If you say that you carried water for elephants, i am. Jul 16, 2012 this feature is not available right now. 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. She is an animal, but she is very clever and she even understands polish language. Sep 07, 2016 i bought this book because of push advertising and regretted it. The last notes of water for elephants linger long after the book ends. When the book opens, jacob jankowski is an angry old man who has been living in an assistedliving center. Jacob is working overtime as the narrator of water for elephants. In water for elephants, the characters marlena and jacob are drawn together. Jacobs story begins at cornell university where he is studying to come a vet. An atmospheric, gritty, and compelling novel of starcrossed lovers, set in the circus world circa 1932, by the bestselling author of riding lessons. The novel, told in flashback by nonagenarian jacob jankowski, recounts the wild.
The only place the movie veers from the original is in its details of the older, current jacob. A description of key characters in water for elephants. 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. With a showmans expert timing, gruen saves a terrific revelation for the final pages, transforming a glimpse of. I was astounded at the lack of research which became clear when i. May 26, 2006 water for elephants, 2007, sara gruen water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing month.
Their two, completely separate personalities clash and collide. Even when living in the nursing home, jacob demonstrates that his violent tendencies remain when. A novel and millions of other books are available for instant. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of water for elephants by sara gruen. Jacob jankowski the protagonist, a 93yearold nursing home resident reminiscing on the time he spent as a circus. Jacob jankowski, a retired veterinarian living out his days in an assistedliving facility, drifts in and out of his memories. What are six character traits jacob jankowski has in water for elephants. She wrote the book as part of national novel writing month. Oprahs book club do you remember the first book she. Times, publishers weekly, san francisco chronicle, and washington post lists a usa today and wall street journal best seller an american book association indiebound best seller. This character has a dog that means a great deal to him. It stars reese witherspoon, robert pattinson, and christoph waltz. Apr 22, 2011 8 big differences between water for elephants book and movie apr. The circus train only had a limited amount of water on board, and elephants can drink 100300 litres per day approximately 2680 gallons.
August is an antagonist and jacob is a protagonist. I bought this book because of push advertising and regretted it. Water for elephants is one of my most favorite books. He always tries to find justice and proves that people are able to show restraint and consideration. Gruen transports us into the world of a thirdrate traveling circus during the great depression. Charlie enters the book in the secondtolast chapter and plays a small but pivotal role. Mcguinty is a minor character who appears early on in the book. Related questions and answers for characters in water for elephants. I hate being so enamored with a book and then a crappy movie version comes along and tarnishes it.
He starts narrating the story, but suddenly you realize you are reading young jacob while being at the circus. While reading water for elephants i found the plot hyperbolic and excessively melodramatic and the characters little developed beyond their names. How do the chapters about the older jacob enrich the story about jacobs adventure with the circus. Just one of the interesting tidbits i picked up from my year of 451. 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. Passionate hopeless beautiful treacherous dangerous cruel love can destroy you just as fast. Overall, water for elephants was a book that grabbed me from the. Jacob is the main conflict in the book, water for elephants. Water for elephants is a 2011 american romantic drama film directed by francis lawrence and written by richard lagravenese, based on sara gruens 2006 novel of the same name. Her works have been translated into fortythree languages and have sold more than ten million copies worldwide. Water for elephants book club discussion questions and.
Jacob is eager to experience the world as an adult and is ready to take whatever the world can offer him in adulthood. Stories similar to water for elephants books, stories, and novels like water for elephants by sara gruen. Water for elephants characters listed with descriptions. Water for elephants has two plots going on, both starring the same main character, jacob. Every few chapters, the narrative switches from one jacob to the other. Readers may find themselves churning through this book at a rapidfire pace, eager to see what lies ahead, then slowing down as they realize the pages are dwindling. Water for elephants central truth jacobs connection marlenas connection connections text to world text to self text to text media translations kaitlyns sad story about love love is. Jacob jankowski marlena rosie the elephant august uncle al rosemary the nurse walter camel. Guy montag is the main character in a book about burning books.
Marlena rosenbluth from water for elephants charactour. You might like to consider the following adjectives. The circus man water for elephants by sara gruen is a fascinating and. Character analysis of water for elephant 995 words 4 pages. Sara gruen is the internationally bestselling author of water for elephants and at the waters edge. Water for elephants is the story of jacobs life with this circus. Sara gruen has a voice to rival john irvings, and i am hopelessly, unabashedly in love with this book. Jacob jankowski is the main character in the book, water for elephants.
Marlena is married to august, but it is a bad marriage. 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 a depressionera circus provides the backdrop for sara gruens latest novel, water for elephants. Water for elephants discussion so recently i read this book and loved it, so my boyfriend listened to the audiobook and also thoroughly enjoyed.
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. Water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing month. Water for elephants movie tiein by sara gruen, paperback. Water for elephants is an enchanting pageturner, the kind of book that creates a world that engulfs you from the first page to the last. A water for elephants discussion from reading group guides writers digest interview with sara gruen. Oct 21, 2009 but what i liked more was the writing. 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.
This character is hidden on the train to protect him until. 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. 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. While august treats them akin to slaves, his wife tries to ensure that rosie and the horses live as comfortable as possible. Use these book club discussion questions on water for elephants to lead your book clubs conversation on the story. A national bestseller in canada and a new york times bestseller in the united states, this is a book destined to become a beloved fiction classic. Although water for elephants is a novel, the description of the circus, the effect it has on each of the characters and even the details the author gives us on how it is built are essential, and. Analysis and discussion of characters in sara gruens water for elephants. 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. These book club discussion questions reveal important details about water for elephants by sara gruen. The film was released in the united states on april 22, 2011. The animals are mangy, underfed or fed rotten food, and abused. Feb 02, 2012 the movie water for elephants stays close to sara gruens beloved book particularly with the 1930s circus memories section.
Water for elephants was adapted into a major motion picture starring reese witherspoon, rob pattinson, and christoph waltz. 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. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The water for elephants community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list. According to his life story he appears as an honorable and sensual man. Sara gruen spares no detail in chronicling the squalid, filthy, brutish circumstances in which he finds himself. 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. 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.
Aside from august, marlena, al, camel, and walter, the other people who work at the circus sort. Jacob jankowski is the narrator of the novel, and senior in college whose ready to explore the world and find where he belongs. All 63 characters in water for elephants are listed by chapter with character descriptions included. Water for elephants is a book that can be read and reread, recommended and handed off between friends. Water for elephants, 2007, sara gruen water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing month. 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. August can be very friendly and sweet on the surface, but deep down he is a cruel and cold man. Jacob is ninetythree year old and is looking back on his adventures in life while he spends his days in a nursing home.
In the book, jacobs narration takes place in his own mind. Water for elephants character descriptions for teachers. Water for elephants is a book that can be read and reread, recommended and handed. 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. Jacob, when narrating in his older years, demonstrates to readers that he remains as a static character throughout the novel.
Only days before graduating from vet school in 1931, young jake learns his parents have died and left him penniless. A thousand splendid suns, memory keepers daughter, etc. The story is told as a series of memories by jacob jankowski, a 93yearold man who lives in a nursing home. Trust us, water for elephants is going to be one of the surprise hits of 2011. Water for elephants is the new york times bestselling debut novel by sara gruen. Water for elephants book club discussion questions and answers. In one plot, jacob is a young guy just starting out in the world. Jacob jankowski is a main personage and protagonist of this novel. The movie water for elephants stays close to sara gruens beloved book particularly with the 1930s circus memories section. Classroom ideas posted april 12, 2011 by sara novel novice 5 comments there is so much to love about sara gruens water for elephants, from the lush and magical setting of a 1930s circus, to the sweeping forbidden romance, to the heartbreaking recollections of narrator jacob jankowski.
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