water for elephants

Jacob Jankowski's life as a would-be veterinarian with a city practice ended on the night he jumped a circus train. He became the resident vet for a traveling circus, the trainor for an elephant who understands only Polish, the surrogate mother for an affectionate chimpanzee, the friend of a circus worker who became paralyzed due to booze, and the lover of the circus manager's wife. All this at twenty-three, before he took his final university exams.

It was also the story of Jacob, who can't rightly remember if he's ninety or ninety-three, and who lives for the memories of the backbreaking work, the wonder of the performances, the animals, the stampede, the murders, the deep friendships, and the greatest love.

As with the other books, I won't be watching the movie version. I can close my eyes and imagine how it feels like to ride a circus elephant. It makes me want to try the real thing, even though a circus is not part of the Filipino way of life. But that's what makes books great, isn't it? They let you be more than you are, by showing you different kinds of lives, and for the moment, letting you live them. They are stories, yes, but for the most part, beautifully-written stories are crafted from real experiences, carefully researched, and told in words that catch your heart.

I read this book on the Kindle, on the way to work in the morning, on the way home in the evening, and for about an hour before going to bed. Took me 3 days. The pleasure is partly in the Kindle, partly in the great book.