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Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen is a historical-fiction novel about Jacob Jankowski, a veterinary student who, orphaned and penniless during the Great Depression, impulsively joins the Benzini Brothers Circus. He finds work tending animals, including an "untrainable" elephant named Rosie, and falls for Marlena, the beautiful star of the equestrian act, who is married to the charismatic but cruel animal trainer, August. The story, framed by an elderly Jacob reflecting on his past, blends romance, adventure, and the harsh realities of circus life, exploring themes of love, survival, and the bond between humans and animals amidst the spectacle and hardship of the traveling show.
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