You wrote your review so much better than I. I have been reading the negative comments and have been surprised how many refer to this as a love story. I was glad to see your take on it being about aging, as that is how I saw the book. I saw it as this old man's life and it was the beginning of the book where he is describing his feelings about being in "the home" that really drew me into the book. For me, the story was all about Jacob.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who sees it that way. After I finished the book I read some reviews and was a little shocked by the things people got hung up on. I was like, really?!? Did we even read the same book?!?

I didn't read your full review because I feared spoilers. There is an option for reviews to have an alrert for spoilers, please use it if you are review in such great depth. I love to read such reviews after I have read a book so I appreciate where you were going with it. Thanks

I just stopped reading this book because I was enjoying it SO MUCH I wanted to savor it. I'm traveling next week cross country and thought this will make a wonderful book to read in flight. Now, after reading some of the reviews I'm worried! I guess I'll take a back up book just in case although you're review is giving me some hope. I've loved the first three chapters. I love the dialouge - although there are so many complaints of the prose...weird. I had no expectations - had no idea what the book was about and can't really remember why I bought it a couple of years ago. I didn't finish your review because of the spoilers but you've given me HOPE that I'll be occupied for the almost 8 hours of traveling next week!

I thank you for seeing in this book what I saw, the aging of Jacob and his looking at his life. I loved how the book moved back and forth from his youth to his old age. I did not read the reviews until I had finished the book and was amazed at how many people only saw the circus life and not the man. I will never look at older people the same way they all had lives and loves and experiences that only they can tell us about,

Beth- I always love reading your reviews. I seek them out to compare what I thought of the book, and most of the time, we are very similar. Although, I didn't see this as a story about aging, but as a story about life. I listened to this as an audio book, which was amazing. It was read by two different people, so the voice of the old man, was just that.

Like you, I was horrified by some of the scenes. But, again, that was life then. Those things DID happen in the circus in the 20s/ 30s. These are reasons the circus life has such a poor reputation, even today. How could you tell the story of Jacob's life without showing the horrible stuff he witnessed?

I also don't understand what people are calling spoilers in your review. Nothing you mentioned was a spoiler at all. /shrugs.

I thank you for the incredible review you wrote, I think I got this book like you as a look at both life and aging and that it was from a time we can only imagine.
Thank you for doing such a great job.
Pam

Beth, thank you for this thoughtful review, which shows intelligence and, by the way, real skill in writing. I'll be looking for your reviews in the future.

Love your review of this book. I think you read my mind:)

I feel the same way,these people who look down on "water for elephants" probably didn't open their hearts to it, as we did.In all fairness the beginning is some what,slow.But in order to truly empathise with the characters you have to look beyond the first few chapters.if your reading water for elephants and your not enjoying it...hang in there ok, keep reading it gets much better x