December – Water for Elephants

Aaaargh I didn’t manage it! I put Water for Elephants on the list because I read it 5 years ago in another book club (Shhhh don’t tell my guys there was life before Turn the Page) and I wanted to read it again. Life got to me, and I failed, first I was crazy busy with work, and then I got a nasty virus, but I’m pretty sure I can remember enough to write something relevant-ish (if I go off track let me know)…

Water for Elephants – Sara Gruen

When I read Water for Elephants I fell in love, I had not expected to, and I had not wanted to read it at all, NOT EVER!!! Yes, I was a stubborn little pain in the arse, but I had my reasons: 1) They made it into a film starring Robert Pattinson, and I was still angry that he was a sparkly vampire, in a godawful film or three that I had been made to watch by my preteen children. 2) It was obviously a pile of romantic slush, I could tell this from the cover of the DVD, and I really don’t do sloppy stuff. So my reasons were sensible and valid…..right? WRONG! What I didn’t realise was that I very nearly refused to read a book that I would love so much that it would stop me from doing pretty much anything else for three days.

The story starts with 93-year-old Jacob Jankowski living in a nursing home where he has no freedom, is made to eat blended food, in spite of having the ability to chew solids, and is thoroughly fed up. The circus is in town, and he is keen to go, but his daughter doesn’t turn up to take him, so he sets off alone…

When we are taken back to Jacob’s youth, it transpires that as a young man he was in the middle of studying to become a vet when he receives news that changes his life completely.  Jacob leaves his life and jumps on a train, a circus train, and here he meets some interesting (Kinko & Camel) and some very dark characters (Uncle Al and August) and the woman that he hopes will one day notice him. This is the story of the circus, and Jacob’s experiences of it, and his internal battle with hating the brutality of the circus, yet feeling that he belonged there.

I was surprised at how dark the book was at times, not at all the light, frothy romance novel I expected at all. The Circus of the 1930s was certainly not a glamorous place, it was hard, uncaring, and quite frankly pretty bleak. Gruen researched the history of the circus in depth, and took inspiration from stories that she found, for some of the incidents that happen in the book. I gave this book 4.5* in 2012 and I suspect that I will still love it when I find time to read it again. The group gave it a solid 4.5* too, so it’s a definite yes from us.

Jasper Jones – Craig Silvey

I came to this book with no expectations, I had not read a synopsis, I had met nobody who had read the book, and I had no idea that it was released as a film in 2017. I was dragged into the book very early on and spat out again at the end, there was no point at which I wanted to put it down and read something else instead. I laughed out loud several times whilst reading this book, and considering that it’s target audience is ‘young adult’, that is quite something.

Jasper Jones is set in Australia and is the story of Charlie Bucktin, a 13-year-old boy who lives a pretty simple life, until Jasper Jones comes to his bedroom window one night to ask for his help. Jasper literally turns Charlie’s life upside down, dragging him into an adventure that no teenager is prepared for, and this is how the book starts. The people in the town believe that Jasper is a ‘bad un’, he has a reputation for making trouble, and they blame him for everything bad that happens. This reputation is unfounded and seems to be down to several things 1) his being mixed race, 2) his father being a drunk bully and 3) his quiet sullenness.

The relationships in the story are complex, the people are flawed and the friendships are vital. The story is well written and there are some truly beautiful little moments that warm the heart of the reader. I absolutely loved this book for exactly what it was, a gorgeous wee story, with charming characters and witty dialogue. I gave the book 4*, unfortunately, nobody else had read it, so I gave my copy to Sam (to be passed on to Steph) and eagerly await their reviews. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone over the age of 13, with a thirst for adventure.

Happy reading

Mel x