This month, the Bucks Happening book club escaped to the glamorous but desperate days of the big-top circus at the start of the Great Depression, reading the acclaimed novel Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.  Released in 2006, this book was on the New York Times Best Seller list for 12 weeks in 2006,  hit the #1 spot for paperbacks in July 2007, and again topped the list for 9 weeks in a row (both paperback and e-book) in 2011 due to the release of the star-studded film.

Water for Elephants paints a vivid picture, weaving together the memories of the elderly main character, Jacob Jankowski, who recalls the four month period after the sudden death of his parents when he fled his final veterinary exams at Cornell University, landing aboard a train for the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth.

In addition to the book's spectacular ability to make reader's feel like they are traveling back in time along with Jacob, Gruen expertly weaves together a complex emotional adventure, presenting the contradiction between Jacob's self-discovery in his twenties due to an extreme set of circumstances to his gaining perspective as an elderly man sitting alone in a nursing home.  By presenting both of Jacob's stories, Gruen leaves readers with a satisfying portrait of an ordinary man who lived through an extraordinary tale of self-discovery, friendship, honor, betrayal, and of course, love.

We hope to see you at our first official book club meeting on Wednesday, 8/17/11 at Chaddsford's Tasting Room in Peddler's Village from 6:30pm to 8pm. Can't make the live meeting? Join us on Thursday, 8/18/11 for a digital discussion on Twitter, hashtag #BHBook.

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