Marlena is married to august, but it is a bad marriage. Water for elephants is the touching story of jacob jankowski, a ninetythreeyearold man, who is reminded of his colorful past when a circus sets up next door to his assistedliving center. While reading water for elephants i found the plot hyperbolic and excessively melodramatic and the characters little developed beyond their names. Sara gruen has a big tops worth of vivid characters and an exhilarating narrative that. Included throughout the book are portrait gems from the archives of the circus world, and that only added to the imageries already saturated in my mind. Jacob jankowski is the main character in the book water for elephants. Jul 23, 2018 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. Based on the acclaimed bestseller, water for elephants presents an unexpected romance in a uniquely compelling setting. Use these book club discussion questions on water for elephants to lead your book clubs conversation on the story.
May 26, 2006 it has everything i look for in a truly great book. In water for elephants, the characters marlena and jacob are drawn together. To emphasize this, the whole book is written in the present tense. But its the setting and animal subplot that add flavor to this book. Dec 11, 2011 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.
Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. 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. Character analysis of water for elephant 995 words 4 pages. Water for elephants 2011 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Pdf water for elephants book by sara gruen free download.
Mcguinty is a minor character who appears early on in the book. 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. Trust us, water for elephants is going to be one of the surprise hits of 2011. Israels solution for a water starved world our world of water.
Water for elephants is a historical fiction romance novel written by sara gruen as a part of national novel writing month about circus life in depressionera america. Marlena ran away from home to join the circus and married august, the head animal trainer. 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 the novel water for elephants is written by the bestselling author sarah gruen. Oct 06, 2015 water for elephants 2011 bdrip 1080p rus. 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. Water for elephants is a story of unspeakable love, of untold secrets, and ultimately learning that life is meant to be lived as the main spectacle of a glorious headlining show, not some cheap, dingy, forgettable sideshow. Jacob is ninetythree year old and is looking back on his adventures in life while he spends his days in a nursing home. I was astounded at the lack of research which became clear when i. Joshilyn jackson, author of gods in alabama so much more than a tale about a circus, water for elephants is a compelling journey not only. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 335 pages and is available in paperback format. Water for elephants symbols, allegory and motifs gradesaver. At the beginning of water for elephants, he is living out his days in a nursing home, hating. Only days before graduating from vet school in 1931, young jake learns his parents have died and left him penniless.
Jacob jankowski, who is currently ninety or ninetytwo, tells the story of how he left his ivy league training as a vet and ran away after his. Younger jacob and older jacob each gets to have his say. Buy a cheap copy of water for elephants book by sara gruen. The circus train only had a limited amount of water on board, and elephants can drink 100300 litres per day approximately 2680 gallons. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Water for elephants a depressionera circus provides the backdrop for sara gruens latest novel, water for elephants. The water for elephants community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. Aug 28, 2012 the freak show of the circus is quite plain in the welldrawn cast of water for elephants. Joshilyn jackson, author of gods in alabama 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. How do the chapters about the older jacob enrich the story about jacobs adventure with the circus.
This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of water for elephants by sara gruen. In one plot, jacob is a young guy just starting out in the world. Oprahs book club do you remember the first book she. If you like water for elephants, you might like little heathens by mildred armstrong kalish seabiscuit by laura hillenbrand the adventures of miles and isabel by tom gilling. I simply adore this book and recommend it to everyone. Although it is only april, i predict that water for elephants by sara gruen will be one of the best books i read this year. Jacob, when narrating in his older years, demonstrates to readers that he remains as a static character throughout the novel.
It has 335 pages, and is classified as historical romance and fiction. The first edition of the novel was published in may 26th 2006, and was written by sara gruen. I bought this book because of push advertising and regretted it. In this movie water for elephants, robert pattinson plays a character named jacob, while in the twilight saga movies, for which he became famous, his nemesis name played by taylor lautner is jacob. The main character is jacob jankowski who is in his nineties and in a nursing home. These book club discussion questions reveal important details about water for elephants by sara gruen.
In a deleted scene of the 2004 film vanity fair, robert pattinson played reese witherspoons estranged son. Jacob jankowski marlena rosie the elephant august uncle al rosemary the nurse walter camel. Water for elephants is told in the first person but from two different perspectivesjacob jankowski at. Their two, completely separate personalities clash and collide. A water for elephants discussion from reading group guides writers digest interview with sara gruen. Young jacob is able to do whatever his heart desires including, jumping on moving trains and fighting for the women he loves. Author interview sara gruen, author of water for elephants. Water for elephants original motion picture soundtrack licensed to youtube by sme, adrev for a 3rd party on behalf of t c. The main characters of this fiction, historical story are jacob jankowski, rosemary. According to an authors note, she studied elephant.
Ive always been a complete sucker for animals, says gruen, whose novel water for elephants has garnered. For the best answers, search on this site although i dont have a hard copy on hand, i do recall the main character who was also the narrator if i remember correctly was clearly the means of the stories propulsion. Jacob jankowski is a main personage and protagonist of this novel. Water for elephants book club discussion questions and answers. Its not terribly surprising, then, that one of the most memorable characters in this animal lovers new novel is a pachyderm named rosie. Water for elephants is the new york times bestselling debut novel. Water for elephants movie tiein by sara gruen, paperback. Its from this nursing home that jacob tells his story, like he is looking back at all the adventures at the circus. Water for elephants study guide contains a biography of sara gruen, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. The theme of age the theme of age if the fifth theme in the novel. I hate being so enamored with a book and then a crappy movie version comes along and tarnishes it. 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 was a thoroughly engaging and mesmerizing read from the characters.
The story is told as a series of memories by jacob jankowski, a 93yearold man who lives in a nursing home. Sara gruen keeps her cats ashes in an urn behind her desk and donates a portion of her book royalties to animal charities. When jacob overhears a man at the assistedliving center claim to have been a water boy for the elephants on. Jacob jankowski, a veterinary student at cornell, discovers that his parents have been killed in a car accident. The last notes of water for elephants linger long after the book ends. August can be very friendly and sweet on the surface, but deep down he is a cruel and cold man. Water for elephants has two plots going on, both starring the same main character, jacob. Related questions and answers for characters in water for elephants. Water for elephants was a thoroughly engaging and mesmerizing read from the characters to the story itself. All 63 characters in water for elephants are listed by chapter with character descriptions included. Analysis essay 9th novemember 2011 water for elephants in a recent interview for, robert pattinson, a household young actor, revealed that he was offered with various movie characters that he could choose from as his next role after starring in the twilight series. Sara gruen has a voice to rival john irvings, and i am hopelessly, unabashedly in love with this book. Water for elephants, 2007, sara gruen water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing month.
Jacob is working overtime as the narrator of water for elephants. In addition to jacob jankowskis love affair with rosie the elephant and a noticeably less sweet. August is an antagonist and jacob is a protagonist. Jacob jankowski the protagonist, a 93yearold nursing home resident reminiscing on the time he spent as a. Water for elephants, as hollywood interprets it, is a nice film, but so many of the colorful characters are eliminated that the film is left dull. Marlena works with eleven horses on a routine shown under the big top. Jacob jankowski is the main character in the book, water for elephants. Novelist sara gruen sweeps her readers off their feet in the opening pages of water for elephantsand doesnt let go until she deposits them at the end of her fantastic tale of passion, madness and fancy. Veterinary school student jacob meets and falls in love with marlena, a star. Marlena is the main love interest in the book, water for elephants, and also a performer at the circus. The film was released in the united states on april 22, 2011. The author, sara gruen allows readers to read the book from two perspectives, one from young jacob and the other from older presentday jacob.
When the book opens, jacob jankowski is an angry old man who has been living in an assistedliving center. However, i find it refreshing that each one has the potential to be the bad guy because its an excellent display of their humanity. The book was published on may 26, 2006, under algonquin books, in the united states of america. What are six character traits jacob jankowski has in water for elephants. In the beginning of the novel, jacob mocks another resident of the nursing home who claims to have worked in the circus and carried water for the elephants. The book, water for elephants, starts off in the present day, in a nursing home where the main character, jacob jankowski, lives. Sep 07, 2016 i bought this book because of push advertising and regretted it. Surprising, poignant, and funny, water for elephants is that rare novel with a story so engrossing, one is reluctant to put it down. According to his life story he appears as an honorable and sensual. 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.
It stars reese witherspoon, robert pattinson, and christoph waltz. If you say that you carried water for elephants, i am. Jacob jankowski, a retired veterinarian living out his days in an assistedliving facility, drifts in and out of his memories. This also happens to be the name of the romantic rival to pattinsons character in a popular film series, also based on books. After his parents death, jacob jankowski is left penniless and homeless. 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. The freak show of the circus is quite plain in the welldrawn cast of water for elephants.
You might like to consider the following adjectives. August august is the owner of the circus, married to marlena, and a paranoid schizophrenic. Do remember, however, that characters can change during the course of the book, and the jacob jankowski. Even when living in the nursing home, jacob demonstrates that his violent tendencies remain when. Events lead him to joining the circus as their vet, working under their unstable boss august whose violent tendencies give everyone reason to be cautious around him, including his beautiful and quiet wife marlena, whom august is very possessive of and who jacob finds himself soon falling in love with. A thousand splendid suns, memory keepers daughter, etc. May 26, 2006 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. Free download or read online water for elephants pdf epub book. Water for elephants book by sara gruen thriftbooks.
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