Water For Elephants

   One of my absolute favorite books of all time is Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen. When I worked at Borders Books as a salesperson, this book was just the best pick for men and women alike. It was so easy to talk about because the story flowed so beautifully and made you feel every emotion deep within your bones.
   It is the story of a young man, who is studying to be a veterinarian during the depression. He has finally made it to the final exam when he is notified that his parents have been tragically killed in a car accident. Being so distraught, the young man, leaves his home town and hops on the first train that comes by.
   The train turns out to be a circus group full of wonderfully colorful people and amazing animals. He joins up with the circus and is asked to be the circus vet. The story is intricately woven delving deep into the hardships of this nomadic band of people.
   One great aspect of this book is how the story is told. It is narrated by the young man and the same man some seventy years later.
   I love this book so much that when the movie was released, I was afraid to go see it thinking that like most movies the director and producers would destroy the book. So this morning, as a treat to myself, I rented Water For Elephants on pay per view and was very surprised to find that they did a good job on it. They stuck to the story except for a few changes here and there and the actors did a fine job portraying the characters.
   I will stick to my opinion though, if you have not read the book or seen the movie yet, PLEASE, read the book first. It truly is a great story.