These book club discussion questions reveal important details about water for elephants by sara gruen. Their two, completely separate personalities clash and collide. The title, water for elephants, is almost a little inside joke with the reader once weve finished the book, that is. The following quote from jacob, taken from the book, describes, in detail, the marvelous scene. Water for elephants by sara gruen at the best online ebook storage. Its banned books week so im highlighting a different banned book each day this week.
When jacob overhears a man at the assistedliving center claim to have been a water boy for the elephants on a circus, jacob knows the man is lying because jacob himself once worked as a vet on a traveling. The theme of love reappears several times in the book, water for elephants. Water for elephants is a rich surprise, a delightful gem springing from a fascinating footnote to history that absolutely deserved to be mined. Water for elephants by sara gruen 1,335,125 ratings, 4. First of all, an integral part of the plot is jacob falling in love with his future wife, marlena, who. Its from this nursing home that jacob tells his story, like he is looking back at all the adventures at the circus. Water for elephants, 2007, sara gruen water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing month. The theme of love appears when rosie drives that stake through augusts head. The circus was the main setting of the book, water for elephants. 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. This book was influenced by very important literary movements, such as romanticism, realism, regionalism, and naturalism. She wrote the book as part of national novel writing month. Water for elephants with little aid from her shoddy prose, predictable plot and. On our first date, my husband took me to see tod brownings freaks, a 1932 horror film with a distinctly diane arbus feel.
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. Apr 22, 2011 weve probably all seen a movie and wished it were 40 minutes shorter or read a book and thought, damn, this really could have been condensed and lost nothing. Sara gruen has said that the backbone of her novel parallels the biblical story of jacob, in the book of genesis. The author, sara gruen allows readers to read the book from two perspectives, one from young jacob and the other from older presentday jacob. What is the genre of water for elephants by sara gruen. From my understanding of both works, the only clear connection is the theme of deception. 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. Water for elephants movie tiein by sara gruen, paperback. On the first night after his leaving cornell, for example, jacob as did his biblical namesake lies back on the bank, resting my. Stories similar to water for elephants books, stories, and novels like water for elephants by sara gruen. Its been there awhile, biding its time and growing closer with each revolution 1. Water for elephants book club discussion questions and. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. The book, water for elephants, starts off in the present day, in a nursing home where the main character, jacob jankowski, lives.
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. My posts will include the banned book, wherewhy its been banned or challenged, my opinion, and a students opinion. Sara gruen has written an utterly transporting novel richly full of the stuff of life. Water for elephants is the new york times bestselling debut novel by sara gruen. A meticulously researched, fastpaced, engaging and ultimately very satisfying novel set mostly ina depression era travelling circus. Trough water lemonade is a must at a water for elephants book club party. It follows the story of a young man whose circumstances are suddenly altered and who finds himself homeless and jobless. I hate being so enamored with a book and then a crappy movie version comes along and tarnishes it. I read water for elephants a few years ago and from time to time, i reread my favorite novels. According to the values presented in this book, what do you think it takes to be a real man.
Jul 23, 2018 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. The theme of age the theme of age if the fifth theme in the novel. Sometimes i think that if i had to choose between an ear of corn or making love to a woman, id choose the corn. Mar 18, 2008 it came up as question 16 in the water for elephants reading group guide.
Water for elephants by sara gruen, like water for chocolate by laura esquivel, the water is wide by pat conroy, the color of. Earlier in the book, when the older jacob is given drugs in the nursing home, he describes the sensation of unconsciousness in a strikingly similar way. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. I read that the story of jacob is allegedly the backbone of water for elephants. Water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing month.
Jul 04, 2011 water for elephants is fun, sweet and thrilling and will pull you into the mysterious life of the circus so far that you wont want to leave. Water for elephants by sara gruen book club discussion. One of the most important themes of the plot that follows the elderly jacob is independence and self worth. The water for elephants community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and. Water for elephants moves between a story about a circus and a story about an old man in a nursing home.
Water for elephants is the touching story of jacob jankowski, a ninetythreeyearold man, who is reminded of his colorful past when a circus sets up next door to his assistedliving center. He jumps aboard a passing train and discovers he has landed on the train of a travelling circus. Subscribe to the oprahs book club newsletter sign up for the oprahs book club newsletter get more stories like this delivered to your inbox get updates on your. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Discussion of themes and motifs in sara gruens water for elephants. 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. Love is a driving force in water for elephants, and its not limited to the love one human feels for another. Review of water for elephants good books for catholic kids. It shouldnt be a surprise that in the prologue we cant tell whether jacob is talking about marlena or rosie when he uses the word she he loves them both and thinks of them both as individuals.
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. Aug 05, 2008 a meticulously researched, fastpaced, engaging and ultimately very satisfying novel set mostly ina depression era travelling circus. Read online water for elephants by sara gruen for free. While i enjoyed the movie with robert pattinson and reese witherspoon, the novel is far better. Sep 07, 2016 author, sara gruen is an excellent novelist. When jacob jankowski arrived for the first time at the circus where he worked, he was in awe. Use these book club discussion questions on water for elephants to lead your book clubs conversation on the story. Weve probably all seen a movie and wished it were 40 minutes shorter or read a book and thought, damn, this really could have been condensed and lost. So i purchased the book and slowly began retreating. Water for elephants is a fictional novel by sara gruen that is set in the depression. May 26, 2006 water for elephants is a historical novel by sara gruen, written as part of national novel writing month. An atmospheric, gritty, and compelling novel of starcrossed lovers, set in the circus world circa 1932, by the bestselling author of riding lessons. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of water for elephants by sara gruen.
With lines of startling beauty, haunting and evocative scenes and finelydrawn characters who dance off the page, readers can dip in and out of the novel, immersing themselves in jacobs memories. Books that defined a generation water for elephants. It is a very good book, one of my absolute favorites. With gruens bestselling book as his source material here, lawrence concentrates on more domestic horrors missing in his other films.
The truth is, it is summer and i am desperate for a distraction away from my recent obsession with greys anatomy reruns fueled by netflixs instant queue. Download and read online for free water for elephants by sara gruen. The novel hit the new york times bestseller list and reached number one on july 8, 2007. August can be very friendly and sweet on the surface, but deep down he is a cruel and cold man. When two people are meant to be together, they will be together.
Water for elephants a depressionera circus provides the backdrop for sara gruens latest novel, water for elephants. Read water for elephants absolutely for free at readanybook. Create marketing content that resonates with prezi video. It may seem all sequins and charm on the top but underneath there is something darker. Rosie is a very smart animal and remembers that august beat her up and she wants revenge. Rosie is able to sense that marlena and jacob do not like him either. Tessa fontaines astonishing memoir of pushing past fear, the electric woman, follows the author on a lifeaffirming journey of loss and selfdiscovery through her time on the road with the last traveling american sideshow and her relationship with an.
What makes water for elephants more intriguing is a third character, reminding us why christoph waltz deserved his supporting actor oscar for inglourious basterds 2009. Jacob is the main conflict in the book, water for elephants. I fell in love with the picture you chose for your book the first time i saw it. Based on the book by sara gruen, water for elephants is the story of jacob jankowski who as an old man is recounting the tale of when he first. In what ways and to what extent do the words pathetic grandeur describe the world that gruen creates in her novel.
Tessa fontaines astonishing memoir of pushing past fear, the electric woman, follows the author on a lifeaffirming journey of loss and selfdiscovery through her time on the road with the last traveling american sideshow and her relationship with an adventurous, spirited mother. Jacob, the books narrator and protagonist, worked as a vet and trainer of sorts at a circus. 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 book club discussion questions and answers. 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. He plays the circus owner, who is married to the bareback rider and keeps her. August is an antagonist and jacob is a protagonist. Water for elephants quotes by sara gruen goodreads. Water for elephants is fun, sweet and thrilling and will pull you into the mysterious life of the circus so far that you wont want to leave. So, i read the story of jacob, son of isaac who was the son of abraham, who almost sacrificed isaac. This is where almost all of the action of the story took place. Water for elephants is one of my most favorite books. I was so excited, i couldnt put it down and rushed to the end to see what would happen next, and then when i was done, i was so sad that it was all over. Gruen transports us into the world of a thirdrate traveling circus during the great depression.
The circus, the great depression, a complex elephant, equally complex love, the mists and twists of memory articulated in the utterly winning voice of a very old man whos seen it all. Young jacob is able to do whatever his heart desires including, jumping on moving trains and fighting for the women he loves. Theres something endearingly oldfashioned about a love story involving a beautiful bareback rider and a kid who runs off to join the circus. The denver post so compelling, so detailed and vivid, that i couldnt bear to be torn away from it for a single minute. What makes water for elephants more intriguing is a third character, reminding us why christoph waltz deserved his. Sara gruens arresting new novel, water for elephants, explores similar subject matter the pathetic grandeur of the depressionera circus. 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.
The great depression in relation to water for elephants by. Winner of the 2007 bookbrowse diamond award for most popular book. People also love animals, and animals love them back. Sara gruen has a voice to rival john irvings, and i am hopelessly, unabashedly in love with this book. How do the chapters about the older jacob enrich the story about jacobs adventure with the circus. Water for elephants is a book that can be read and reread, recommended and handed off between friends. The story is told as a series of memories by jacob jankowski, a 93yearold man who lives in a nursing home. Water for elephants water for elephants is a romantic period drama that takes place in the depression era with a struggling circus full of misfits as its background.
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