Disclaimer: This is the 1st book suggested by someone else, my sis, and the first book in a long time that I read purely in anticipation of an upcoming movie.
The Good: For starters, the book is set in two different periods. Narrated by both a 23-year old and a 93-year old (or 90) Jacob. For the audiobook, these parts are read by two different readers, and they are both fantastic. The reader of the 23-year old Jacob must voice many different and intriguing circus-related characters, and does so magnificently. The 93-year old (or 90) Jacob tells his story from first-hand voice, and the narrator does a bang-up job. Also, the construction of the characters is phenomenal, even the characterization of Rosie the Elephant Bull. In the end, the reader is lead to literally cheer an elephant triumphing over the dastardly August. The settings are fantastic, what you'd expect for a prohibition-era circus tale. The scenes set upon the circus train are especially my favorites. They are breathtaking and exhilirating. The bottom line is that this is a simple love story, but the setting, the characterization, the story-telling makes it so much more than that.
The Bad: The stuff that would really interest me: the redlighting of Camel and Walter, the garotting of Uncle Al, the death of August, these things are not told in near enough vulgar detail. That's what I want. But, that is a really pickky point.
The Ugly: My only real beef was that much modern day beliefs, standards, colloquialisms, etc. were attributed to the story, which was set in 1931. It really bothered me. But, that's just me.
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5. Which is good. Aside from a few deviations from the novel (Marlena was a brunette, there is no Uncle Al, Jacob is being played by a total pussy), I am excited about the movie, which I wasn't before I read this. I expect it to have the fantastic artistic cinematography of Tim Burton's "Big Fish", combined with the cool period scapes of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". And, that's a good thing.
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