For the past few days, I've been delighting in the pages of Water for Elephants. This novel, carefully researched by author Sara Gruen, follows the "roustabouts" and "kinkers" of Benzini Brothers' Most Spectacular Show on Earth in the midst of the American Great Depression. Like hearing a fairy tale for the first time, it colored my imagination and pulled at my heart. Its characters, both animal and human, live on in my mind long after I finish reading.
