Sara Gruen - has she written anything good besides Water for Elephants?  I am just wondering if I should waste my time on her other books, seems they get mixed reviews.

I've read all 4 of Gruen's books.  WFE is certainly the best.  Her first two books (I've forgotten the titles, but they are just typical good fast reads about family and horses) were enjoyable.  Ape House is good but definitely not as interesting as WFE.  Also, I think that I enjoyed this one because I met Gruen and heard her tell about her experiences with the bonobos (not sure if that is exactly the correct word).

I actually preferred Ape House to Water for Elephants.  I may be in the minority, but everyone has their own opinions.  I also loved her first two books!

I loved her first two books.  I waited years for her to write another one, which was Water For Elephants.  Yes, Water topped the other two but the first two showed that she could write a good story.  I went back and reread them (which I almost never do) after reading Elephants, and they still held up well.   I recommend the first two but not as strongly as Elephant.

After reading WFE, I found her earlier books. Probably because I was a "horse freak" as a child, I loved the earlier books. Ape House had a bit too much ape sex, but I assumed that her research was accurate. Hopefully, her next novel will be different. I will definitely read it with anticipation.

Mary