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ovenbird_reads's review
3.0
A quick, easy, enjoyable read--though perhaps too transparent in its criticism of reality TV. Although it does call on us to look at our behaviour and see just how ridiculous we are in our quest for fame.
booksconnectus's review
3.0
I had heard nothing about this book before reading it-other than it was by the same author as Water for Elephants....which I had not read yet......I enjoyed it.....kept me interested.....learned a little bit about the ape world.....made me laugh and cry...and made me think some too and relate....so although it wasn't an earth-shatteringly amazing book it was enjoyable. I would reccomend it.
sharonsueg's review
3.0
I purchased this book because I was familiar with the author and enjoyed a similar book: Next of Kin. I was disappointed that the majority of the book centered on the main human characters and not the great apes. I kept reading in hopes of more about the apes and as a result got somewhat interested in the story about the humans as well. There were parts of the book that were great and then...it kept me bouncing back and forth...so only a three out of five for this one.
somanybookstoread's review
4.0
I was intrigued by Sara Gruen since she made a big splash with Water for Elephants, which I didn't love. Yet I read that she was really into animal rights (surprising after her depiction of animals in Water for Elephants), so I thought I'd give her another shot with Ape House. Bizarre as the plot was, it was well woven. The characters were well developed and the pacing of the book was satisfying. All in all, this was a good read! I certainly recommend this one to anyone who enjoyed Water for Elephants.
shirleytupperfreeman's review
While I found the character development to be so-so and the story mildly entertaining, it was interesting to learn about the amazing abilities of bonobos. I knew nothing about this type of ape and had no idea they seem to be capable of language acquisition. This would be a good read for animal lovers.
lvidler's review
2.0
Not the best book by Sara Gruen.
Loved the concept. Hated the process.
The two stories in the book did not run even remotely parallel to each other and often words were thrown in because they were big and intelligent... not because they fit.
Far too complicated a story line... I would have read it and enjoyed it much more if it was a simpler format and focus could be on the apes and their keepers with the person writing the story being a second fiddle.
I also did not love the gratuitous sexual content about the apes. It cheapened the book.
Loved the concept. Hated the process.
The two stories in the book did not run even remotely parallel to each other and often words were thrown in because they were big and intelligent... not because they fit.
Far too complicated a story line... I would have read it and enjoyed it much more if it was a simpler format and focus could be on the apes and their keepers with the person writing the story being a second fiddle.
I also did not love the gratuitous sexual content about the apes. It cheapened the book.
anniewill's review against another edition
1.0
There are far too many different story lines going on for any type of cohesion in this novel. This book desperately needed good editing. Very disappointing!
shesnotthere's review
3.0
This was a book club selection. While I enjoyed the novel, it didn't really keep my interest. There were a couple of reasons for my apathy. First, I don't believe that a reality show like "Ape House" would be plausible. Even with today's low standards of reality TV, there would be way too many liability issues for "Ape House" to become an actual TV show. Second, some of the subplots seemed frivolous & unnecessary. The four plots twists that totally jumped the shark for me were: John ordering a pizza at the meth lab; John & Amanda taking in the meth lab dog; & the question of the teenager's paternity. These little twists are more suited for a Carl Hiaasen romp than a literary novel. I don't know if I would recommend this book, because I think that the most important aspect of this novel - the bonobos themselves & their interaction with each other & their human counterparts - was glossed over. I think if Ms. Gruen would have stayed on the topic of the bonobos' behavior (both before & after the bombing) it would have had greater impact for me. I did enjoy Ms. Gruen's writing style. I have a copy of Water for Elephants & plan to read it in the near future.
serendipity730's review
3.0
This was a decent read, but in comparison to Water for Elephants, it definitely falls short. The premise of the book was very interesting, but it and the characters needed to be developed further. I found some of the characters - particularly Amanda - down right dislikeable.
wrentheblurry's review against another edition
2.0
I liked Water For Elephants, and I like monkeys, chimps and apes, so I grabbed this audio CD without having any other facts or information other than what I listed. Perhaps I should have read some reviews first, or maybe even read the summary on the box.
With this audio CD, unlike the last several I've listened to, I experienced no weird technical difficulties or anomalies. The discs were all appropriately named, and the author and title were properly labeled, as were all of the tracks. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy some of the reader's voices, specifically the women. His voice for Celia came off as more Valley Girl than the edgy, possibly emo and/or gothy, free-spirited young person that I envisioned. Both Isabel and Amanda were read in the same whiny, helpless, utterly dependent tone of voice. There were one or two scenes where the woman (women?) were supposed to be angry, and what came out just sounded laughable and out of character. I did like Paul Boehmer's rendition of the Russian lady. It was amusing, well-done, and even allowed me some suspension of disbelief. Granted, I sure cannot effectively mimic male voices to much degree of success, so I appreciate the difficulty in the task. I'm just saying, because of how Boehmer read these two women, that I did not like either of them.
On to the story. I wish the book focused more on the bonobos and their interactions (I had no idea they were so into sex! Fascinating!). The primates are mostly an afterthought, though, merely providing a catalyst for the Bad Guys to act, the Wacky Protesters to protest, and the Caring and Concerned Main Characters to unite for a cause. The characters are somewhat flat, hackneyed, and eye-rolling.
My favorite sections were when the bonobos were in the Ape House, a reality TV show focusing on everything they do. What an entertaining idea! I also liked any scene where John Thigpen was either by himself, with the Russian woman, or not with a main character. He was the best human in the book. It is possible I would have liked this book better had I read it instead of listening to it, though I am not going to test the theory.
With this audio CD, unlike the last several I've listened to, I experienced no weird technical difficulties or anomalies. The discs were all appropriately named, and the author and title were properly labeled, as were all of the tracks. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy some of the reader's voices, specifically the women. His voice for Celia came off as more Valley Girl than the edgy, possibly emo and/or gothy, free-spirited young person that I envisioned. Both Isabel and Amanda were read in the same whiny, helpless, utterly dependent tone of voice. There were one or two scenes where the woman (women?) were supposed to be angry, and what came out just sounded laughable and out of character. I did like Paul Boehmer's rendition of the Russian lady. It was amusing, well-done, and even allowed me some suspension of disbelief. Granted, I sure cannot effectively mimic male voices to much degree of success, so I appreciate the difficulty in the task. I'm just saying, because of how Boehmer read these two women, that I did not like either of them.
On to the story. I wish the book focused more on the bonobos and their interactions (I had no idea they were so into sex! Fascinating!). The primates are mostly an afterthought, though, merely providing a catalyst for the Bad Guys to act, the Wacky Protesters to protest, and the Caring and Concerned Main Characters to unite for a cause. The characters are somewhat flat, hackneyed, and eye-rolling.
My favorite sections were when the bonobos were in the Ape House, a reality TV show focusing on everything they do. What an entertaining idea! I also liked any scene where John Thigpen was either by himself, with the Russian woman, or not with a main character. He was the best human in the book. It is possible I would have liked this book better had I read it instead of listening to it, though I am not going to test the theory.