Water for Elephants

I'm reading Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. It came highly recommended from several sources. 'Ma-na-na' liked it; 'Jalopy' did not. Each left it up to me to form my own opinion. I'll do the same for you; but I do say, read it at your own risk.

It seems I neglected to read a full synopsis before diving into the book. It just seemed a plethora of people had read it recently and were instant fans. I began reading it with the mindset that I too would love it. I don't love it.

I'm just over halfway through the book and I give it a rating above PG-13. Some of my complaints with the book include more swearing than I'm comfortable with and definitely more...how shall I put this delicately...issues of gross morality (than I'm comfortable with). The author could have left those out and the book would have been just as effective. Better in my opinion.

So you're not left with a bad taste in your mouth about the book (let's face it, I haven't finished the book yet and I can't give a full recommendation one way or the other...yet), there are good qualities.

I like the way the book is told in the first-person and he's an old guy when it begins. 90 or 93-years-old in fact. The story about him and the circus is told in flashbacks as long as a few chapters at a time. The author uses great transitions between the past and the present as the man tells it. I like that.

The characters are alive and believable. Though I have qualms, I am sucked in enough to want to finish the book before delivering a final opinion.