I loved this novel .I loved all the characters. Sam, the simple, devoted elephant keeper and his wife Corinna, who treat Hannah , the elephant like their child. I loved the matriarch of the Zoo Max Biedelman, a woman who really was a man. And there is Truman and his son Winslow and their pig Miles who are delightful characters although apparently you never remember Truman no matter how many time you meet him. The villian in the story is Harriet who dresses up at Max Biedelman and cannot even get being a villian right. Don't forget Johnson Johnson who makes the drum set for Hannah. They are all supporting characters for Hannah the elephant . Her story and the story of her "family" is told with warmth, sweetness and great humor. ( )

I thought this was a lovely, heartwarming story. It is a light read with enjoyable characters and an easy to read story line. I enjoyed the interactions of the characters as they all cared for an ageing elephant. It was very touching and I cried some at the end. Very sweet. ( )

3.5***

Sam Brown has been caring for Hannah, an Asian elephant, for over forty years, since shortly after she came to the Max Biedelman Zoo in the small agricultural town of Bladenham, Washington. Max Biedelman was really Maxine, the daughter and heiress of a wealthy lumber tycoon. She loved animals and nature and had quite the private collection of exotic animals. She willed her property, including the zoo and all its animals, to the city. But now a new zoo director has arrived, and Harriet Saul is determined to turn this place around. Unfortunately, her goals don’t have anything to do with proper care of the animals and Hannah will be the one to suffer most. Unless Sam and his colleagues and friends can find a way to save her.

This was a heartwarming story and I really enjoyed it. But then, if a book has an elephant in it, I’m bound to be a fan. I really liked Sam, his wife Corina, and Neva Wilson, the young zookeeper who comes to help.

The story moves back and forth in time, sometimes going to the early days when Max Biedelman was still alive, and Sam first came to work as Hannah’s keeper. The writing isn’t stellar, and the characters are out of central casting. But the basic story line was still enjoyable and kept me turning pages. There’s a subplot dealing with Max’s relationship with the charming, if frail, Miss Effie, that does little to advance the main plot, but which was handled sensitively. ( )

I loved this book. I was sorry to have it end. I have read this plot in numerous books, but it didn't matter in this story. The characters were delightful. I liked the elephant and pot bellied pig the best. Don't miss this one for some pleasant, escape reading. I was in the hair salon when I finished the book and had to shed a few tears. Blessedly I was under the dryer, so I don't think I was noticed. Enjoy! ( )

I listened to the audio version of this book and I liked it. I think I might have enjoyed it more if the reader had been able to convey some of the characters more convincingly. It's the first time I've been aware, while listening to a book, that the reader isn't doing it justice. It's something to keep in mind. Just as I don't like to watch movies of books that I love or expect to love, some books are probably better read than heard. ( )