For instance, Marlena in the novel leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to depth and development. Jacob in his selfish desire to eliminate his own enemies takes away a weapon of defense from his friend Walter, whose association with Jacob brings nothing but danger and inconvenience.Īlso, some of the female characters are quite dull, with nothing much to recommend them besides physical appearance. But the selfishness from the supposedly good character Jacob grates on one’s nerve. The villains in the novel are ruthless and selfish, which is understandable because they are the villains.
The human characters in the novel leave mixed feelings in a reader. Then we have Queenie the loyal dog, Bobo the clingy orangutan, and many impressive horses. The mischievous Rosie will make readers cry, laugh, smile, and yearn for a hug. Especially the character Rosie the elephant. Sara Gruen’s depiction makes the animals very similar to humans. The animals in the novel although silent, speak volumes in the way they show emotions of gratitude, mirth, grief, mischief, and vengeance.
I think the animal characters are the best feature of Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. The technicalities of alternating between two eras in the novel deserve commendation and is a credit to the writer.
And by the time I finished the story, I found a heightened respect for the author because of the way she succeeded in making readers mistake some details until the last few pages. However, the magnificence of the story is not palpable from the first page, I found myself struggling to read through the prologue and the first chapter but by the seventh chapter, I could not stop flipping the pages. Although a story about the circus, it depicts serious issues of life like grief, aging, poverty, mental illness, abuse, business malpractices, etc without seeming to try too hard. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen is a rich, well-told story. On the flip side, some of the characters were not well developed, there were some illogical loopholes in the plot, and sensitive readers should beware of graphic scenes of animal abuse in the story. The portrayals are vivid, and the story is very educative about the internal operations of circuses in the 1930s. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen is a delightful read.
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