Water for Elephants

As a young man, Jacob Jankowski was tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. It was the early part of the great Depression, and for Jacob, now ninety, the circus world he remembers was both his salvation and a living hell. A veterinary student just shy of a degree, he was put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It was there that he met Marlena, the beautiful equestrian star married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. And he met Rosie, an untrainable elephant who was the great gray hope for this third-rate traveling show. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and, ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.

Brenda's thoughts: We recently read this in the book group I attend and for the most part everyone thought it was a good book overall. The details of circus life were fascinating and disturbing, and seemed quite real. The descriptions of animal care were amazing. To be honest I'd never contemplated how all the humans and animals were fed and housed in a circus. I found the passages with Jacob as an old man melancholy and touching.

The only thing I didn't find convincing was the romance between young Jacob and Marlena. Strange to read a book where I'd much rather read about the relationship between a young man and an extraordinary elephant than about the (human) love of his life! I so longed and wanted more details about the animals and their interaction/relationship with their handlers.

My only disclaimer with this novel is that if YOU do not like sexually explicit descriptions and cussing, I would not recommend this book to you. Regardless of personal feelings about the explicit sexual descriptions, everyone agreed that the book's ability to evoke the travelling turn of the century world was very impressive and we had a great discussion about that and about the role of the animals in the storyline as well. This story is an interesting portrayal of life in a traveling circus, and the ending is an unexpected one that takes you unaware.

The Castaways

Greg and Tess MacAvoy are one of four prominent Nantucketcouples who count each other as best friends. As pillars of their close-knit community, the MacAvoys, Kapenashes, Drakes, and Wheelers are important to their friends and neighbors, and especially to each other. But just before the beginning of another idyllic summer, Greg and Tess are killed when their boat capsizes during an anniversary sail. As the warm weather approaches and the island mourns their loss, nothing can prepare the MacAvoy's closest friends for what will be revealed.

Brenda's thoughts: This was a good book that explored the tough issues of love and loss and redemption through the eyes of a disparate cast of characters. Though we never meet Greg and Tess MacAvoy, they loom large over the narrative as their characters are revealed in snippets of memories. Each of the six main characters in The Castaways have a different vision of Tess and Greg, and only by combining all those different versions do their true personalities unfold.

This story of adult relationships between friends, families, spouses, and exes reflects the complicated reality of today's world. I was most impressed by the pacing of the various revelations and quality of the ending. I found the novel engaging and difficult to put down once I started. I would recommend this for  the summer season.