Water for Elephants - book review

I'm beginning to think that fiction isn't a total waste of time after all. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen is a wonderful story, or should I say 2 stories, about a man who unintentionally ran away with the circus and at 90 (or is it 93) lives to tell about it. The narrative bounces back and forth giving the reader some comic relief from one story only to have it turn serious and move again to the other story for relief. Along the way we learn about the history of circuses and the rough life for the circus personnel, especially the workers. We learn that there are sharp class divisions between bosses and performers and workers and when the circus falls on hard times the latter categories may not be paid.

And what's to become of an elderly man in a nursing home whose family has divided up the visiting duties so that a different family visit him every Sunday. Only trouble is he doesn't see that family again for weeks, by which time he has forgotten who they are so they see him like an old man who has lost his memory.

Gruen is the kind of author who helps you smell the big top, hear the band, feel the heat from the giraffe, and taste the cotton candy. I listened to the story on the Playaway portable book system. That's definitely a good way to go. Great book, great readers.