gayusbooks's review against another edition
2.0
Yet another novel that came with too much expectation and promise but ended up being a dud. Some books occupy a special place in your TBR pile - a place for books that you are sure will turn out to be something special, stories that will stay with you for a while. [b:Water for Elephants|43641|Water for Elephants|Sara Gruen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1494428973l/43641._SY75_.jpg|3441236] was one of those books for me. Sadly it reached nowhere near its mark.
I liked the setting of the novel. A depression era traveling circus that is struggling to stay afloat. The good parts of the novel all involved the characters and animals that populated the sidelines of the novel. Walter, Camel, the roustabouts, their struggles and small joys, the amazing acts that they performed in spite of the troubles behind the scenes, the anecdotes and day to day lives, the machinery that worked like clockwork to get the show on the road - these are the factors that made me read the book till its end. I couldn't connect with any of the main characters.
Spoilers Ahead
Even if you ignore how quickly an Ivy League college going young man adjusted to the tough life and working conditions of a circus, you cannot ignore how one dimensional the characters are. Jacob is a vet. But he is a vet with no prior experience and just like that he expertly manages all the different kinds of animals in the circus. He adjusts so quickly that I was surprised when he described himself as the only thing standing between the animals and August's cruelty. When did he start loving them so much?? I couldn't feel it at all. Same goes for Jacob and Marlena's love story. Why do they love each other?? I have no idea.
August is the only character that goes beyond caricature. But even then, mental illness is used as a device to complicate his character. Marlena could as well be a figment of Jacob's imagination because she has zero personality and lives a cliched tale. Old Jacob's narrative had some emotional depth but his thought processes rarely showed any difference from the young Jacob's.
And that ending was unrealistic and cheesy.
And moving on to the other main character of the novel - Rosie, the elephant. I grew up in a culture where elephants are part and parcel of life. They are as familiar here as horses are in other parts of the world. And that made me notice a lot of the things in the novel that I wouldn't have if elephants were a novelty to me as is portrayed here. An elephant is not an overgrown cow. You cannot control it with a few phrases(no matter whichever language the elephant is familiar with) and a bullhook. Definitely not by someone who is seeing and handling it for the first time. If you are not trained to care for them, if you are not familiar with their needs and moods, you could end up being dead. They are extremely intelligent and the way Rosie kills August is not that far-fetched, I will give the novel that much. But you need at least two mahouts and a dedicated team to take care of a single elephant. And no, a female elephant is not less dangerous than a male. Tusks are not the only dangerous weapon in an elephant's possession. I know, I know, this is a work of fiction and it calls for some liberties. But even after that concession, there are some aspects that are hard to overlook, especially for a novel that is proud about the amount of research that went behind it.
The main problem with this book is that it is trying too hard. Trying too hard to be gritty, to be a romance, to show the hardships of life, to portray animals, to tell the story from the male POV,to be something that it really isn't. It tries so hard that reading the novel feels like wading through water filled with weeds - the progress slow and excruciating.
I liked the setting of the novel. A depression era traveling circus that is struggling to stay afloat. The good parts of the novel all involved the characters and animals that populated the sidelines of the novel. Walter, Camel, the roustabouts, their struggles and small joys, the amazing acts that they performed in spite of the troubles behind the scenes, the anecdotes and day to day lives, the machinery that worked like clockwork to get the show on the road - these are the factors that made me read the book till its end. I couldn't connect with any of the main characters.
Spoilers Ahead
Even if you ignore how quickly an Ivy League college going young man adjusted to the tough life and working conditions of a circus, you cannot ignore how one dimensional the characters are. Jacob is a vet. But he is a vet with no prior experience and just like that he expertly manages all the different kinds of animals in the circus. He adjusts so quickly that I was surprised when he described himself as the only thing standing between the animals and August's cruelty. When did he start loving them so much?? I couldn't feel it at all. Same goes for Jacob and Marlena's love story. Why do they love each other?? I have no idea.
August is the only character that goes beyond caricature. But even then, mental illness is used as a device to complicate his character. Marlena could as well be a figment of Jacob's imagination because she has zero personality and lives a cliched tale. Old Jacob's narrative had some emotional depth but his thought processes rarely showed any difference from the young Jacob's.
And that ending was unrealistic and cheesy.
And moving on to the other main character of the novel - Rosie, the elephant. I grew up in a culture where elephants are part and parcel of life. They are as familiar here as horses are in other parts of the world. And that made me notice a lot of the things in the novel that I wouldn't have if elephants were a novelty to me as is portrayed here. An elephant is not an overgrown cow. You cannot control it with a few phrases(no matter whichever language the elephant is familiar with) and a bullhook. Definitely not by someone who is seeing and handling it for the first time. If you are not trained to care for them, if you are not familiar with their needs and moods, you could end up being dead. They are extremely intelligent and the way Rosie kills August is not that far-fetched, I will give the novel that much. But you need at least two mahouts and a dedicated team to take care of a single elephant. And no, a female elephant is not less dangerous than a male. Tusks are not the only dangerous weapon in an elephant's possession. I know, I know, this is a work of fiction and it calls for some liberties. But even after that concession, there are some aspects that are hard to overlook, especially for a novel that is proud about the amount of research that went behind it.
The main problem with this book is that it is trying too hard. Trying too hard to be gritty, to be a romance, to show the hardships of life, to portray animals, to tell the story from the male POV,to be something that it really isn't. It tries so hard that reading the novel feels like wading through water filled with weeds - the progress slow and excruciating.
ferris_mx's review against another edition
5.0
Easy and fun read; really brought me into a world I never expected to enter.
dorothy_gale's review against another edition
5.0
TALES OF THE CIRCUS, 4.5 STARS. Discrimination, segregation, abuse, illness, violence, lust, deception, tragedy, grief, and inter-species love -- this book has it all. Told from one man's perspective, from early adulthood to a rebellious 90-something. It is a bit sexually graphic in places, and this was the old circus days so there is cringeworthy animal abuse (i.e. I never imagined elephants could scream and it's a sound I hope to never hear). I withheld half of a star for two reasons: (1) the naked male descriptions seemed off coming from a male (like not something a guy would say), and I just noticed that the author is female, so that might explain it, and (2) I needed more closure with Jacob's antagonist in his later years -- the fella who claimed to carry water for elephants. The ending surprised me and was more than satisfactory.
zdrhyne's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
quinnifulus's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
dawkeller's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
lockg6704's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
talyasoytas's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I let this book drag along for SO long and then read it in two days because the story is SO GOOD. I absolutely ate up the circus setting, the descriptions, the people and the animals that were a part of the show… The dual timeline in Jacob’s life (in his youth and then in his 90s) really hammerred home his character and made me tear up at times.
With other characters, there was a mix of good and not enough development. Particularly I expected a little more work going into the romantic partner other than her looks and general demeanor. Also, I can say the mental disorder representation was a product of its time - both the book’s and the story’s.
Overall, I think this is an incredible read if you want to dive into a unique, colorful, yet dark world of a travelling circus and I think it would make for a very fun read for a weekend.
With other characters, there was a mix of good and not enough development. Particularly I expected a little more work going into the romantic partner other than her looks and general demeanor. Also, I can say the mental disorder representation was a product of its time - both the book’s and the story’s.
Overall, I think this is an incredible read if you want to dive into a unique, colorful, yet dark world of a travelling circus and I think it would make for a very fun read for a weekend.
carrie_d's review against another edition
5.0
This book really surprised me. I didn't think I would enjoy it nearly as much as I did. It was a quick, intriguing, delightful read.