Jacob Janowski's luck had run out—orphaned and penniless, he had no direction until he landed on a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. A veterinary student just shy of a degree, he was put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It was the Great Depression and for Jacob the circus was both his salvation and a living hell. There he met Marlena, the beautiful equestrian star married to August, the charismatic but brutal animal trainer. And he met Rosie, an untrainable elephant who was the great hope for this third-rate traveling show. The bond that grew among this group of misfits was one of love and trust, and ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.
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"I really liked this book. I liked the parallel of Jacob in the retirement home and the circus. I thought the characters and plot fit the time period. I loved the way the animals played into the entire plot. It was a time period so different than today. It is hard to understand how different times were during the depression and the things people did to get by and survive."
— Teri (4 out of 5 stars)
" Only one word can describe this book: Amazing! "
— Tressa, 2/20/2014" Loved this book. One of the best I read. After reading I was able to understand the movie more! "
— Katrina, 2/12/2014" Loved everything about this book!! "
— Susan, 2/5/2014" I loved the way she took bits and pieces of real life anecdotes and weaved them into a grander tale. I didn't, however, enjoy the way that Jacob was supposed to be modeled after the biblical story, when all that was really taken from his story in the Bible was the word "tent". "
— Alejandra, 1/29/2014" A well-written, great story. As usual, the movie paled to comparison to the book. The book was detailed, but not lengthy. A great read. "
— Margie, 1/27/2014" I put off reading this book forever despite all of the rave reviews because who wants to read about elephants? Frankly, I usually am not into animal stories at all. As it turns out though, this isn't really an animal story at all and I am very glad I finally took the plunge. "
— Kami, 1/17/2014" Never thought I would get into this book, but I loved it. Read way before movie came out. "
— Heidi, 1/15/2014" I really enjoyed this. There were a few times I had to suspend my disbelief but not so much I ever thought about setting the book down before I was done. "
— Judi, 1/14/2014" Audiobook. I haven't seen the movie yet but the book was a great listen with a great ending. "
— Chau, 12/6/2013" Interesting way to learn about circus life. It seemed a bit violent at times but I wasn't around during the time this was written. The love interest is indeed interesting and the ending is great. "
— Fran, 12/1/2013" I wanted to get to know an elephant after reading this book! "
— Mary, 11/17/2013Sara Gruen is the author of the New York Times bestselling novel Water for Elephants, now a major motion picture starring Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson, as well as the novels Riding Lessons, Flying Changes, and the New York Times bestseller Ape House. She shares her North Carolina home with her own version of a blended family: a husband, three children, four cats, two dogs, two horses, and a goat. She donates a portion of her earnings from all her books to various animal charities.
David Ledoux has narrated a wide range of audio books, for which he was won and been nominated for several Audie and Earphones awards. He was named a 2010 Best Voice by AudioFile magazine for his narration of Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom, and he also narrated Sara Gruen’s Water for Elephants and Douglas Copeland’s Nostradamus, among many others.
John Randolph Jones is a voice talent and audiobook narrator.