Sara Gruen – författare

THE INTERNATIONAL PHENOMENON AND NEW YORK TIMES MULTIMILLION COPY BESTSELLERALSO AN AWARD-WINNING FILM STARRING REESE WITHERSPOON AND ROBERT PATTINSON''Great story, loads of fun; hard to put down.'' STEPHEN KING''Satisfyingly rich, outlandish and inspiring'' Daily Telegraph''Exotic and erotic, filled with colour and passion'' FTThe Great Depression, 1929. When Jacob Jankowski, recently orphaned and utterly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, grifters, and misfits in the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth: a second-rate travelling circus struggling to survive by making one-night stands in town after endless town. Jacob, a veterinary student now unable to finish his degree, is put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. He meets Marlena, the beautiful young star of the equestrian act, married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. He also meets Rosie, an elephant who seems untrainable until he discovers a way to reach her. Illuminated by a wonderful sense of time and place, Water for Elephants tells a story of a love between two people that overcomes incredible odds, in a world in which love is a luxury few can afford.

As a world-class equestrian and Olympic contender, Annemarie Zimmer lived for the thrill of flight atop a strong, graceful animal. Then, at eighteen, a tragic accident destroyed her riding career and Harry, the beautiful horse she cherished.

Now, twenty years later, Annemarie is coming home to her dying father''s New Hampshire horse farm. Jobless and abandoned, she is bringing her troubled teenage daughter to this place of pain and memory, where ghosts of an unresolved youth still haunt the fields and stables—and where hope lives in the eyes of the handsome, gentle veterinarian Annemarie loved as a girl . . . and in the seductive allure of a trainer with a magic touch.

But everything will change yet again with one glimpse of a white striped gelding startlingly similar to the one Annemarie lost in another lifetime. And an obsession is born that could shatter her fragile world.

Anxiety rules Annemarie Zimmer''s days—the fear that her relationship with the man she loves is growing stagnant; the fear that equestrian daughter Eva''s dreams of Olympic glory will carry her far away from her mother . . . and into harm''s way. For five months, Annemarie has struggled to make peace with her past. But if she cannot let go, the personal battles she has won and the heights she has achieved will have all been for naught.

It is a time of change at Maple Brook horse farm, when loves must be confronted head-on and fears must be saddled and broken. But it is an unanticipated tragedy that will most drastically alter the fragile world of one remarkable family—even as it flings open gates that have long confined them, enabling them all to finally ride headlong and free.

The wildly entertaining new novel from the bestselling author of Water for Elephants.BONUS: This edition contains a reader''s guide. Sam, Bonzi, Lola, Mbongo, Jelani, and Makena are no ordinary apes. These bonobos, like others of their species, are capable of reason and carrying on deep relationships—but unlike most bonobos, they also know American Sign Language.Isabel Duncan, a scientist at the Great Ape Language Lab, doesn’t understand people, but animals she gets—especially the bonobos. Isabel feels more comfortable in their world than she’s ever felt among humans . . . until she meets John Thigpen, a very married reporter who braves the ever-present animal rights protesters outside the lab to see what’s really going on inside.When an explosion rocks the lab, severely injuring Isabel and “liberating” the apes, John’s human interest piece turns into the story of a lifetime, one he’ll risk his career and his marriage to follow. Then a reality TV show featuring the missing apes debuts under mysterious circumstances, and it immediately becomes the biggest—and unlikeliest—phenomenon in the history of modern media. Millions of fans are glued to their screens watching the apes order greasy take-out, have generous amounts of sex, and sign for Isabel to come get them. Now, to save her family of apes from this parody of human life, Isabel must connect with her own kind, including John, a green-haired vegan, and a retired porn star with her own agenda. Ape House delivers great entertainment, but it also opens the animal world to us in ways few novels have done, securing Sara Gruen’s place as a master storyteller who allows us to see ourselves as we never have before.

The New York Times bestseller - of how six bonobo apes change the lives of three humans, from master storyteller Sara Gruen, author of the international bestseller, Water for Elephants.

These bonobos are no ordinary apes. Like others of their species, they are capable of reason and carrying on deep relationships - but, unlike most bonobos, they also know American Sign Language.

Isabel Duncan, a scientist at the Great Ape Language Lab, doesn''t understand people, but animals she gets, especially the bonobos. Isabel feels more comfortable in their world than she''s ever felt among humans . . . until she meets John Thigpen, a very married reporter who braves the ever-present animal rights protesters outside the lab to see what''s really going on inside.

When an explosion tears apart the lab, severely injuring Isabel and ''liberating'' the apes to an unknown destination, John''s human interest piece turns into the story of a lifetime.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE ROMANTIC NOVELISTS'' ASSOCIATION HISTORICAL ROMANTIC NOVEL AWARD

A gripping and poignant love story set in a remote village in the Scottish Highlands at the end of the Second World War, from the bestselling author of Water for Elephants.

''The only fault I can find with this book is that I''ve already finished it'' Jodi Picoult

1945. After disgracing themselves at a high society party, spoilt young Philadelphia socialites Maddie and Ellis Hyde are cut off from the family without a penny. Ellis decides their salvation will be to hunt down the Loch Ness Monster, a venture his father very publicly failed at. So, oblivious to WW2 raging around them, they make their way to the Scottish Highlands, where Maddie has to face reality and decide just who the real monsters are.

''Truly enthralling'' Scotsman''Breathtaking'' Harper''s Bazaar

FROM INTERNATIONALLY-BESTSELLING AUTHOR SARA GRUEN, A COLLECTION OF HER MOST BELOVED NOVELS''ONE OF AMERICA''S MOST COMPELLING STORYTELLERS'' Kathryn Stockett, author of The Help1 - WATER FOR ELEPHANTSThe international phenomenon - with over 10 million copies sold, made into a film with Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson.''I loved Water for Elephants'' Stephen King''You are so immersed in circus life that you are blinded by the thrilling, fatal dazzle of sequins and sawdust'' The Telegraph''An imaginative modern fairy story, teeming with eccentric characters'' The Times The Great Depression 1929 - when Jacob Jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, grifters, and misfits in the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth a second-rate travelling circus struggling to survive making one-night stands in town after endless town. He meets Marlena, the beautiful young star of the equestrian act, married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. He also meets Rosie, an elephant who seems untrainable until he discovers a way to reach her...2 - AT THE WATER''S EDGEA gripping and poignant love story set in a remote village in the Scottish Highlands at the end of the Second World War.''The only fault I can find with this book is that I''ve already finished it'' Jodi Picoult''Truly enthralling'' Scotsman''Breathtaking'' Harper''s Bazaar1945. After disgracing themselves at a high society party, spoilt young Philadelphia socialites Maddie and Ellis Hyde are cut off from the family without a penny. Ellis decides their salvation will be to hunt down the Loch Ness Monster, a venture his father very publicly failed at. So, oblivious to WW2 raging around them, they make their way to the Scottish Highlands, where Maddie has to face reality and decide just who the real monsters are.3 - APE HOUSE The New York Times bestseller.''If you love animals like I do, it''s a must read'' Ellen DeGeneres''Had me instantly enraptured'' Dallas Morning News''Wildly entertaining'' Booklist (starred review)These bonobos are no ordinary apes. Like others of their species, they are capable of reason and carrying on deep relationships - but, unlike most bonobos, they also know American Sign Language.Isabel Duncan, a scientist at the Great Ape Language Lab, doesn''t understand people, but animals she gets, especially the bonobos. Isabel feels more comfortable in their world than she''s ever felt among humans . . . until she meets John Thigpen, a very married reporter who braves the ever-present animal rights protesters outside the lab to see what''s really going on inside.When an explosion tears apart the lab, severly injuring Isabel and ''liberating'' the apes to an unknown destination, John''s human interest piece turns into the story of a lifetime.

Tervetuloa Benzinin veljesten loistavaan sirkukseen!

Sara Gruenin Vettä elefanteille on 1930-luvun suuren laman aikaan sukeltava romaani täynnä sirkuksen säihkettä ja dramaattisia ihmiskohtaloita.

Yhdeksänkymppinen Jacob Jankowski inhoaa elämäänsä vanhainkodissa. Kun lähistölle saapuu kiertävä sirkus, Jacob palaa muistoissaan 1930-luvun lamavuosiin, jolloin hän päätyi kohtalon oikusta Yhdysvaltoja kiertävän sirkusjunan kyytiin.

Pennittömälle eläinlääketieteen opiskelijalle sirkukseen liittyminen oli kuin pelastus – mutta samalla maanpäällinen helvetti. Nuori Jacob rakastuu sirkuksen tähtiesiintyjä Marlenaan ensi silmäyksellä, mutta romanssi on tulenarka, sillä Marlena on naimisissa armottoman eläintenkesyttäjä Augustin kanssa. Sirkukseen ostetaan ylväs mutta itsepäinen Rosie-norsu, millä on kauaskantoiset vaikutukset kaikkien elämään.

Sara Gruenin kymmeniä miljoonia kappaleita myynyt menestysromaani Vettä elefanteille on kiehtova tarina täynnä intohimoa, rakkautta ja vanhan ajan sirkuksen lumoa.

Kanadassa syntynyt Sara Gruen (s. 1969) asuu Pohjois-Carolinassa. Vettä elefanteille on hänen läpimurtoromaaninsa, ja sen pohjalta on tehty elokuva ja Broadway-musikaali. Gruenin perheeseen kuuluu aviomies, kolme lasta, kissoja, koiria, lintuja, hevosia sekä vuohi.