"Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

Since I really enjoyed Sara Gruen's At the Water's Edge, I decided to pick up her popular Water for Elephants, which I've had on my shelf for several years. What a treat! The novel has two parallel timelines. One is set in a modern-day nursing home, where a "90- or 93-year old" Jacob Jankowski is living out his days. The other is Jacob's trip down memory lane to the spring of 1931, when as a student at Cornell University, he was about to graduate and start his career of a veterinarian in his father's vet practice. Those plans vanish in an instant when his parents are killed in a car accident and Jacob learns that they were entirely broke. He is so crushed by the news that he does not sit for his finals and instead runs away with a circus.

I loved this book. I also really enjoyed the voices of both Jacobs. As a young man traveling with the circus, he is idealistic, naive and loyal. He makes friends, falls in love and eventually finds his way in life. He also witnesses lots of suffering and injustice. His 3-month stint with the Benzini Brothers show is truly a wilderness experience, from which he emerges restored and ready to live.

The old Jacob is frail and forgetful, but still full of life and spirit. Even at this old age, he fights to preserve his dignity and right to make his own decisions. Books about old age and frailty scare me. The idea that someone who was full of life and energy is now helpless and weak is very depressing. Jacob Jankowski, however, is not one to tolerate pity. He might be old, but he is still alive and not afraid to remind of this to others.

I highly recommend this book to everyone who enjoys historical fiction. It has a cast of unforgettable characters, a dramatic and complex story line and an epic romance. 5 out of 5 stars.