Water for Elephants
Registered by Cinderess on 2/23/2009
12 journalers for this copy...
Pleased to see this in my charity shop bookcase for 60p as I've looked at it new before. Hope to enjoy it as I particularly like the title and front cover. :-)
Loved this! So original. It's really effective weaving the past and present throughout the book. You also feel as wrenched away from the main story as the old man is from his memories by his sudden wakefulness.
Meticulous historical research has obviously gone into the writing. It makes me curious to find out more despite never being interested in, or liking, circuses.
I liked the photos too. Might see if I can find the photo books the author cites at the end.
I think this copy travelled from America because there's only a price in (US) dollars on the back.
Meticulous historical research has obviously gone into the writing. It makes me curious to find out more despite never being interested in, or liking, circuses.
I liked the photos too. Might see if I can find the photo books the author cites at the end.
I think this copy travelled from America because there's only a price in (US) dollars on the back.
I have this back after I lent it to a friend who's really enjoyed it:
"Excellent, I really enjoyed it. I liked the flashbacks, it's a nice way of revealing the story. The elephant driving the stake through X's heart was a great touch."
(I haven't included the name because I hate JEs which tell you everything.)
"Excellent, I really enjoyed it. I liked the flashbacks, it's a nice way of revealing the story. The elephant driving the stake through X's heart was a great touch."
(I haven't included the name because I hate JEs which tell you everything.)
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES: I loved this and hope you like it too.
Thank you so much, Cinderess, this is most welcome and will be read soon :-)
A page-turner! I really appreciate well researched books such as this one. I’ve never been fascinated by the circus world, always thought it isn’t such a good life for the animals, but couldn’t put the book down – the story just caught me... it’s a glimpse into another (sub)culture. Behind the facades of the “spectacular” show nothing is spectacular, what remains is a cruel, harsh world, especially with the backdrop of the 1930s Great Depression and prohibition. The background story of grumpy, old Jacob having his flashbacks was wonderful. A special bonus: the novel is beautifully illustrated with vintage photographs of circuses of that time.
Bookray:- ETMadrid, UK, ship EU
- pingucb, UK, ship UK
- teggers, UK, ship EU
- mafarrimond, UK, ship int'l
- Hayes13, Italy, ship int'l
(Gzusgirl and dakini6 asked to be skipped)
- hyphen8, US, ship US if possible
(svoight already has a copy)
- daniellechonody, US
- Moody-Blue, US
- mssaver, US
This book has gone AWOL and is now exploring the US mail service. Hopefully it finds some new readers and we will hear from it again some day....
A replacement copy stands in and continues the ray. Thanks a lot mssaver!
Journal Entry 8 by 
ApoloniaX
at Bookring/Bookray, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- Canada on Monday, September 14, 2009
ApoloniaX at Bookring/Bookray, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- Canada on Monday, September 14, 2009
Released 14 yrs ago (9/15/2009 UTC) at Bookring/Bookray, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- Canada
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES: On its way to ETMadrid
Happy reading!
Journal Entry 9 by 
ETMadrid
from Rotherhithe, Greater London United Kingdom on Wednesday, September 30, 2009
ETMadrid from Rotherhithe, Greater London United Kingdom on Wednesday, September 30, 2009
We're having pretty monumental postal strikes here in London so this is lucky to have made it through to me in relatively good time. It's particularly welcome, adorned as it is, and as another I received today also is, in colourful stamps. Thank you. I'll most likely start this when I finish my current book. Thank you too for the stickers - a help to me as I don't have a printer or any labels.
Journal Entry 10 by ETMadrid from Rotherhithe, Greater London United Kingdom on Tuesday, October 6, 2009
ETMadrid from Rotherhithe, Greater London United Kingdom on Tuesday, October 6, 2009
I have just finished this and really liked it too. I like the fact that the author was inspired after seeing some circus photographs of the time. The story is very easy to read, I'd be tempted to say almost too easy, had I not been so impressed with the sensitivity with which she writes of the elderly Jacob's daily routine in the nursing home. The ninety-three (or ninety!) year old's latter experience and emotions are remarkably like that of my very recently departed ninety-four year old grandmother's. As far as the circus is concerned, to read at the end that many of the anecdotal elements in the story are drawn from real events, certainly gives it credence. In my mind she has written a delightful and entertaining story that manages to capture some of the roughness, economic strife, romance and reality of a railroad circus at that time. She indulges us in an almost-(but not quite!)-cheesy happy ending, but I don't mind about that too much! I certainly never knew that circus companies ever travelled by train, so even that was a discovery.
I work in a small bookshop and recommended they get in a copy. The British edition of this has a really genuinely tacky picture on the front and I would never have selected it based on that. Shame - I can see it might well sit around our bookshop for a while due to its poor cover...
17/02/10 Addendum: Last night I saw the 1953 film "Man on a Tightrope" by Elia Kazan. I'd recommend it to all readers of this book!
I work in a small bookshop and recommended they get in a copy. The British edition of this has a really genuinely tacky picture on the front and I would never have selected it based on that. Shame - I can see it might well sit around our bookshop for a while due to its poor cover...
17/02/10 Addendum: Last night I saw the 1953 film "Man on a Tightrope" by Elia Kazan. I'd recommend it to all readers of this book!
Journal Entry 11 by ETMadrid at Southwark, Greater London United Kingdom on Wednesday, October 14, 2009
ETMadrid at Southwark, Greater London United Kingdom on Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Released 14 yrs ago (10/14/2009 UTC) at Southwark, Greater London United Kingdom
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
And off it goes to its next reader.
And off it goes to its next reader.
Journal Entry 12 by pingucb from Lower Kingswood, Surrey United Kingdom on Saturday, October 24, 2009
I received this a few days ago - apologies I haven't had chance to journal it until now.
Am looking forward to reading it - currently halfway through another book, but will start it straight after that.
Am looking forward to reading it - currently halfway through another book, but will start it straight after that.
Journal Entry 13 by pingucb from Lower Kingswood, Surrey United Kingdom on Saturday, November 28, 2009
Apologies for the delay in getting to this book. I have finally started reading it last night and am really enjoying it, so hope it won't take me long now I've started.
Will PM the next reader, so I hopefully have their address ready to send it on as soon as I've finished.
Will PM the next reader, so I hopefully have their address ready to send it on as soon as I've finished.
Journal Entry 14 by pingucb from Lower Kingswood, Surrey United Kingdom on Monday, November 30, 2009
Well I finished this today and thoroughly enjoyed reading it - I didn't want it to end.
A fantastically entertaining story, clearly very well researched and beautifully written, with a host of well-rounded characters.
It's unusual these days for me to read a book in a few days, but I was taking myself to bed early and then staying awake late so I could just read a little bit more! No higher recommendation in my eyes than me being prepared to lose sleep over it!!
Have PM'd the next reader a few days ago and waiting for a response with their address.
A fantastically entertaining story, clearly very well researched and beautifully written, with a host of well-rounded characters.
It's unusual these days for me to read a book in a few days, but I was taking myself to bed early and then staying awake late so I could just read a little bit more! No higher recommendation in my eyes than me being prepared to lose sleep over it!!
Have PM'd the next reader a few days ago and waiting for a response with their address.
Journal Entry 15 by pingucb at -- Controlled Release, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- United Kingdom on Monday, December 7, 2009
Released 14 yrs ago (12/7/2009 UTC) at -- Controlled Release, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- United Kingdom
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Posted off to Teggers today, who's next in line - hope you enjoy it.
Christmas is a bad time to be sending off bookrings - had to join a queue of about 30 people!!
Posted off to Teggers today, who's next in line - hope you enjoy it.
Christmas is a bad time to be sending off bookrings - had to join a queue of about 30 people!!
Thanks so much for offering this book, it's been on my wishlist for a while. There's one book ahead of it in my to read pile and I'm hoping to get them done over the seasonal period.
Journal Entry 17 by teggers at -- Controlled Release, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- United Kingdom on Monday, January 11, 2010
Released 14 yrs ago (1/11/2010 UTC) at -- Controlled Release, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- United Kingdom
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Off to the next reader. Happy Reading.
Off to the next reader. Happy Reading.
The book arrived safely today. I have a few books to read before this but will get round to it as soon as I can.
What a wonderful story! I thoroughly enjoyed it. Will send on tomorrow.
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Sending on to Hayes13.
Sending on to Hayes13.
Arrived this morning, thank you! Will get to it as quickly as I can.
Gzusgirl and daikini6 asked to be skipped. Am waiting to hear from the next in line so I can send the book on to its next destination.
I just loved, loved, loved it! Thank you for sharing this with me. (I will post a better review when I have finished writing it.)
xxH
Here's the review:
I just loved, loved, loved it! Thank you for sharing this with me. (I will post a better review when I have finished writing it.)
xxH
Here's the review:
I found it hard to write a review of this book. I wonder why, as I liked this book very much.
I loved Jacob's impressions of the old age home, his desperate frustration with living there, with having no other alternative. I loved the way the different nurses and patients are shown through an old man's eyes. This story is told along with another story in flashbacks. The second story is Jacob's life as a young man about to finish veterinary school and how he managed to find himself on a circus train instead of in a "normal" life with a wife and family in the house where he grew up.
There is a nice mystery, a very good description of circus life during the Depression including a lot of brutality, craziness and humanity. It is ultimately about how important it is to have choices in life, to make them when you don't have them, and to use your choices well.
Highly recommended.
Journal Entry 23 by Hayes13 at -- Mail or by hand-rings, RABCK, meetings, Hawaii USA on Saturday, March 13, 2010
Released 14 yrs ago (3/16/2010 UTC) at -- Mail or by hand-rings, RABCK, meetings, Hawaii USA
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Off to Hawaii! Wheeee! (Can I come too?)
Off to Hawaii! Wheeee! (Can I come too?)
Received today - that was speedy!I'm in the middle of something else, but I'll try to get to this in the next week or so.
I love the bookmark with the Christopher Morley spaghetti quote: "No man is lonely while eating spaghetti - it requires so much attention." I'm leaving it in the book for the next reader.
Here's another copy on my shelf.
Digital scrapbooking credits: fonts are Goudy Stout; Skuntch by S. John Ross at Cumberland Fontworks (registered version); and Palatino Linotype.
Papers from Forest Nymph by Mrs. Schmuck; text path from DeeDoo's Digital Scrapbooking; elephant tiles by hyphen8 (from 2 elephant statues at the zoo).
I really enjoyed this book. I thought both stories (past and present) were well told, the circus and Depression details were fascinating, and I loved the "fairy tale" ending. :)The circus doesn't travel by train in Hawaii and in fact doesn't make it here very often (I think it's just too difficult), but we visited Baraboo, Wisconsin (former winter quarters for Ringling) when I was a kid.
The last time I saw the circus, we took my grandmother and we all had a great time. Unfortunately there was a tragic incident with Tyke the elephant a day or two later, and I've often wondered what triggered it - was it only the elephant, or was the relationship with the trainers/handlers a factor? Elephants are supposed to be very smart, so I'd think they'd be very sensitive to the way they're treated. I don't think we've had a circus with animals come through since then - I think it's very important to make sure they're well cared for and not abused, but to me circuses aren't quite the same without the animals.
svoight already has a copy, so I'm contacting daniellechonody for an address.
Other copies on my BookCrossing shelf: 8352525 • 16339769
OOPS! This was mailed prematurely by someone trying to be helpful. It had postage and a "from" address and was waiting for the "to" address, but the helpful elf dropped it in the mailbox earlier today anyway.
I discovered this when I went looking for the package tonight to write the address on it so I could mail it tomorrow!
Hopefully it will come back soon so I can send it out properly. I'm really sorry about this - apologies to everyone involved. :(
If it doesn't turn up in a week or so I'll start seriously looking for a replacement copy.
I discovered this when I went looking for the package tonight to write the address on it so I could mail it tomorrow!
Hopefully it will come back soon so I can send it out properly. I'm really sorry about this - apologies to everyone involved. :(
If it doesn't turn up in a week or so I'll start seriously looking for a replacement copy.
Hooray, it came back, marked "Returned for better address"! :pI've put daniellechonody's address on the package and it will be going out again in the next day or two.
Sorry for the delay.
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Traveling to daniellechonody, take 2. This time WITH the address on the package. :)
Traveling to daniellechonody, take 2. This time WITH the address on the package. :)
Arrived in the mail today. I've been wondering which book I should take on my trip to Australia this Sunday - and now I know!
What a great holiday read - I really enjoyed the plot twist!
Have passed the book on to my friend Beth who will mail to her sister who is next on the ring - along with some Aussie Lamingtons
Have passed the book on to my friend Beth who will mail to her sister who is next on the ring - along with some Aussie Lamingtons
Arrived yesterday and I dove right in. It's gripping from the start, isn't it? I hardly want to put it down!
Journal Entry 32 by Moody-Blue at -- Parks (state and national), Colorado USA on Friday, May 28, 2010
Wow -- some people just know how to write! The subject matter was fascinating to me, the story was nicely paced, the narrative was engaging and believable. That's a boring way of saying "I loved it!" This is a real page-turner!
It's here! Hurrah and thanks, Moody-Blue! I'm just a little way into another book, so I'll set it aside for now and get started on Water for Elephants.
At last! I finally got to the post office to send this interesting book on to Tracy920. It'll be on its way by this afternoon.
ALERT: I just got a message from the Greensboro post office labeled "Parcel Search Request." Their message states that an empty wrapper with my address was found in the mail and is believed to have been separated from a parcel during handling. I'll fill out the form with details and send it tomorrow. If they don't find it, I'll pick up another copy of the book, register it, and send it on to Tracy920.
Haven't read yet, but will soon.
