SPOILER ALERT!!! If you are not reading or planning to read Water for Elephantsbook or script, then do not read this post or the comments. We are reading Water for Elephants together and I want everyone to feel free to discuss openly. You should join us if you haven’t already!

Start at the beginning!!

Chapters 1-3, where the waterworks begin!

Chapters 4-6, lots of new characters!

Seems like August is trying to redeem himself after the incident with the cats by inviting Jacob to his room for a fancy dinner with the wife, Marlena. Everything is going fantastic and it seems Jacob starts to change his mind about August until that one fleeting moment before he passes out. The moment Jacob says he appears to be a different man. He passes out and Marlena explains that he has his little moments.

Poor Jacob. He passes out after getting drunk at the dinner, pulls a walk of shame (minus the sex) back to his cart and then walks in on Kinko, um, having his way with himself. Hell, I think I blushed when I read it, so I cannot even imagine what Jacob is thinking.

After running out of the room, Jacob meets up with Otis to feed the cats. Unfortunately, their is no refrigeration on the train so the meat has taken a turn south, maggots and all. It’s clear there is no way they can feed it to the animals. Then he goes to check on Silver Star, who is with Marlena. It’s clear the horse is going to have to be put down.  He gets a gun from August, and regardless of the possibility of being “redlighted,” puts the horse down.

While Jacob sits and waits for the train to leave without him, August finds him to tell him he’s fine and won’t be redlighted. And then there is this sickening moment where you realize how Silver Star’s body was disposed of. Ewww.

Flash forward to old man Jacob waking up in restraints with Rosemary, the good nurse. She shows Jacob that she does have some respect for him and his wishes, and you just can’t help but smile for a moment, cause I know she is. And I had to laugh at the story about bathing, being undressed and how not all things have died at 90.

And of course, the story about his wife, and how the children shuffled him off to the “assisted living center” as soon as the opportunity arose after she passed. Once again, my gut is just ripped and I’m hoping I never have to make a decision like that. Or that a decision is made like that for me. Ugh. Getting old sucks.

But the family is coming today, and it’s circus day. So Jacob is happy and really doesn’t care too much about all those things for the moment.

Jacob gets his breakfast in his room, and is enjoying the reappearance of cream, until he starts looking into the mirror. This is really the part where I hate that the book is in 1st person, cause I so teared up. You just think of all the elderly people in your family and wonder if they saw the same thing, someone staring back that was not them.

And now we jump back to young Jacob. Do these flashback sometimes make you crazy? They do me. I can’t help it. I hate having to wait a chapter to know what happens next in the world of young/old Jacob. The train pulls up to the defunk circus, and Uncle Al starts his work, meeting with remaining circus peeps who want a job and turning most of them down.

Watching the whole process of taking over another circus is interesting. This is also when we learn that August really has no heart for the animals. While Jacob is fussing and worrying about them, August lets the ones from the other circus starve to help the business discussions go. And then gets pissed at Marlena when she gives her food to some of the non-picked up employees still hanging around. It’s just obvious the man has no humanity. None. Zero. Zilch.

And finally now, we see what Uncle Al has really acquired from the circus, which is an elephant.  And considering we all know the name of this book, you know it’s pivotal.