When the book first came out I felt the same as you, Boomer. It would surely be a sad, sad story, and I didn't want to read it. I asked around.... "What's it like?" I asked. "Is it about mistreated elephants?" Almost everybody answered, "Not really..."
But Boomer, OhioGirl & Whalen -- you should know that there are parts in the book that shouldn't be there. There are parts that I skipped. Pages, in some instances.
My excuse is that I was caught up in the last-minute frenzy at the library. The Belvedere Library in The Villages was closing for almost a MONTH for redecorating. A MONTH! I was in the library on the last day it was open, and there, sitting at eye level on the "New Books" shelf, was Water for Elephants. My hand reached out and grabbed the book before I knew what was happening. It was all a blur. I added it to my pile of watercolor books and James Patterson Murder Club books.
So now I'm tearing up and feeling all guilty and thinking of Dumbo, Bambi, and (sob) Old Yeller.
