Water for Elephants
I've been reading more lately. My dearest, too-generous husband got me a Nook Color for my birthday, and it's hard to express how much I've enjoyed it already. It fits perfectly into my life. It's wonderful to be able to go to bed when he does, knowing that he can switch off the light and begin snoozing while I finish my chapter.
I posted my review of Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants over on Goodreads, but I'm duplicating it here for posterity.
Pros: Reveals entertaining and often surprising details about Depression-era circus culture; animals being treated as integral parts of the plot provides a certain warmth.
Cons: Characters other than the protagonist are mostly two-dimensional; some may find the ending implausible.
I still miss HBO's Carnivale, so it was nice to return to 1930s circus life for a little while. Unfortunately, I didn't find most of the characters in Water for Elephants to be quite as engaging as the show's ensemble.
I felt sympathy for young Jacob's misfortune, and compassion for old Jacob's situation: I cared about him, and about Rosie and Walter, too. It's Marlena, August, and Uncle Al who seemed to exist primarily as plot devices, rather than as fully-realized people.
I was also disappointed by the way a character's exit was handled. I won't spoil by naming names, but he departs the story, and Jacob hardly seems to notice. Our narrator's reaction seemed less than credible, in my opinion.
Overall, it's a light read that I enjoyed more for the snippets of history about the time period than the story itself.
Grade: B- (3 out of 5 stars)
View all my reviews
------------
I kinda sorta want to see the movie, if only for Christoph Waltz's performance. Maybe an early matinee? Not this weekend, though. I'm in the midst of my most crushing deadlines of the year.
I posted my review of Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants over on Goodreads, but I'm duplicating it here for posterity.
Pros: Reveals entertaining and often surprising details about Depression-era circus culture; animals being treated as integral parts of the plot provides a certain warmth.
Cons: Characters other than the protagonist are mostly two-dimensional; some may find the ending implausible.
I still miss HBO's Carnivale, so it was nice to return to 1930s circus life for a little while. Unfortunately, I didn't find most of the characters in Water for Elephants to be quite as engaging as the show's ensemble.
I felt sympathy for young Jacob's misfortune, and compassion for old Jacob's situation: I cared about him, and about Rosie and Walter, too. It's Marlena, August, and Uncle Al who seemed to exist primarily as plot devices, rather than as fully-realized people.
I was also disappointed by the way a character's exit was handled. I won't spoil by naming names, but he departs the story, and Jacob hardly seems to notice. Our narrator's reaction seemed less than credible, in my opinion.
Overall, it's a light read that I enjoyed more for the snippets of history about the time period than the story itself.
Grade: B- (3 out of 5 stars)
View all my reviews
------------
I kinda sorta want to see the movie, if only for Christoph Waltz's performance. Maybe an early matinee? Not this weekend, though. I'm in the midst of my most crushing deadlines of the year.