. The following quote from jacob, taken from the book, describes, in detail, the marvelous scene. Water for elephants, 2007, sara gruen water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing month. Robert olen butler so much more than a tale about a circus, water for elephants is a compelling journey not only under the big top, but into the protagonists heart. Download and read online for free water for elephants by sara gruen. Blackandwhite photographs of real american circus scenes from the first half of the century are interspersed. My book was water for elephants and the protagonist was jacob. Though water for elephants made it to the new york times bestseller list, it appears to have by virtue of creative storyline since there are weaknesses in gruens authorial style. The water for elephants community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical.
Jankovski jankowski jackowitz janson previous question next question. Though water for elephants made it to the new york times bestseller list, it appears to have by virtue of creative storyline since there are weaknesses in gruens authorial style techniques. The band starts playing very fast and the redlighters set all the circus animals loose. The book, water for elephants, starts off in the present day, in a nursing home where the main character, jacob jankowski, lives. The choice of a childish rhyme from a childrens book as an epigraph for water for elephants is an interesting one. Water for elephants by sara gruen depicts a number of themes discussed below. 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. The grand rapids press you need this elephant in your life.