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Description
Biography & Autobiography. Nature. Performing Arts. Nonfiction. HTML: "Once I started this incomparable story, I couldn't put it down, and I cannot get it out of my mindā??nor will I ever. The message of what can be accomplished by training through affection and joy will thrill all animal lovers." ā??Betty White A captivating true story of loyalty, friendship, and high adventure that spans several decades and three continents, Modoc is one of the most remarkable true stories ever told, perfect for fans of The Zookeeper's Wife or Water for Elephants. Raised together in a small German circus town, a boy and an elephant formed a bond that would last their entire lives, and would be tested time and again: through a near-fatal shipwreck in the Indian Ocean, an apprenticeship with the legendary Mahout elephant trainers in the Indian teak forests, and their eventual rise to circus stardom in 1940s New York City. As the African Sun-Times put it, Modoc is "heartwarming. . . probably the greatest love story ever told.… (more)
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This was one of those magazine article length stories that was spun out to book length, not that it would have been believable if it were shorter.
First, the subtitle is incredibly misleading, possibly to the point of being a falsehood. It may be based on a true story, but that's entirely different than saying that it is THE true story. Second, it is ridiculously novelized. Most of the book, in fact, doesn't focus so much on the life of Modoc as it does on her owner/human soulmate, Bram, and his journey through life.
The book begins with Bram and Modoc being born in the same hour of the same day in the late 1800s. They are raised together, and Bram's father teaches Bram the ways to train an elephant with affection and love. Bram's father is the trainer for one of the big circuses in Germany. You follow Bram and Modoc through their journey, from the sale of the circus to an American man, to the shipwreck off the coast of India, to the destruction and pillaging of the village Bram and Modoc come to call home in India, to a circus in New York City.
While it was certainly an interesting story, I had hoped for a more formal writing style. An omniscient narrator who claims to understand the thoughts of Bram and Modoc is somewhat ridiculous (considering one is an elephant) and not at all the structure one would expect for a so-called "true story."
All in all, disappointing. I loved learning about the elephant; other than that, not my favourite read.
It's a good story, but I'm not really sure how much of the story was real. It seems a little too much to happen to one boy and elephant for it to all be true. It was written as if fiction, as well. Which is fine ā it's often easier to read as fiction. I really did enjoy the story, but I just have a hard time believing it all. I appreciate that there are trainers out there trying to train using a gentler approach and not abusing their animals, that's for sure. Overall, despite my negative-sounding review, I did really enjoy the story.
I really liked this book. It was right up my alley. I really wanted to love it. The problem is that it seemed 1% true, and 99% story, while it was marketed as
Nevertheless, I enjoyed it greatly. It had all the elements of a fictional book that draw me in - the connection between Modoc and her trainer, Bram, high adenture, emotional highs and lows. It was wonderful. If it had been sold as fiction, I would have loved it unreservedly.
I think if it was pushed as fiction, instead of non fiction,
325 pages
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The story of Modoc is definitely an impressive one. Within the elephantās life she would go through war, shootings, fires, and much more. Such a wild adventure for such a large animal. And I donāt
At the end the story itself didnāt bother me, I just took it with a grain of salt what was true and was given āpoetic licenseā by the author. The writing bothered me. For some reason the authorās way of writing really got to me. Then again he is known as an animal trainer, not an author. While the man may have heard this fantastic and wonderful story of Modoc and Bram (Modocās trainer and friend) from Bram himself, I think the story would have been better written by someone else. Donāt get me started on the authorās need to put exclamation points in practically every paragraph becauseā¦.exciting!!! I was expecting such wonderful things from this book since so many people I know loved it and I feel snobbish to say that I didnāt like it more. Sorry, Modoc the Greatest Elephant Ever, your story deserved to be better written in my opinion.