Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Water for Elephants
by Sara Gruen
Date Released: April 9,2006
Pages: 335

Summary:

Though he may not speak of them, the memories still dwell inside Jacob Jankowski's ninety-something-year-old mind. Memories of himself as a young man, tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. Memories of a world filled with freaks and clowns, with wonder and pain and anger and passion; a world with its own narrow, irrational rules, its own way of life, and its own way of death. The world of the circus: to Jacob it was both salvation and a living hell.

Jacob was there because his luck had run out - orphaned and penniless, he had no direction until he landed on this locomotive 'ship of fools'. It was the early part of the Great Depression, and everyone in this third-rate circus was lucky to have any job at all. Marlena, the star of the equestrian act, was there because she fell in love with the wrong man, a handsome circus boss with a wide mean streak. And Rosie the elephant was there because she was the great gray hope, the new act that was going to be the salvation of the circus; the only problem was, Rosie didn't have an act - in fact, she couldn't even follow instructions. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.

My Review:

Truthfully, I thought I would like this book a lot more than I did. It wasn't so much that the whole book was okay, it was really just bits and pieces of it that I didn't like. So, let me start with the things I liked.

I really liked the chapters that were told from the point of view from the older Jacob. In them I liked how he talked about his kids and how his wife had died, but he kept us hanging until the end as to who his wife was. Did he actually end up with Marlena? Or did their story not end in a happily ever after?

I also really liked Rosie. I liked the way Jacob fell in love with her just as much as he fell in love with Marlena. I felt like the whole story just got better in general after Rosie was introduced as a character, I just wasn't feeling the first half. But the second half I really liked. I even liked August and all his crazy problems because he added a certain dynamic to the whole story.

One thing that bothered me was the beginning of the romance between Jacob and Marlena. One second Jacob was just thinking about her beauty, and the next BAM he was all of a sudden completely in love with her. The author kind of cheated us out of the details as to how he fell in love with her. After that moment of revelation on his part, I liked their love story. It was just the start of it that bothered me.

The second thing I didn't like was the character of Marlena. The way the author wrote her it wounded like she was a secondary minor character that strived to be a main character, instead of sounding like she was the main character. She was flat and predictable, and I did not like her at all.

With all this said, I have to mention the movie version for a second. I actually liked the movie better than the book, and it was for one main reason. In the movie, the character of Marlena (portrayed by Reese Witherspoon) was actually likable. Witherspoon added a certain dynamic to her that made her a good character, instead of a flat predictable one.

My Rating:

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Leviathan
by Scott Westerfeld
Date Released: October 6, 2009
Pages: 440

Summary:

Prince Aleksander, would-be heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battletorn war machine and a loyal crew of men.

Deryn Sharp is a commoner, disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. She's a brilliant airman. But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered.

With World War I brewing, Alek and Deryn's paths cross in the most unexpected way…taking them on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure that will change both their lives forever.

My Review:


My friend told me to read this book a while ago so she could have someone to fangirl over it with. And because Christmas was near approaching and I had yet to acquire a copy to read, she gave it to me for Christmas. I read it in about a day and a half and as soon as I finished, I went and got the second one on my Nook. Needless to say, I loved this book.

It took me a couple of chapters to warm up to the idea of the Clanker machines and the Darwinist fabs, but ultimately I share Alek’s feeling for the fabs, they kind of weird me out a little. I like the Clanker machines much better. The idea of flying around in the belly of a mutated beast is just a little too weird, though I did like the Huxleys. But I would much rather walk around in a Stormwalker.

Also, the idea of a girl disguising herself as a guy to do what she wants is not a theme I am unfamiliar with having read the Bloody Jack series, and it is one that I like to read. It always gets interesting when the girl realizes that she might be developing something resembling feelings towards one of the guys, only problem is everything thinks she is a guy too. I am anxious to see how this will play out in the remaining two books.

The art was another part of the book that I loved. While some people may say that a YA book should not have pictures, I think they really add to the dynamic of the book. I probably would not have been able to visualize the machines or fabs the way the author had without the help of the pictures.

This book was also one of those books that you can read quickly, and not because of lack of quality, it is just because of the way the author writes. His other book series, Uglies, read the same way.

All in all, this book was probably one of the best steampunk I have read in a while. I would recommend it for anyone who like steampunk, sci fi, or history.

My Rating: