A Reliable Elephant

Since I’m behind, I’m going to write about the last two books I read, “A Reliable Wife” and “Water for Elephants.”

“A Reliable Wife” by Robert Goolrick

Review from Pubslishers Weekly:

Set in 1907 Wisconsin, Goolrick's fiction debut (after a memoir, The End of the World as We Know It) gets off to a slow, stylized start, but eventually generates some real suspense. When Catherine Land, who's survived a traumatic early life by using her wits and sexuality as weapons, happens on a newspaper ad from a well-to-do businessman in need of a "reliable wife," she invents a plan to benefit from his riches and his need. Her new husband, Ralph Truitt, discovers she's deceived him the moment she arrives in his remote hometown. Driven by a complex mix of emotions and simple animal attraction, he marries her anyway. After the wedding, Catherine helps Ralph search for his estranged son and, despite growing misgivings, begins to poison him with small doses of arsenic. Ralph sickens but doesn't die, and their story unfolds in ways neither they nor the reader expect. This darkly nuanced psychological tale builds to a strong and satisfying close. (Mar.)
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This book had a good story.  It was extremely detailed, which I did not care for as much.  There were a lot of what I like to call “omg moments” which kept me interested in reading.  The small number of characters were well developed, and through the intricate detail you understood the role that they each played in the story.  The relationships between the characters were very interesting.  There were some parts of the book I found to be really weird, which mostly related to the time and intricacy of the relationships and characters.  Overall, the book club really enjoyed this book, but it was not one of my favorites.

“Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen

Summary:

“Though he may not speak of them, the memories still dwell inside Jacob Jankowski's ninety-something-year-old mind. Memories of himself as a young man, tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. Memories of a world filled with freaks and clowns, with wonder and pain and anger and passion; a world with its own narrow, irrational rules, its own way of life, and its own way of death. The world of the circus: to Jacob it was both salvation and a living hell.
Jacob was there because his luck had run out -- orphaned and penniless, he had no direction until he landed on this locomotive "ship of fools." It was the early part of the Great Depression, and everyone in this third-rate circus was lucky to have any job at all. Marlena, the star of the equestrian act, was there because she fell in love with the wrong man, a handsome circus boss with a wide mean streak. And Rosie the elephant was there because she was the great gray hope, the new act that was going to be the salvation of the circus; the only problem was, Rosie didn't have an act -- in fact, she couldn't even follow instructions. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and ultimately, it was their only hope for survival. 
Surprising, poignant, and funny, Water for Elephants is that rare novel with a story so engrossing, one is reluctant to put it down; with characters so engaging, they continue to live long after the last page has been turned; with a world built of wonder, a world so real, one starts to breathe its air.”

I LOVED THIS BOOK!  This was one of the best books I have read in a long time and I would recommend it to everyone!  It had many twists and turns to keep you engrossed and turning the page.  Jacob’s story is so powerful, it keeps you hooked from beginning to end.  I loved how the story started when Jacob was 93 and flipped back and forth from when he was 23.  The transition between his ages were seamless.  It was evident the author did a lot of research to ensure everything was accurate and it was amazing to really see the way people and animals were treated back then.  Not only was it a good love story, it was a great life story.  I cannot wait to see the movie next week!! :)