Water For Elephants

So I got this book Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen I have been interesting in reading it since September, but never bought it. I just got it for Christmas! I read part of the Prologue on Christmas day, but since I got an iPod reading fell back to the wayside. I finished the Prologue the day after Christmas. It was one of the Prologues that makes you want to read more, and more just to get to the point where that moment happens. Let me give you a basic premise for the book. It is about a man in his 90s who is in an assisted living facility and having a difficult time. The circus is coming to town which reminds him of his early 20s when he worked for the circus during the depression. This sparks many memories of his days leading up to and beyond joining up in the circus, falling in love, making friends, making enemies, and generally learning the ropes of how to survive life. The bulk of the book is spent in the depression era of circus life, which is not really something that ever interested me. That is until this book. I cannot even describe how hard life must have been. The horrors back then are only balanced by momentary instances of joy. This is a great book that ended up being a fairly quick read for me. I ended loosing quite a bit of sleep just because I could not put it down. There were a few instances of moments in the book that I could have done without, but they did give you a sense of the corruption and immorality of the times. I would have to say that there were some very beautifully heroic characters in this novel, not all human I might add, but there were also despicably evil characters as well. There is just something beautiful about this novel. It is one of those books that when you finish it you feel incredibly satisfied with this glimpse into these lives. I would recommend this book, but it is not for young readers due violence, subject matter, and probably a lack of their interest.