While sitting at the mall for seven hours on Saturday (see below), I finished reading Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. This book actually made the many hours spent sitting on the mall floor not just bearable, but enjoyable. It’s one of the best, most absorbing books I’ve read in a while. Water for Elephants is the story of Jacob Jankowski, a circus vet, told from the point of view of Jacob as a 23-year-old and as a man in his 90s. Set mostly in 1931, Gruen captures the world of circuses of that era, showing the many differences in the lives of the performers and the workers. The characters are beautifully drawn (especially charming is Rosie, an elephant). I can’t tell you the last time I read a book with such a perfect ending as this. It took me completely by surprise.
I highly recommend it.
