Over 10000000 copies in print worldwide 1 New York Times Bestseller A Los Angeles Times Bestseller A Wall Street Journal Bestseller A Newsday Favorite Book of 2006 A USA Today Bestseller A Major Motion Picture starring Reese Witherspoon Robert Pattinson and Christoph Waltz Jacob Janowskis luck had run outorphaned and penniless he had no direction until he landed on a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. A veterinary student just shy of a degree he was put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It was the Great Depression and for Jacob the circus was both his salvation and a living hell. There he met Marlena the beautiful equestrian star married to August the charismatic but brutal animal trainer. And he met Rosie an untrainable elephant who was the great hope for this thirdrate traveling show. The bond that grew among this group of misfits was one of love and trust and ultimately it was their only hope for survival. show more