Against the backdrop of a glittering but brutal circus world, this book charts the history of circus elephants in america and follows the story of one very mistreated circus elephant and the journey that led her to sanctuary. Elmer the patchwork elephant childrens book youtube. An american book association indiebound best seller. Water for elephants a depressionera circus provides the backdrop for sara gruens latest novel, water for elephants. She repeats over and over to the pet man that she is willing to buy all sorts of animals but no elephants. Water for elephants book club discussion questions and. Winner of the 2007 bookbrowse diamond award for most popular book. Weve probably all seen a movie and wished it were 40 minutes shorter or read a book and thought, damn, this really could have been condensed and lost. People also love animals, and animals love them back. These book club discussion questions reveal important details about water for elephants by sara gruen. Water for elephants is it too adult for an 11 year old. Water for elephants is fun, sweet and thrilling and will pull you into the mysterious life of the circus so far that you wont want to leave. And since its set during the prohibition era you could have some fun discussing that as well.
Theres something endearingly oldfashioned about a love story involving a beautiful bareback rider and a kid who runs off to join the circus. She demonstrates an exceptional aptitude for writing, and matthias, for a time, indulges her with reed pens, papyri, and other 16 c. Ana is the daughter of matthias, head scribe to herod antipas, tetrarch of galilee. Elmer is different and hes definitely not like any other elephants. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of water for elephants by sara gruen.
A national bestseller in canada and a new york times bestseller in the united states, this is a book destined to become a beloved fiction classic. Water for elephants by sara gruen is a must read a story about a 90yearold man remembering his days with a circus during the great depression. In fact, this book is riddled with so much folklore regarding circus life that you both might be able to do make small activities and learn the specific jargon used in the book and what it means. Read online water for elephants by sara gruen for free. A meticulously researched, fastpaced, engaging and ultimately very satisfying novel set mostly ina depression era travelling circus. The way he describes the elephants, he makes you fall in love with them as a species, as he did. The alex award is given to books that are written for adults but appeal to teen readers. So i purchased the book and slowly began retreating.
The denver post so compelling, so detailed and vivid, that i couldnt bear to be torn away from it for a single minute. 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. Water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing month. An atmospheric, gritty, and compelling novel of starcrossed lovers, set in the circus world circa 1932, by the bestselling author of riding lessons. Water for elephants is one of my most favorite books. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. As the sadistic august, waltz simmers with alternating charm and viciousness two qualities he perfected in his oscarwinning turn in inglourious basterds. The elephants is a small independent press based in america, canada, and singapore. How do the chapters about the older jacob enrich the story about jacobs adventure with the circus. Water for elephants questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on water for elephants. Water for elephants was one of those books that i had put off reading for no particular reason.
I fell in love with the picture you chose for your book the first time i saw it. Steve blooms breathtaking photos carry this book and will keep it being reread. Were open for submissions from may 1 through june 30. Water for elephants by sara gruen book club discussion. Water for elephants water for elephants is a romantic period drama that takes place in the depression era with a struggling circus full of misfits as its background. The story is told as a series of memories by jacob jankowski, a 93yearold man who lives in a nursing home.
Water for elephants is a story about an elderly man, jacob, who recalls an adventure in his younger years. 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. She wrote the book as part of national novel writing month. Suddenly orphaned and penniless during the depression, a veterinary student jumps a thirdrate circus train and finds romance, danger, and a bond with a special elephant named rosie. When jacob jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, drifters, and misfits, a secondrate circus struggling to. 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. An atmospheric, gritty, and compelling novel of starcrossed lovers, set in the circus world circa.
With gruens bestselling book as his source material here, lawrence concentrates on more domestic horrors missing in his other films. In striving to enrich the lives of all readers, teachingbooks supports the first amendment and celebrates the right to read. 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 was adapted into a major motion picture starring reese witherspoon, rob pattinson, and christoph waltz. How one extraordinary elephant escaped the big top carol bradley 2014. Winner of the 2007 bookbrowse award for most popular book. This is a love story with an interesting and well researched insight into the train circus in the 1930s.
Elephant books books about elephants either having elephants as the main charactersfocus or take up at least one chapter. Elephant books hollywood stuntman fernando celis belina releases novel, land of the elephants fernando celis belina has come up with a book similar to mine, and id like to introduce his name. An intimate portrait from africa by caitlin oconnell, timothy rodwell isbn. Download and read online for free water for elephants by sara gruen. On our first date, my husband took me to see tod brownings freaks, a 1932 horror film with a distinctly diane arbus feel. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Although i wanted more emotion between marlena and jacob, its a romantic story, full of action, love for animals and a magnificent circus. Gruen transports us into the world of a thirdrate traveling circus during the great depression. The story is told by its main character, jacob who is now confined to.
The book is all about grandma tildy who is willing to buy all sorts of pets who enrich her life and help her around the house. A 42yearold asian elephant named tai most recently known for the role of rosie in foxs water for elephants was abused by its trainers in 2005, according to. Love is a driving force in water for elephants, and its not limited to the love one human feels for another. At the waters edge, ape house, water for elephants, riding lessons, and flying changes. Water for elephants is a book that can be read and reread, recommended and handed off between friends. Water for elephants elephant was abused in 2005, says.
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. When south african conservationist lawrence anthony was a. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading water for elephants. This book was so incredible, i just could not put it down. Immediately engrossed, i had a hard time putting it down as i read the story of jacob jankowski and his reminiscence of days with the benzini brothers most spectacular show on earthotherwise known as a train circus in. Books that defined a generation water for elephants. He plays the circus owner, who is married to the bareback rider and keeps her. 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 was adapted into a major motion picture starring reese witherspoon, rob pattinson, and. From nonfiction tales to wacky stories that inspire laughs, here are nine elephantastic books to read with your children. Happy to see that we are getting more information and bringing awareness to what is happening to the wonderful animals that are the. Water for elephants is a rich surprise, a delightful gem springing from a fascinating footnote to history that absolutely deserved to be mined.
What makes water for elephants more intriguing is a third character, reminding us why christoph waltz deserved his supporting actor oscar for inglourious basterds 2009. Overall, water for elephants was a book that grabbed me from the beginning. 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. Water for elephants movie tiein by sara gruen, paperback. Water for elephants has two plots going on, both starring the same main character, jacob. Im not an advocate of boxed reading programs like this, but i know many schools use them. Read water for elephants absolutely for free at readanybook. Books bringing awareness about elephant poaching book. Her works have been translated into fortythree languages, and have sold more than ten million copies worldwide. And he met rosie, an untrainable elephant who was the great gray hope for this thirdrate traveling.
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 tired, old, former circus member. It was the great depression and for jacob the circus was both his salvation and a living hell. In one plot, jacob is a young guy just starting out in the world. Sara gruens arresting new novel, water for elephants, explores similar subject matter the pathetic grandeur of the depressionera circus. Tessa fontaines astonishing memoir of pushing past fear, the electric woman, follows the author on a lifeaffirming journey of loss and selfdiscovery through her time on the road with the last traveling american sideshow and her relationship with an adventurous, spirited mother. I love elephants and was very interested to learn more about iain douglashamilton and how he came to be the incredible hero for elephants that he is, and this book did not disappoint. If youre looking for a rationale for water for elephants, its listed as a scholastic reading counts book side note. We publish heterodox materials as acts of love and solidarity with the communities in which theyre created.
Water for elephants is the new york times bestselling debut novel by sara gruen. Her works have been translated into fortythree languages and have sold more than ten million copies worldwide. When i finished reading water for elephants, goose bumps covered my skin. This book was influenced by very important literary movements, such as romanticism, realism, regionalism, and naturalism. Water for elephants by sara gruen at the best online ebook storage. Use these book club discussion questions on water for elephants to lead your book clubs conversation on the story. Stories similar to water for elephants books, stories, and novels like water for elephants by sara gruen. In what ways and to what extent do the words pathetic grandeur describe the world that gruen creates in her novel. I hate being so enamored with a book and then a crappy movie version comes along and tarnishes it.
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