Water For Elephants is a wonderful book. I can't stress just how fantastic it is...I enjoyed it so much. Yes, the animals are abused in some instances and it does tug at your heartstrings, but it is so worth reading, and that certainly isn't the main focus of the book. Do yourself a favor and read this book. You won't regret it.
It is definately on my TopTenFOREVER list of favorites - and I read a lot.