Over spring break, I found time to enjoy one of my favorite hobbies: reading. Because my mother had been raving about the novel “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen, and because there’s a movie coming out in April that’s based on the book, I decided to download the story onto my Kindle.
The synopsis truly doesn’t do the book justice. I expected it to be boring, and I certainly didn’t expect the book to touch my heart the way it did.
The novel provides an inside look at what it’s like to age, lose independence, and process it all while experiencing intense nostolgia.
The story follows an elderly man who’s reminiscing about the time in his life when he met his wife. They both worked on a circus together during the Great Depression.
I think this book came at just the right time for me. Both my fiance and I are experiencing our grandparent’s decline in health. Chance’s grandmother was recently diagnosed with dementia. She has good days and bad days, mostly bad ones. When we were home for spring break she could hardly speak. She wanted to be in her wheel chair to sit and see us, but her leg hurt her too much. She couldn’t physically say that her leg hurt, so she just kept yelling. We didn’t know what was wrong. She’s also lost the ability to swallow in the past couple of days. They’re trying to figure out why.
My grandmother is moving into my parent’s house. After surviving two heart attacks and breast cancer that has returned twice, she has very high medical bills and is just physically very weak. She’s also started to buy multiples of things, which is a little scary.
I think Water for Elephants was an eye opening experience. It takes this elderly man that people have seemingly forgotten, and provides him with a mind, a voice, expectations and disappointments. It shows that just because someone is old, it doesn’t mean that they don’t have hopes and dreams for the future. Whatever time they have left should be cherished. It answers the question of: What do you look forward to when there’s seemingly nothing left?
alisonlerae 
I’ll definitely put this on my list for summer reading. Thanks for such a thoughtful and personal review. I’m sorry about your grandparents, but they’re certainly lucky to have you.
I’ve seen a few previews for the movie. I’m a little concerned about Robert Patterson playing a lead role. In my opinion, he’s not that great, and should stick with his sulking vampire movie experience. I’m interested in the book, and like Kristen I may put it on my summer reading list as I will be near Barnes and Noble (hooray for moving to Lincoln). Does the book have “The Notebook” by Nicholas Sparks appeal, where the old man tales his love story?
I think Robert Pattinson gets a bad rap because of the whole Twilight thing but I’m really looking forward to this movie. I really liked Remember Me, like Allison said, which really showed his acting skills I thought.
Yeah I’m a little leary of the movie as well… but we’ll see. Patterson was really good in Remember Me- that movie about 9/11? But I just can’t see him matching the character that’s portrayed in the book.
I don’t want to spoil the story! But yes there is an amazing love story involved that’s pretty adorable. The book in general isn’t really about the love story, and you don’t realize it’s a love story at first. And yes, it involves an elephant.
Actually, next to the main character, I think my favorite character was the elephant.
My wife loved the book but is very suspicious of the movie. She said the central greatness of the book came from the writing, and she fears that will be lost in the movie. Alison, I really like how you bring events from your own life into why you care about and relate to this book.