WATER FOR ELEPHANTS- by sara gruen

Water for Elephants is a circus story. A good one at that. Jacob Jankowski is a ninety something year old who's stuck in a nursing home after breaking his hip. After an altercation with another nursing home patron over his claim of carrying water for elephants, Jacob tells the story of his past, working for the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. With brief returns to current time, we're brought back to the 1930's, the years of prohibition and traveling circuses. After the death of his parents, Jacob leaves Cornell immediately before taking his final exams certifying him as a veterinarian. He jumps a train, only to find out it's a circus train, and lands a job as circus vet. He forms friendships with both people (Walter, Marlena and Camel) and animals (Rosie and Bobo), and experiences the hardships of the great depression. I read this 350 pager in just four days, a record for me, and loved every second of it.

Netflix rating? 5/5

EAT, PRAY, LOVE- by elizabeth gilbert

As the last to review this book, much of what I have to say has already been said. So I'll keep it short and to the point. This book was fantastic. Her candidness and style of writing made what could have been a preachy, overdone book into an honest recounting of her year in Italy, India and Indonesia. At times it was laugh-aloud funny (one of my favorite parts that Andrea mentioned referred to loneliness and depression as thugs, and talked about them like they were real people), at other times it was so honestly raw that I could almost experience the emotions along with her. Unlike most books I've read, this one has actually helped me change the way I think about things.

Netflix rating? 5/5

MARCH- by geraldine brooks

In all honesty, I finished this book several weeks ago. In fact, I'm almost done with my next book (which both Andrea and Nora already posted about). For some reason, it's taken me a little longer then usual to get around to reviewing this one. I suppose I could blame it on my recent move- that's convenient.

To the point. March is a book I picked up close to a year ago. I'd heard a little about it, and while at the New England Mobile Book Fair, I grabbed it in order to spend enough to get a stamp. What I knew going in, was that it was based on "Little Women," and described the story of their father, Mr. March. While "Little Women" focused mainly on Marmee and the four girls with brief visits from Mr. March, March was the opposite, focusing on Mr. March with brief visits from his family. Brooks looked to Alcott's own father and based the character of Mr. March largely on him. This storyline gave a comforting familiarity to the book, and at the same time introduced a new element.

March's character is an idealistic chaplain who, at forty something, leaves his home and family in Concord, MA to join the young soldiers in the battlefields of the Civil War. After some challenging time in the fields, he ends up on a plantation that's being rented by a northerner who pays previous slaves for their labor. March is in charge of educating these "ex" slaves, and is horrified at the perceived lack of change in their treatment. While at times March's idealism borders on obnoxious, the strong beliefs that are the foundation for this idealism are good character traits. The book goes on to describe his early years as a traveling merchant, meeting and courting Marmee, his relationship with a slave woman, and his illness with malaria.

Told mostly in the first person, the book switches to Marmee's point of view for a few chapters towards the end. This gives her the opportunity to share her experiences while March is away at war, and also allows Brooks to tie back into "Little Women."

Netflix rating? 4.5/5 stars

The Ballad of the Sad Cafe

In the very olden days, before mass media-- tv, movies,and the internet (ie, back in the 1930s) stories were told as entertainment and a means in which to pass along useful information. Many cultures have their prized storytellers and stories. Many native tribes pass stories down, and verses were memorized in song format (ie, a ballad) to preserve their integrity. Not just anyone can tell a story-- the CNN headlines get the info across but in a boring fashion.
Carson McCullers was a wonderful, captivating storyteller. The Ballad of the Sad Cafe takes a liberal stand with the literal "ballad" but it does describe a folk tale of romantic origin. Seeing a rundown building in an old town, one often wonders about its past. Ms. McCullers describes the building's past-- how it went from a general store under the stern eye of Miss Amelia, to a proud cafe when Miss Amelia found love, to its eventual demise when that love is lost. The story is told with exaggerated characters and dubious truths: an evil, murderous ex-husband, a mysterious and mischeivious hunchback, a gaggle of funny named townspeople, and folk remedies prescribed to the ailing by Miss Amelia herself, tested on herself first!

The remainder of the book's short stories are told equally well, and draw on Ms. McCullers' life of lonliness (divorce and separation) and illness (including alcoholism). I still believe her masterpiece is The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, so I will give only four stars to this collection.

Eat, Pray, Love guest entry by Nora

Eat, Pray, Love
Elizabeth does a fantastic job of welcoming us into her travels, her friendships, her experiences, her meals, and most significantly, her deepest emotions and darkest times. Her candid account of her innermost thoughts makes the reader feel understood. By telling us things that we ourselves would be embarrassed to admit, she allows us to accept ourselves. That it is ok to go through ups and downs, to need guidance, to not have all the answers, to be scared or confused, to want something and feel guilty about it, and finally to let that guilt go.
Elizabeth has an amazing ability to describe things (food, people, feelings). In fact, I spent the whole section on Italy hungry.
I give this book 5 out of 5!