The road of life - a series of twists and turns, sometimes so sharp that it throws you off for one hell of a ride. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen is the story of Jacob (Jake) Jankowski, an Ivy League veterinary student, so close to finishing exams and ready for the big world, when his life is turned upside down by the untimely death of his parents. Followed soon by financial troubles, Jake is left with no choice and heads off into the unknown.

Joining up with a troupe of Ringling Brothers wannabes (the Benzini Brothers) , Jake doesn’t realize what he has stepped into, and who’s lives he will ultimately affect because of his actions. Nor does he realize how drastically his life will change for the better because of it.

Narration

Both narrators, David LeDoux and John Randolph Jones, did a fantastic job in the narration of the Water for Elephants audio book. David LeDoux as the young Jake, and John Randolph Jones as Jake at 90 (or is it 93?). Both are gifted at properly portraying character emotions, and at moments, are passionately involved (i.e., during the furious outbursts that Jake and August both have).

The narration is separated as a series of flashbacks between old and young Jake. Although still entrancing, I will say that jumping forward to older Jake got a little annoying, as some of the fast paced action had to be delayed (guess that’s part of suspense building). Nevertheless, listening to older Jake’s story and current experiences were still fascinating.

Characters

Jake, being the protagonist of Water for Elephants, was of course the most developed of the entire lot. However, I couldn’t say quite as much for the rest of the characters. Marlena, whom Jake found astonishingly beautiful and hypnotizing, didn’t come across in that manner to me. I couldn’t picture her well, as I could picture Jake, and couldn’t quite empathize with her during her ordeals. August, the temper-prone man-boy seemed thought out well - although I kept thinking of Billy Zane - don’t know why. And of course, let’s not forget Rosie. Sara Gruen did a great job with this character! I cheered for her during her good times, and felt horrible and angry during more “punishing” times.

Other Notes

Although the Water for Elephants audio book was of average length (roughly 12 hours), it was plenty of time for me to thoroughly engross myself into the story. And even though I’m more into suspense/horror novels, I still found this one good enough to finish in a day and a half.

This particular audio book won the Book Sense Book of the Year Award, and was chosen as the finalist for the Audible Audie Awards for Fiction. Also, it seems to be a big hit among other audio book lovers, which has a very high rating.

If you’re interested, download the Water for Elephants audio book, and drop us a comment to let us know what you thought.