12. Water For Elephants - Sara Gruen

What could have easily been a generic nice story with nice characters and nice animals was actually a fantastic story of love, loss and respect. Following 2 parts of the story, one being a young Jacob, dropping out of college after his parents’ death and the random luck that the train he jumped should be a circus train. The other part follows a 90 or 93 year old Jacob in a nursing home, frequently forgotten by family and patronised by the nursing home staff.

Based on many true stories of circus trains in the United States, it is easy to follow the many characters and the simplicity of the hierarchy they all follow is unbelievable. Jacob is attached to the menagerie after they find out he was training to be a vet, and becomes a hugely important part of the story when he realises just what Rosie the elephant can do. All the while falling in love with a married performer.

The story ends in a way that is hard to believe true – while the rest is – but is beautiful all the same and makes for a hugely enjoyable book.