Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
16 used & new from £6.04
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Water for Elephants (Thorndike Paperback Bestsellers)
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside another edition of this book

Water for Elephants (Thorndike Paperback Bestsellers) [Large Print] (Paperback)

by Sara Gruen (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
US List Price: $13.95
UK Equivalent: £9.38
Price: £8.50 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £0.88 (9%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Want guaranteed delivery by Tuesday, July 14? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
11 new from £6.04 5 used from £8.78
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover Order it used
Paperback £7.99 £5.59 33 used & new from £2.71
Library Binding Order it used
Hardcover (Large Print) 5 used & new from £9.40

Frequently Bought Together

Water for Elephants (Thorndike Paperback Bestsellers) + Three Cups of Tea + The Book Thief
Price For All Three: £19.48

Show availability and shipping details

  • This item: Water for Elephants (Thorndike Paperback Bestsellers) by Sara Gruen

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    Eligible for FREE UK delivery on orders over £5 with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Three Cups of Tea

Three Cups of Tea

by Greg Mortenson
4.8 out of 5 stars (110)  £6.99
The Book Thief

The Book Thief

by Markus Zusak
4.5 out of 5 stars (447)  £3.99
The White Tiger

The White Tiger

by Aravind Adiga
3.7 out of 5 stars (104)  £3.84
The Road Home

The Road Home

by Rose Tremain
3.9 out of 5 stars (74)  £3.20
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

by Stieg Larsson
4.1 out of 5 stars (165)  £3.99
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 561 pages
  • Publisher: Large Print Distribution; Lrg edition (9 May 2007)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1594132003
  • ISBN-13: 978-1594132001
  • Product Dimensions: 21.3 x 14 x 3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 5,526 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #24 in  Books > Romance > Genres > Historical

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Review
'Gorgeous, brilliant and superbly plotted, I am unabashedly in love with this book' -- Joshilyn Jackson, author of GODS IN ALABAMA 'This masterpiece of storytelling is a book about what animals can teach people about love.' -- Susan Cheever 'Lovely and mesmerising.' -- Kirkus 'You are so immersed in circus life that you are completely blinded by the thrilling, fatal dazzle of sequins and sawdust.' -- Daily Telegraph 'There is a tender story of first love, of murder, mayhem and animal and human brutality, of hucksters, whores and the general hoopla created when the circus rolls into town! This book is every bit the fabulous escapist entertainment that the big top once was.' -- Sunday Express --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

'I loved Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. Great story, loads of fun; hard to put down. So what if the heroine weighs 2500 pounds?'

(Stephen King )

'Rich and outlandish... you are so immersed in circus life that you are blinded by the thrilling, fatal dazzle of sequins and sawdust.'

(The Telegraph )

'An imaginative modern fairy story, teeming with eccentric characters'

(The Times )

'Gorgeous, brilliant and superbly plotted, I am unabashedly in love with this book'

(Joshilyn Jackson, author of GODS IN ALABAMA )

'This masterpiece of storytelling is a book about what animals can teach people about love.'

(Susan Cheever )

‘Lovely and mesmerising.’ (Kirkus )

'A tender story of first love, of murder, mayhem and animal and human brutality, of hucksters, whores and the general hoopla created when the circus rolls into town... This book is every bit the fabulous escapist entertainment that the big top once was.'

(Sunday Express )

'Great!'

(Giffords Circus ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Product Description
Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Water for Elephants (Thorndike Paperback Bestsellers)
86% buy the item featured on this page:
Water for Elephants (Thorndike Paperback Bestsellers) 4.5 out of 5 stars (36)
£8.50
The Book Thief
4% buy
The Book Thief 4.5 out of 5 stars (447)
£3.99
Three Cups of Tea
4% buy
Three Cups of Tea 4.8 out of 5 stars (110)
£6.99
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
3% buy
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 4.1 out of 5 stars (165)
£3.99
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

36 Reviews
5 star:
 (24)
4 star:
 (8)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (36 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
41 of 50 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Came up it by accident, 23 Nov 2007
By Bellhop Bob (Gloucestershire and environs) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Water for Elephants (Paperback)
While many have taken to WATER FOR ELEPHANTS because of the immense publicity it has received, I shied away. Now, this, along with the books KITE RUNNER and BARK OF THE DOGOWOD is one of my all-time favorites. I particularly like the beginning. In invite you to find the excerpt of the way this books starts, either here or on another site, and read it for yourself. It starts rolling right from the beginning. And it's not always pretty but it's got to be the most riveting story I've come across since KITE RUNNER.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
22 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!, 26 Jul 2007
By Boof (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)      
This review is from: Water for Elephants (Paperback)
I picked this book up because I hadn't heard of it before and was sick of seeing the same old chick lit / trash on the shelves week after week and wanted something totally different. I couldn't have made a better decision, choosing this book; it really is wonderful.

This is a beautifully written, well researched, off-beat love story about a young man called Jacob who (having been suddenly orphaned at the age of 22 while at university and in the age of the depression in America) finds himself, quite unexpectidley, working for a circus. Here we are treated to a feast of colourful (many rather unsavoury) characters (with dwarfes, bearded ladies and a whole host of animals). This is a love story not only between Jacob and Marlena (a married woman whom he loves from afar) but also between Jacob and his animals, imparticular an elephant named Rosie whom I also fell in love with.

The story flits between Jacob as an old man in a nursing home (where a circus comes to town which brings back all his memories) and Jacob in the 1930's during his circus years. This is a wonderfully written, engrosing, captivating novel and I felt lost when I had finished it; I truly had wothdrawal symptoms.

I highly recommend this book and I hope you enjoy as much as I did.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars So real you can smell the sawdust!, 26 Nov 2008
By Robert Burdock "RobAroundBooks.com" (Fife, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Water for Elephants: A Novel (Paperback)
Quite simply Water for Elephants is an exceptional read and one that any reader should not miss out on. Briefly the novel is about a circus struggling to survive the Depression-era years in America, or more specifically circus life from the perspective of an ad hoc `vetinarian' - Jacob Jankowski, who jumped on the Benzini Brothers circus train by chance, one evening.

The action in Water for Elephants is fast-paced; more than sufficient to keep the reader glued to the pages. `Pit stops' to the action comes in the form of the story reverting back to the nursing home of the present-day, where Jacob is finding his aged infirmity almost intolerable. These respites back to present-day are brief though, and inevitably the narrative shoots back quickly to Jacob's circus days where the action regains its breakneck speed.

Gruen has really done her `homework' while researching for this novel. She's created a circus world that's wholly believable; one that you feel right in the midst of (especially when she intersperses the chapters with contemporary circus photos). Gruen tells us in the `author's note' at the back of the novel that she had researched extensively for Water for Elephants and it shows! So much so that you can almost smell the menagerie, and the sawdust of the circus ring.

What really makes Water for Elephants special for me though (aside from the great storyline) is the characters. Gruen has done a remarkable job of creating some truly colourful and memorable people in the pages of her novel. Uncle Al (the circus boss) and August (the animal trainer) are characters you're going to love to hate. Marlena, Kinko the Clown aka Walter, and Camel are character's you're just going to love. You're going to love the chief protagonist Jacob Jankowski too. Personally I found him more endearing in his role as the `present day' Nonagenarian, but his struggle to fit into circus life, gain acceptance from his peers and deal with the urges of his love interest, make him a hugely engaging character.

In summing up I'd say that that Water for Elephants is one of these rare novels that will both thrill you and shock you at the same time. I really want to tell you everything about the story because it's so good, but also I don't want to tell you anything, because it will spoil the thrilling `ride' you're going to find yourself on when you read this novel. Sufficed to say that the story grips and twists almost ceaselessly on its way towards a quite thrilling climax. Miss this at your own peril!

Note: I should probably point out that the novel does contain some sexual content which could be considered for the more mature audience, so I probably wouldn't recommend this to anyone under 15. On the other hand I may just be being a little prudish, so perhaps you may want to check out the mature content yourself before passing the book on to any juniors (chap 3. pp.44-47, chap 8 p.97 and chap 10 pp.133-135 contain the `offending' material).
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
This book was recommended to my by one of the people in my book group. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it - the characters were just a bit different. Read more
Published 4 days ago by Susan Gordon

5.0 out of 5 stars not my usual read but absolutely loved it!!
This was not the usual type of book i would read but decided to try something different. To be honest even the blurb on the back didnt grab my attention but i was engrossed from... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Nicola Mcdowell

5.0 out of 5 stars Water for Elephants
A wonderfully written book - full of surprises, colourful descriptions and an emotional rollercoaster. I couldn't put it down.
Published 2 months ago by Mrs. L. Brown

5.0 out of 5 stars Water for Elephants
'The best book I've read this year' says Jodi Picoult on the back cover - well who am I to argue?

The story takes place over two timeframes - the 1930s when Jacob... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Denise4891

5.0 out of 5 stars my favourite book!!
I've read quite a few books in my time so giving this book the title of "my favourite book" really says something for it! Read more
Published 3 months ago by K. Morris

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, tear-inducing, wonderful
What a lovely book! Funny, gripping and tear inducing all at once. I picked this up by chance and couldn't put it down. Read more
Published 5 months ago by A. Reddy

3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining circus tale
The most poignant and amusing part of this book about an old man in a nursing home reminiscing about his youth working as a vet in a travelling circus, are the sections describing... Read more
Published 5 months ago by G. Gray

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely loved it.
When I first came upon this book, I decided not to read it...I thought it might have been about the mistreatment of animals. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Varied Read

4.0 out of 5 stars Gripping Story and Characters
This book does provide a fairly riveting story set within post depression America and also provides good insights into the circus business during this era. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Douglas P. Murphy

4.0 out of 5 stars Nothing complicated, but put simply, a VERY enjoyable read!
Forget that the book is a best seller and the hype surrounding it, "Water for Elephant" is an immensely great read and its definately one I would recommend to friends everywhere... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Ed

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Feedback

Ghost Boy

Ghost Boy

""This touching novel, [set a few years after World War II], will... Read more
£5.99

›Find similar items

 

More From Sara Gruen

Riding Lessons

Riding Lessons by Sara Gruen

As a world-class equestrian and Olympic contender, Annemarie Zimmer... Read more
£6.99 £5.49

 

Boys Smell

Lynx Africa Body Spray and After Shave Gift set
But we make sure they smell good...

›Discover male grooming at Amazon.co.uk

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers
The Girl Who Played with Fire
The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
4.5 out of 5 stars (75)£3.86
 Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga)
Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga) by Stephenie Meyer
4.1 out of 5 stars (464)£6.49
 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
4.1 out of 5 stars (165)£3.99
 The Host
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
4.2 out of 5 stars (81)£3.86

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates