Posts Tagged ‘katmandu’
I loved this book. I loved the circus atmosphere and the story. It was exceptionally well-written, and I enjoyed every page.
We have a vet student joining a circus, with mistreated animals he’s frantically trying to save and protect. We have a lovable elephant. The narrator is an old man looking back, and he recounts his tale in the immediacy of present tense as he describes situations that happened decades earlier. Interesting, and very effective choice, to write in present tense throughout.
The ONLY thing that keeps me from giving the book five stars was the lack of character development for Marlena. Throughout the story I understood the protagonist loved her, but she seemed to be the woman tied to the railroad tracks throughout – Nell being constantly tormented by Snidely Whiplash – and I never really got a sense of her as a person. Maybe I missed it (not surprising – I read the book in daily spurts while I walked a treadmill), but I didn’t even know how old she was. I got a much clearer picture of minor characters, like Rosemary, Kinko and Camel, than I ever did of her.
I also never understood the whole “water for elephants” thing that the protagonist railed about in the beginning of the book. Perhaps it was something else I missed.
Nevertheless, I loved the book, I loved the ending, and I know I’ll go back to read it again.
L Space Katmandu Twister