Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

This is one of the best books I have read in awhile. A story about an orphaned vet who mistakenly ends up on a circus train during the depression, I could not put this one down. I finished it in less than 5 days.

The story is well researched and has a twist. From the opening, you think you know where the story is going, only to find out that you only things aren't as they seem.

I alternately loved and hated the characters, and found myself reading for hours on end just to find out where the story would lead.

I did not realize the parallels with the biblical story of Jacob until the end. It is certainly not the story of Jacob, but does use some twist on biblical names, and some of the events that happened to Jacob in the bible are similar to events that happened to Jacob in the book.