Water For Elephants

I read this book a while back. The story was excellent. The movie was even better. Once I stopped seeing Robert Pattinson as a vampire, he was a believable nice-guy-veternarian. The movie flipped the ending (Jacob as an old man talking to a circus employee) into the beginning. But it made sense that way. The scenes from the book with Jacob in the old folks' home were completely eliminated. But trying to add them in would have caused distraction from the main story arc.

August was easy to hate, and that is essential to finding the ending satisfactory. It was hard to watch the scene where he beat Rosie the elephant with the bull hook. As Jacob's anger towards August builds, the tension in the movie is almost tangible. Although I knew Jacob does not kill August, I found myself almost wishing he would.

I loved the old-time movie scenes at the end, following Jacob and Marlena as they joined Ringling, took care of the horses and Rosie, and welcomed their children into the world. They were so happy and touching, I found myself crying.

My favorite part of the book was the ending - where Jacob as a very elderly man runs away with the circus. It took me by surprise, and was such a wonderful way to conclude. The movie includes this plot point as well. It was not quite as powerful in the movie, partly because I knew it was coming, but also because without the scenes of Jacob miserable in the home, it is not as sweet.