Elephant's, Trains, and Circus's Oh My

Randomly all the girls in my family decide to read the same book at about the same time, which is always really fun 'cause then all four of us get to talk about it.  The last book we did this with was Water For Elephants.  When my Mamma first heard I was reading it she was surprised, she didn't think it was my kind of book (which is silly 'cause EVERY book is my kind of book), but I understood her confusion as I am more of a fantasy/scifi girl.  Anyways the book is mainly set at a circus which is still pretty fantastical so not so far off from what I usually read.  I have to say I really loved the book, it was a great story but the part I liked the most is all the research the author Sara Gruen did on circus's during the Prohibition era.  The details and stuff I learned, and the amount of times I went and researched on my own to learn even more was awesome.  I love a book that gets you so interested in a topic that you don't stop when the book is done, but want to continue to learn more. The movie was pretty good, but being a movie couldn't put in all the little tidbits that made this book absolutely fascinating to me.

The book starts out in probably one of the most heartbreaking ways ever.  A 93 year old Jacob is excited to go see the circus with his family, he has been in a nursing home for years and is really looking forward to this event. Eventually it  become apparent that his family is not coming, which is extremely disappointing for Jacob (I have a huge soft spot for nursing home residence as I worked at one for years, these are people who have led lives, raised families, have interests and personalities and they more often then not get stuck in a place where they are treated like small children. So please go visit your local home and just hang out with these people, they have some amazing stories to tell).  Fortunately for the reader Jacob decides to go on his own. He is stopped at the ticket booth and eventually starts to tell his story to one of the workers there.

Back when Jacob was a young man of 23 during the Prohibition era, he was working towards his veterinary degree.  On the day of his final exam he is called to the office and informed his parents had been killed in a car crash. Heartbroken and penniless (his parents had mortgaged there house and put every penny they owned into his education) Jacob skips his exam and hops on a random train in the middle of the night.  The train turns out to be a circus train on it's way to the next town.  He is eventually hired to take care of the animals.  For a while we follow along as Jacob learns about the circus culture and the many layers of social classes, etiquette, unwritten rules, and offenses that outsiders never know about.  Again I found this part to be really cool.  We also learn that it is tough times for the circus, as I said earlier this is set in the Prohibition Era and the author did a great job showing the affect this had on the circus and the people working on it. Eventually Jacob makes friends with the animal trainer Augustus and his wife Marlena who is a performer with the animals.  Augustus is a man who can be charming and wonderful one minute and a raging, jealous brute the next.  Augustus will beat animals (and people) who do not do what they want, this includes the circus's newest acquisition the elephant Rosie.  
Turns out Rosie can only understand Polish and since Jacob is the only one who can speak it, he becomes Rosie's "interpreter".  Jacob and Marlena fall in love and we follow them as they first try and resist it, then try and hide it from the jealous and possessive Augustus.  Augustus eventually finds out and takes his wrath out on Rosie, beating her severely.  The owner of the circus Big Al tells Jacob he had better fix things between Augustus and Marlena or he will "red-light" his friends the old man Camal and the dwarf Walter (this is when the hired muscle tosses people off the train on the way to the next destination, either because they were causing trouble, they were useless or the circus did not want to pay them anymore.  They did this while the train was moving so that  they could not return and cause more trouble).  Marlena agrees to come back and perform, but refuses to let Augustus near her, this results in Camal and Walter getting red-lighted over a bridge resulting in their deaths. Eventually men who had been previously red-lighted find the circus and release all the animals in revenge. This causes a stampede during which Rosie kills Augustus.  Jacob is the only witness to what Rosie did, so he decides to keep quiet. Jacob and Marlena end up getting married and keeping Rosie, along with several other of the animals.  They work at another circus for a while before settling down and having kids.  They lived a long and happy life together.  After telling his story, he asks the manager if he can have a job selling tickets, after a moment of thought the manager agrees, thus Jacob at the age of 93 once again runs away with the circus.
I love the ending of this book, I thought it was sweet and it made me happy, especially after how it started.  I would highly reccomend this book to anybody who is interested in the circus, the Prohibition Era, or just wants a really great story.  I give it 9 out of 10 peanuts.

What book have you picked up randomly that turned out to be amazing?  Do you like the circus or do clowns freak you out?  What part would you want in the circus (I would be a lion tamer)?