Rated of 5
by Maria Not entirely original, but a good read
I wonder if anyone else caught the fact that the ambiguity about who killed August is really reminiscent of the Life of Pi ending. Down to having an orangatang involved in the story. That struck me immediately upon reading the ending and realizing he might have revised his memory to protect himself as Pi did in his recounting of the shipwreck he'd endured by turning all the humans into animals. Second, the initial descriptions of the circus and depression were right out of the set of Carnival, the hit HBO show of a couple of years ago. Other than that, I enjoyed the story. I bought it on CD and loved the way the actors read the story. I especially loved her portrayal of the nursing home, in a sad way. I had a great great aunt in a nursing home that we visited regularly when I was young and I was horrified my parents and grandparents had her there. She was obviously very unhappy, although it was an expensive and clean place. All the details Ms. Gruen captured - the bad smell, terrible food, "turnips" parked outside their rooms, etc. really brought back the memories of my great great aunt's experience. I thought she did a wonderful job of portraying Jacob's sad frustration with the place and loved the idea of his running away to the circus as far fetched as it was.
Rated of 5
by Kristine Water for Elephants
I am an animal lover and I was warned by the book club leader that I may not be able to get through this book, but I couldn't put this book down after the prologue. I thought Sara Gruen did a fantastic job with the narrator and I liked the switching between present and past. Some people will be extremely bothered by the abuse that goes on with both people and animals in this book, but remember there was very little regulation regarding animal abuse or spousal abuse during the time the story takes place. Don't let other reviewers scare you away from reading this book. This is one of my favorite books this year. It did not disappoint me, but rather left me wanting to read more!
Rated of 5
by Sam Dutz Very Good
I loved this book very much. It gripped me from the prologue all the way until the last revelations. It brings in the reader and keeps them trapped in the book until the last page.
Rated of 5
by Angela Awesome
This book was given to me from a member of our bookclub. I was a little unsure of the book at first. but as they say, don't judge a book by it's cover. So true with this book. I absolutely loved it! It's a wonderful, intense story of one man's life. So true in both what the gentleman is going through in his time now and back in history with the circus. I loved how the author was able to bring to life the circus of his past and how it is reflected in his life today. It is both happy and sad. A book you can't put down till the end. And in the end you cheer! Yes! Thank you for this beautifully written story! I throughly enjoyed it.
Rated of 5
by Leesa Water for elephants
The so called "gritty" scenes are much more than that. They are totally offensive and disturbing. The only reason for them is so the end of the book seems good in comparison. Anything would seem good after the first half. I only finished it because it was the first selection of a new book club I am joining. It is definitely not worth the time. The characters are one dimensional.
My friend in the book club liked it, but said she just "skipped over all of that part." If you have to "skip over" that much of the book to enjoy it, it is not an enjoyable book.
Rated of 5
by Rose Water for Elephants
I found this book a very difficult to read. If you love animals this is not the book for you. It will make you sick, It is cruel and inhumane. I thought it must get better, but it seems the more I read the worse it get. I never got past pg. 160. I read for pleasure, I got no pleasure out of the inhumane killing of animals. Those are parts the author could have left out. Just to graphic.
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