Water for Elephants

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Upon the suggestions of many of my fellow book lovers, this book has been on my TBR list (to be read) for quite some time. I’m not sure what prevented me from picking it up before; perhaps it was the circus theme which instinctively led me to think of clowns. (Yes, having a fear of clowns as an adult is completely irrational, but there are much worse things to be afraid of and besides, it hasn’t inhibited my lifestyle so far.) Luckily for me, there are no clown subplots in this story. But I digress - onto the story.



The characters

The story is told from the point of view of Jacob at ages 23 and 90 (or 93). Present day Jacob is a resident in a nursing home who reminisces on the time he joined the circus. Young Jacob is an Ivy League veterinary student who leaves college abruptly during his final exams following a tragic accident that leaves him an orphan. Wandering aimlessly, homeless and without money, family or a place to go, he jumps onto a train and is unexpectedly met by circus workers. Luckily, an older worker befriends him and allows him to work alongside him for the day in hopes that he can secure a job with the circus. During his first day at the job he sees a horse trainer that reminds him of his college girlfriend. Later, older worker brings Paul to meet the circus owner, Uncle Al.



The story

During the “interview” Al asks Jacob if he’s ever seen a circus, and if he’s seen their show, the Benzini Brothers. Prompted by his friend to the answer-Al-wants-to-hear, Jacob lies and says he’s seen Ringling Brothers but they were nothing compared to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. This does not interest Al, and just about the time Al is ready to dismiss Jacob, he finds out Jacob is a last year veterinary student. This intrigues Al, because Ringling Brothers has a vet on staff, and more than anything else in the world, Al wants to be Ringling Brothers. Jacob is brought on with the direction that he can stay as long as he keeps the sick horse alive.



The horse has an incurable ailment and ends up dying. Jacob ends up staying on, befriending both the “elite” group of performers and the respect of the working staff. Love begins, first for the animals, and then for the wife of the ill-tempered masterofanimals. August and Al shows their evil natures, both toward people and animals. Marlena, the beautiful horse trainer, grows deeply attached to Jacob. Relationships grow and become more complicated, both in the present day and as Jacob reminisces about the past. Filled with suspense, the end of the book takes a somewhat predictable turn which is no less gratifying even though it was expected.



Why you should read this book

I enjoy stories with a lot of character development and can empathize with the protagonist. A circus vet is an unlikely hero, but not in the least unlikeable. The book has something for almost everyone – empathetic characters, vivid scenery, a sprinkling of romance and plenty of suspense. Another surprising plot device is the animals themselves, in particular one very charismatic elephant.



Totally off topic to a book review but interesting anyway

This bestselling novel was written in a month! NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, is to writers what a marathon is to runners. Participants in NaNoWriMo pledge to write 50,000 words in the month of November. It's sometimes incomplete, and rarely published so it's a real jem to find a writing project written with such fervor that turned into a bestseller. Also, it's also one of my goals to participate in NaNoWriMo this year after a year of reading a book a week.



Water for elephants in 6 words or less

Not quite Ringling, love without clowns.




View all my reviews.

The Book Thief

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am haunted by you humans.

So ends one of the most captivating books I’ve read in years, and I am similarly haunted by the trance of this book. In fact, I’ve been unable (or unwilling, perhaps) to pick up another book since.


Overview


The Book Thief is set in Nazi wartime Germany. In an interesting twist, Death (of Grim Reaper fame) is the narrator of the story. Captivated by a young girl, Death follows the events in her bittersweet life story, from the time she is given up from her birth until her death. It’s a story built of love and humanity in the most unlikely of places.


The Story Unfolds


Intertwined throughout the book is a passion for both books and human life. Liesel is an enduring, unlikely heroine - a school aged illiterate girl who loses her brother at the time of her separation from her mother and steals a book from his graveside. She quickly befriends a neighbor boy (Rudy) and together they commit small acts of defiance (from book and apple thievery to giving stale bread to starving Jews walking to Dafur) in an attempt to settle the score between the unfairness of the time.


As Liesel’s love grows for her foster father and her best friend, so does everyone around her fall in love with her. Her reading improves to the point where she reads books in the shelter to keep everyone calm during air raids. She sits in the enchanting library of the mayor’s home. She brings gifts to the ailing Jew hiding in their basement. She is a worth opponent in soccer tournaments in the streets with the boys.


Zusak touches on difficult times in history with a novel approach. From Death’s eyes, we see both virtue and malevolence in humanity. "So much good, so much evil. Just add water." Death occasionally interjects personal opinions into the book, which breaks the flow of the story. I found these anecdotal interruptions added to the depth of Death as a character, but some readers found this style distracting.


The end (spoilers)


After an air raid flattens the neighborhood unexpectedly at night, no one survives but Liesel. Death alludes to the possibility many times, which made me believe that when my favorite characters finally were ripped from the story, it wouldn’t be so painful. I was wrong. After you have fallen in love with Rudy, Hans and even warmed up to Rosa Hubermann, you miss them terribly. The tears on Liesel’s cheeks become your own.


Zusak literally put the mayor’s home on a hill – the rich were quite literally put on a pedestal. Liesel chastises the mayor’s wife for living in such affluence while others were living in poverty. One of her acts of defiance is to steal books from the mayor’s library. As the story evolves, it’s clear that the mayor’s wife has intentionally let Liesel steal the books, and shares her love of literature. In an interesting twist of fate after the air raid, the mayor’s wife comes to find Liesel and brings her to her home. While visiting Rudy’s father’s store, Max walks in and the two find a happy and tearful reunion.


There are happy and sad times in life, as there are opportunities for great heroism in times of tragic adversity. Zusak has captured them beautifully, and captured my heart as well.



View all my reviews.

Bel Canto

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Because I just returned from a trip to Machu Picchu, it was obvious to me that the "anonymous" South American country was modeled after Peru. The references to the terrorists who lived in the jungle, their desire to eat guinea pigs (which are really not all that tasty - not recommended) and the prayers to Saint Rose of Lima made it obvious the book was loosely based on actual history.

In a nutshell

The back cover names this book a "tragicomedy". I honestly didn't see much humor in this book. In fact, the first 150 pages or so were so hopelessly dry that I'm amazed I actually made it through the book. Patchett spends a bit too much time developing her characters (which truly, I didn't believe was possible) but when the plot starts getting going you won't be able to put it down. Relationships that would have only been possible during extreme circumstances emerge, and characters develop believably in ways far beyond what is possible.


The endless character development and lack of comedic relief didn't make Bel Canto any less appealing. The book was written in language almost like poetry. Not exactly poetry - more like music. (I'm sure this was also intentional, as "bel canto" translates to beautiful music in Italian). The characters were setup so it was obvious that Patchett loved her characters and her story line. She didn't do it in a way that some authors do (cough, Stephanie Meyer, cough) which would compromise the story.


The end result was so very worthwhile. I don't remember the exact moment when I started to enjoy the book more than wonder when it was going to get interesting. The characters - terrorists and hostages alike - made you fall in love with them in a way that was completely unexpected. It might be intuitive that over the period of 6 months the lines between hostages and captors might be blurred, relationships would emerge, and even the most unlikeable of Generals could become someone you wanted to see pull through. Gen, the brilliant translator who weaves his way through seemingly impossible relationships, said it best - that after months, there was not one person (of the terrorists) he was willing to sacrifice.

The End (spoilers)


At first, I was disturbed by the shockingly abrupt ending. Then I realized that the plot turn mirrors that of an actual Opera - blindingly quick with a bang. How I managed to be surprised by the ending, even though it was obvious from the start how it might unfold, was yet another way Patchett showed her literary talent. An educated man and a girl from the jungle could only meet under these circumstances. A lover of Opera and the worlds greatest opera singer, neither of whom could speak one another's language, could only fall in love here. Or could they? Just before the end I started to believe that happily ever after might be possible for the seemingly mismatched couples. My heart broke when not only Carmen, but also Katsumi, were gone with one bullet, and the hope of both couples disappeared.

One of the frequent criticisms of this book is the epilogue - Gen and Roxanne get married. There was nothing in the book to that point that showed either had any romantic feelings for one another, and after all the time Patchett spent on character development, that motivation seemed contrived to keep the characters together. The only possibility that brought these two together is the knowledge that they were the only ones in the world who could understand what they went through. I didn't buy it though, and the book would have been better without the confusing epilogue.

For any of it's shortcomings, though, the book was excellent. The title of the book couldn't be more fitting with a subtle irony about life and music - Bel Canto is truly beautiful music.



View all my reviews.