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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
Smithy was a pretty interesting story. I really enjoyed the format, because it was different than most books. The book was written in journal entries and film clips, rather than a standard story format. Smithy is a chimpanzee that lives with a bunch of students during the course of the book. They are conducting a scientific study to see if chimps are capable of learning to communicate. Strange incidents start happening in the house they are living in and with Smithy. It turns out the house has a ghostly past.
My biggest issue with this book is it was very anti climatic. I felt that the book was leading up to some really big ending, but we never really found out anything. I definitely would have preferred some really neat twist or something at the end, but it was just subpar.
My biggest issue with this book is it was very anti climatic. I felt that the book was leading up to some really big ending, but we never really found out anything. I definitely would have preferred some really neat twist or something at the end, but it was just subpar.
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Thank you to Net Galley and the Inkshares for a copy in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
I finished this book a couple of days ago and greatly enjoyed it. Smithy is a period piece; it takes place in the 70s and centers on a language study with a chimp. A Yale professor (and serial womanizer) brings together a group of grad students and undergrads from various disciplines to take part in a study that aims to show apes are capable of communication--human communication, of course. One of his grad student assistants helms the study, because he is too busy swanning around getting grants, teaching, and being far too hands-off for such a study. Another grad student films everything. But none of the students are even remotely qualified to be handling a chimp, even one that does love them.
Everything starts out fine. Wanda, the study leader, is officious and strict and has everything carefully planned. Jeff films everything and loves the chimp, named Webster formally and Smithy familiarly, like his own baby. Gail is a freshman from MO who is perky and cute and woefully under-qualified for such a study, because she's never really had much college experience at all, never mind chimp-rearing experience. Tammy and Eric are both older students with knowledge of child development, and Ruby is a clever junior from a Scranton community college. The man who gathered them, Piers, lets Wanda run the show for him. He really only appears in emergencies or when it's convenient for him; in the case of emergencies, he very seldom feels empathy or offers truly constructive ideas, because he's so far removed from everyone. He's the type of person who smokes in front of Smithy the chimp because he wants to, even thought it bothers Smithy.
Obviously, I didn't like Piers. But I digress.
The students are more interesting anyway. We watch them all grow closer together and closer to Smithy. Ruby and Jeff start dating. Eric has fiascos off page with Wanda and Gail. As with any group of people brought into intimacy with one another, drama ensues. But they all adore Smithy. To their detriment. They idealize him far too much for far too long. Yes, he's closely related to humans. Yes, he's highly intelligent. Yes, he actually CAN communicate.
But they don't know how well at first. Nor do they realize they might not be alone in the old house Piers has rented for the study.
When Smithy starts signing woman constantly, they students think he's making a mistake. They don't realize that perhaps he sees something. He begins signing "dark woman." Even when random fires start, when the strange things start happening, the students take a while to realize something strange is going on.
The haunting is fairly subtle and ambiguous at times. Most of the book details interactions with Smithy, or his strange behavior. One by one, each student begins to have a strange experience. Except for a couple. But more and more strange events pile up until the house starts to fall apart, and Smithy is acting OUT on people.
I'm definitely on Team Eric here. There is almost enough ambiguity with the events of the book to question whether or not something supernatural is going on. But I almost always go for the supernatural explanation, which fits best in Newport, RI.
That being said, I almost could have used more. This book was enjoyable and interesting. So interesting. What we didn't know about animal behavior and intelligence back then! It's fascinating to see how lax things were in some ways, how uncertain humans were of the intelligence of other animals. And how cruelly those animals could be treated by Academia. And how disorganized it could be.
The ending climaxes and that peters out slowly as the house falls apart. It's depressing to watch happen. And the end. The end is actually heartbreaking. We haven't come nearly far enough.
Also, chimps, being one of our nearest relatives, are actually quite scary.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
I finished this book a couple of days ago and greatly enjoyed it. Smithy is a period piece; it takes place in the 70s and centers on a language study with a chimp. A Yale professor (and serial womanizer) brings together a group of grad students and undergrads from various disciplines to take part in a study that aims to show apes are capable of communication--human communication, of course. One of his grad student assistants helms the study, because he is too busy swanning around getting grants, teaching, and being far too hands-off for such a study. Another grad student films everything. But none of the students are even remotely qualified to be handling a chimp, even one that does love them.
Everything starts out fine. Wanda, the study leader, is officious and strict and has everything carefully planned. Jeff films everything and loves the chimp, named Webster formally and Smithy familiarly, like his own baby. Gail is a freshman from MO who is perky and cute and woefully under-qualified for such a study, because she's never really had much college experience at all, never mind chimp-rearing experience. Tammy and Eric are both older students with knowledge of child development, and Ruby is a clever junior from a Scranton community college. The man who gathered them, Piers, lets Wanda run the show for him. He really only appears in emergencies or when it's convenient for him; in the case of emergencies, he very seldom feels empathy or offers truly constructive ideas, because he's so far removed from everyone. He's the type of person who smokes in front of Smithy the chimp because he wants to, even thought it bothers Smithy.
Obviously, I didn't like Piers. But I digress.
The students are more interesting anyway. We watch them all grow closer together and closer to Smithy. Ruby and Jeff start dating. Eric has fiascos off page with Wanda and Gail. As with any group of people brought into intimacy with one another, drama ensues. But they all adore Smithy. To their detriment. They idealize him far too much for far too long. Yes, he's closely related to humans. Yes, he's highly intelligent. Yes, he actually CAN communicate.
But they don't know how well at first. Nor do they realize they might not be alone in the old house Piers has rented for the study.
When Smithy starts signing woman constantly, they students think he's making a mistake. They don't realize that perhaps he sees something. He begins signing "dark woman." Even when random fires start, when the strange things start happening, the students take a while to realize something strange is going on.
The haunting is fairly subtle and ambiguous at times. Most of the book details interactions with Smithy, or his strange behavior. One by one, each student begins to have a strange experience. Except for a couple. But more and more strange events pile up until the house starts to fall apart, and Smithy is acting OUT on people.
I'm definitely on Team Eric here. There is almost enough ambiguity with the events of the book to question whether or not something supernatural is going on. But I almost always go for the supernatural explanation, which fits best in Newport, RI.
That being said, I almost could have used more. This book was enjoyable and interesting. So interesting. What we didn't know about animal behavior and intelligence back then! It's fascinating to see how lax things were in some ways, how uncertain humans were of the intelligence of other animals. And how cruelly those animals could be treated by Academia. And how disorganized it could be.
The ending climaxes and that peters out slowly as the house falls apart. It's depressing to watch happen. And the end. The end is actually heartbreaking. We haven't come nearly far enough.
Also, chimps, being one of our nearest relatives, are actually quite scary.
Many thanks to the author and publisher for the ARC. I really enjoyed this book!
A spooky haunted house tale with a side of chimp and American Sign Language, written in epistolary style.
A group of Ivy League researchers conduct a groundbreaking study to determine how much animals, in particular a chimp called "Smithy" (short for Wordsmith), can master human language. The lead researcher, Dr Piers Preis-Herald, figured that a "mock family" environment would be the best method for this experiment, and found the "perfect" place with a "rich" history. However, many random occurrences that couldn't be explained by science started happening, and the researchers were baffled. Is the house more than it seems or did everyone imagine everything?
Initially, I was a little apprehensive about the novel's style of writing; there are six distinct narrations told by the six researchers, written in letter, diary, and bulletin board announcement forms. However, as the story progresses and you notice the little quirks of each character—including intentional typos—which are also done in different fonts, you get used to it.
I thoroughly enjoyed the interactions between the humans and Smithy. However, I suppose one of the disadvantages with this kind of writing is that you can't really explore the narration from a different perspective, i.e., Smithy's own experience of being in the house, as "told" by Smithy.
A spooky haunted house tale with a side of chimp and American Sign Language, written in epistolary style.
A group of Ivy League researchers conduct a groundbreaking study to determine how much animals, in particular a chimp called "Smithy" (short for Wordsmith), can master human language. The lead researcher, Dr Piers Preis-Herald, figured that a "mock family" environment would be the best method for this experiment, and found the "perfect" place with a "rich" history. However, many random occurrences that couldn't be explained by science started happening, and the researchers were baffled. Is the house more than it seems or did everyone imagine everything?
Initially, I was a little apprehensive about the novel's style of writing; there are six distinct narrations told by the six researchers, written in letter, diary, and bulletin board announcement forms. However, as the story progresses and you notice the little quirks of each character—including intentional typos—which are also done in different fonts, you get used to it.
I thoroughly enjoyed the interactions between the humans and Smithy. However, I suppose one of the disadvantages with this kind of writing is that you can't really explore the narration from a different perspective, i.e., Smithy's own experience of being in the house, as "told" by Smithy.
Thanks to NetGalley and Inkshares for this ARC!
-----
Did I expect to love a ghost story that included a monkey as much as I did? No. However, I also wasn't expecting a book like Smithy. I loved the way it was written, in journal entries, and glimpses of found footage a la Blair Witch Project. It includes the writing of all the main characters, as well as outside sources, which made for a really interesting read. It added depth, and allowed you to feel the tension building, both your own, and those of the characters.
The story starts out as a grandiose research project, trying to teach a sweet chimpanzee named Webster (fondly nicknamed Smithy) sign language in a home setting, and slowly devolves as something dark and sinister settles over everything inside Trevor Hall.
Amanda Desiree definitely knows how to draw out the suspense, and that was one of my favorite things about this book. Keep with it until the end, and you won't be disappointed.
-----
Did I expect to love a ghost story that included a monkey as much as I did? No. However, I also wasn't expecting a book like Smithy. I loved the way it was written, in journal entries, and glimpses of found footage a la Blair Witch Project. It includes the writing of all the main characters, as well as outside sources, which made for a really interesting read. It added depth, and allowed you to feel the tension building, both your own, and those of the characters.
The story starts out as a grandiose research project, trying to teach a sweet chimpanzee named Webster (fondly nicknamed Smithy) sign language in a home setting, and slowly devolves as something dark and sinister settles over everything inside Trevor Hall.
Amanda Desiree definitely knows how to draw out the suspense, and that was one of my favorite things about this book. Keep with it until the end, and you won't be disappointed.
Believe me when I tell you that this book was so much more than I expected (in all the best ways)! We begin with our highly respected researcher, Dr. Piers Preis-Harold as he recruits students with varying skill sets to observe and teach sign language to a chimpanzee named Webster/Smithy. This group will live together in an old, rundown mansion as to provide a more family-like setting to hopefully allow Webster proper stability. What follows is one of the best slow burning stories I’ve read in a long while.
We all know old mansions have history. We also have been told that animals are often aware of things well before humans, be it storms or spirits. We will follow our group via journals, diary entries, and video logs as they deal with increasingly scary situations. I really enjoyed this format and thought it was a perfect way to tell this story. There are a few characters that I absolutely loathed, but the author was great about showing different facets of why they might behave a certain way. I would 100% recommend this book.
Thank you to Inkshares, Amanda Desiree, and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in return for an honest review!
We all know old mansions have history. We also have been told that animals are often aware of things well before humans, be it storms or spirits. We will follow our group via journals, diary entries, and video logs as they deal with increasingly scary situations. I really enjoyed this format and thought it was a perfect way to tell this story. There are a few characters that I absolutely loathed, but the author was great about showing different facets of why they might behave a certain way. I would 100% recommend this book.
Thank you to Inkshares, Amanda Desiree, and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in return for an honest review!
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No