Almost done...

...and I have really enjoyed Water for Elephants. I have about ten pages left, and I can say from right now that I recommend this book to everybody.

In my blogs, I have been focusing on the storyline where Jacob is in the circus (taking place in the late 20s, early 30s) but there is a whole other story happening at the same time. The circus part of the story is told by Jacob as a ninety-something year old man living in a nursing home. He is unhappy in the home, mainly because it means that he is growing old, and the misses the real world. And the food is horrible. This part of the book really gives the reader an insight to the minds of elderly people (especially those in nursing homes). I recognize all of the things Jacob describes, and I now can understand that they still do have, in most circumstances, a fully functioning mind, and they have a completely logical thought process. His thoughts and emotions also made me realize how sad it is for some/all people to grow old. Memories of being young constantly flood Jacob's mind, and he longs to be able to leave the home and experience 'normal' life once again.

This post sounds kind of depressing, but I still recommend this book. Not only is it very well written, and both story lines are very interesting, but it really does give the reader a look into the life of a circus performer (although the way of circus life probably has changed in the past 70 or 80 years) as well as the life of an elderly person longing for an escape out of their nursing home.