On our first date, my husband took me to see tod brownings freaks, a 1932 horror film with a distinctly diane arbus feel. I understand that the elephants are brutally beaten. August can be very friendly and sweet on the surface, but deep down he is a cruel and cold man. 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. Beautifully written and completely unforgettable, water for elephants is an atmospheric, gritty, and compelling novel of starcrossed lovers, set in the us circus world circa 1932. 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 of opportunities to study the. As a young child, all of us have dreamed of running away to the circus. Create marketing content that resonates with prezi video. When i finished reading water for elephants, goose bumps covered my skin. 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.
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. I hate being so enamored with a book and then a crappy movie version comes along and tarnishes it. Jacob, the books narrator and protagonist, worked as a vet and trainer of sorts at a circus. In what ways and to what extent do the words pathetic grandeur describe the world that gruen creates in her novel.
Trust us, water for elephants is going to be one of the surprise hits of 2011. The title, water for elephants, is almost a little inside joke with the reader once weve finished the book, that is. The circus was the main setting of the book, water for elephants. To ask other readers questions about water for elephants, please sign up. How do the chapters about the older jacob enrich the story about jacobs adventure with the circus. The following quote from jacob, taken from the book, describes, in detail, the marvelous scene. A thousand splendid suns, memory keepers daughter, etc. Many years before, jacob is a student at cornell university, studying veterinarian medicine in order to join. 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. If you say that you carried water for elephants, i am. This book was influenced by very important literary movements, such as romanticism, realism, regionalism, and naturalism. It is a book i have recommended to everyone who has asked me what book i would recommend. 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.
Limits of controloriented planning and implementation. Love is a driving force in water for elephants, and its not limited to the love one human feels for another. I read water for elephants for our book club, and i expected it to be as slow, dull, and superficial as most of the other books we have read. 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. The great depression in relation to water for elephants by.
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. This study is a qualitative study, using sara gruens water for elephant novel. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Its one of the few books that everyone has come back to me saying, water for elephants was so good. Water for elephants by sara gruen at the best online ebook storage. This series contains books written by researchers at the centre for development. August is an antagonist and jacob is a protagonist. When jacob jankowski arrived for the first time at the circus where he worked, he was in awe. 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. In one plot, jacob is a young guy just starting out in the world. A meticulously researched, fastpaced, engaging and ultimately very satisfying novel set mostly ina depression era travelling circus.
In the historical novel water for elephants by sara gruen, jacob jankowski, a run away college boy, partakes in the dream we all had in our youth. But be warned, this isnt the order of events in the book. Sara gruen mines fertile territory in water for elephants. The book, water for elephants, starts off in the present day, in a nursing home where the main character, jacob jankowski, lives. 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. Read online water for elephants by sara gruen for free. Water for elephants book club discussion questions and.
Water for elephants is a story about an elderly man, jacob, who recalls an adventure in his younger years. Hence the writer limits her research on abusive act reflected on. Their two, completely separate personalities clash and collide. Water for elephants is a book that can be read and reread, recommended and handed off between friends. Perimeter fencing varies considerably along kruger. Winner of the 2007 bookbrowse award for most popular book.
Iron manimal, underground, scars, the escapists daughter. She demonstrates an exceptional aptitude for writing, and matthias, for a time, indulges her with reed pens, papyri, and other 16 c. I didnt really feel the love between the characters because they were so two dimensional. Download and read online for free water for elephants by sara gruen. 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. Water for elephants was adapted into a major motion picture starring reese witherspoon, rob pattinson, and. Use these book club discussion questions on water for elephants to lead your book clubs conversation on the story. Read water for elephants absolutely for free at readanybook.
What devices does the author use to keep readers wanting to turn to the next page. The grand rapids press you need this elephant in your life. I fell in love with the picture you chose for your book the first time i saw it. 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. Ana is the daughter of matthias, head scribe to herod antipas, tetrarch of galilee. This is where almost all of the action of the story took place. Jacob and marlena are left alone with rosie, the elephant. People also love animals, and animals love them back. Because of this, water for elephants is one of those few magical times when a movie is better than the book it is based on, when all the little details that generally engender people to love a. Water for elephants has two plots going on, both starring the same main character, jacob.
The story is told as a series of memories by jacob jankowski, a 93yearold man who lives in a nursing home. I have to admit, when our book club picked this book, i thought it was going to be long and tedious. Water for elephants was adapted into a major motion picture starring reese witherspoon, rob pattinson, and christoph waltz. Water for elephants by sara gruen book club discussion. 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. 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 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.
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. Jacob is the main conflict in the book, water for elephants. Rural drinking water supply came high on the agenda in tanzania in. With gruens bestselling book as his source material here, lawrence concentrates on more domestic horrors missing in his other films. With its mature themes and the central abusive relationship, this movie isnt. An atmospheric, gritty, and compelling novel of starcrossed lovers, set in the circus world circa 1932, by the bestselling author of riding lessons. Her works have been translated into fortythree languages and have sold more than ten million copies worldwide. As the sadistic august, waltz simmers with alternating charm and viciousness two qualities he perfected in his oscarwinning turn in inglourious basterds. About the author sara gruen is the internationally bestselling author of water for elephants and at the waters edge. These book club discussion questions reveal important details about water for elephants by sara gruen. Sara gruen uses her talent as a writer to bring that world alive for the reader.
The setting of the story changes throughout the book. Take notes as you read this novel for a second time. Kim michele richardson godpretty in the tobacco field. Water for elephants is one of my most favorite books. The alternating glamour and squalor of the circus world gruen expertly conjures may truly be one of the greatest shows. 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. 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. I know i shouldnt do this, but somehow i cant help myself. So i purchased the book and slowly began retreating. Set in the 1930s, a former veterinary student takes a job in a travelling circus and falls in love with the ringmasters wife.
Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Winner of the 2007 bookbrowse diamond award for most popular book. Mayor of louisville, kentucky book club pick for the louisville free public library. 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 last notes of water for elephants linger long after the book ends.
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