Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

A very good novel. However, it does contain some fairly graphic and brutal animal abuse scenes. Contrarily, it also shows the importances of relationships and bonds between humans and animals.

This is the story of Jacob. Jacob is now an old man living a nursing home reminiscing on his life.

1932.  When he was a young man, Jacob was just about to graduate from veterinary school when devastating news forces him to leave school just prior to receiving his diploma and license. 

Not knowing where to go or what to do, he hops on a train, and ends up living with a depression era traveling circus called The Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. 

Starting out as manual labor, when the owner of the circus, Uncle Al, learns of his veterinary training, and hires him to care for the menagerie of circus animals on the train including Rosie the Elephant.

Jacob falls in love with the beautiful Marlena, the star of the show who rides the circus horses in glittering costumes. Her husband, August, is the equestrian director and is a brutal man who abuses his wife as well as the animals of the circus.

This novel has wonderful characters such as Camel, an old man who is a circus veteran, and a grumpy dwarf named Walter and his dog Queenie. It is full of lush descriptions that make you feel like you can smell the popcorn and hear the calliope music.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even with the outrage of the animal abuse, the circus vibe was a fun distraction and it was well written.