Book Review - "Water for Elephants"

"Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
My grade: A-

For those of you who don't know what this book, or the movie that's based on this book, is about, here's a quick synopsis: the times are the 1930s, in middle America, and everything that comes with it - Depression, Prohibition, etc. The setting: a train-traveling circus. The plot: a kind of love story.

Gruen does a great job of capturing the time and place, and mentality of the people. She really took me there. The story, generally, is very well-written, but not altogether important. The ending, unfortunately, is rushed and unrealistic; it just seems like a wrap-up only for the sake of wrapping up. It's likewise a bit too idealistic and romantic for my taste, considering also that the tone through most of the book was everything but.