![]() ![]() Worse, he beats Rosie, and comes across as having no love for animals. He is charismatic but bipolar (subtle echoes of Sophie’s Choice). ![]() At first, August and Marlena seem happily married, but Jake soon realizes that August’s charm can quickly turn to cruelty. ![]() Jake is soon in love, both with Marlena, an equestrienne married to the head animal trainer, August, and with Rosie, an elephant who understands only Polish (which Polish-American Jake conveniently speaks). This position allows Jake access to the various strata of circus society, from lowly crewmembers who seldom see actual money in their pay envelopes to the performers and managers who drink champagne and dress in evening wear for dinner. ![]() When the circus’s owner, Uncle Al, learns Jake’s educational background, he quickly hires him as the circus vet. Leaving school, he hops a train that happens to belong to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. Jacob Jankowski, a retired veterinarian living out his days in an assisted-living facility, drifts in and out of his memories: Only days before graduating from vet school in 1931, young Jake learns his parents have died and left him penniless. Gruen ( Riding Lesson, not reviewed) brings to life the world of a Depression-era traveling circus. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |