I find that people either love this book or hate it. I went in not knowing anything about it except that it was made into a movie and I wanted to read the book before seeing the Hollywood version. I found it to be an easy read, filled with colourful characters, not the least of which is Rosie the elephant. A well-researched tale, there is nothing included in the story that is unbelievable. In the afterword the author even outlines several events in the story which were taken from real-life. I also enjoyed the photographs which introduce each chapter of the book that deals with Jacob as a young man, as they give the reader a sense of reality within the story. I, personally, really enjoyed this one!