Ape House--and other novels by Sarah Gruen

[PWS]

Starting a thread for this individual book because I've been SO impressed by it. I didn't read Water for Elephants by the same author, but will now give it a try as well. But Ape House has invaded my dreams--recently only the Outlander series has done that, and that was a series of 1000's of pages!

I've always been very interested in primatology, ape language, and the moral/ethical/legal implications (e.g., a kind of Dred Scott decision on apes and their ability to testify in court was something I fantacized about writing a short story about years ago), so I'm sure that is one reason I've so enjoyed this book, but I think it would interest most people. Be sure to read the author's comments at the end, about how much of it is "real"--you'll be amazed.
ETA If there was something that would have made this book even better, it would have been even more time with the bonobos--looking back I realize that they were the part of the book I enjoyed most, rather than the humans, even though there were some very funny and/or interesting scenes with the humans.

[Gutmutter]

Based on your review, I was going to buy this for my Kindle, but when I went to the page on Amazon, it had gotten a lot of bad reviews, so I was confused. I got the free sample and will decide at the end of that if I want to finish reading it.

[inthegarden]

I agree PWS. I was fascinated with the Bonobos too.
After reading the book, I visited The Great Ape Trust website. Fantastic! I was amazed at how much "real" there was in the story. On the website, there are videos and stories of each ape. You can see how closely the fictional apes are to the apes in the story. Sarah Gruen did a excellent job in bringing awareness to the work that Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh and others are doing with ape language.
I read Water for Elephants and enjoyed it. I think the human story was better in Water for Elephants...and Rosie the elephant ...well... you need to read it.

[PWS]

Based on your review, I was going to buy this for my Kindle, but when I went to the page on Amazon, it had gotten a lot of bad reviews, so I was confused. I got the free sample and will decide at the end of that if I want to finish reading it.

Yeah, I saw that... a lot people who liked her first book felt this wasn't as good---maybe it wasn't as I haven't read Water yet, so can't judge--if Water's even better I'll be very happy! And like me most of the people felt the apes were the most interesting part---I don't know if they are in the picture yet in the sample they give you. I did think she did a good job of showing how a little odd people have to be to devote their lives to apes....odd that is, unless you consider the apes to be people, then it makes sense. I definitely didn't find it boring...a little choppy at times maybe.
One of the reviewers wondered if "Amanda" was a stand in for the author...a first book that was very mellow, a 2nd with more violence...well, you'll see what I mean if you read it.

[Gutmutter]

Water was pretty violent... but if you haven't read it (excellent book!) I won't comment further. I won't judge Ape House against it.

[elk]

I loved Water for Elephants and had heard negative reviews about Ape House. I am glad I didn't listen because I fell in love with the Bonobos and the story. I highly recommend it to all!

[Gutmutter]

Just finished reading it from beginning to end. Thank you, PWS, for bringing it to my attention. I liked Water, but this was really touching. I even liked the way it was tied up neat and pretty with a bow on top at the end. No loose ends.

[PWS]

Whew! Glad you liked it, Gut! And yeah, what's wrong with a happy ending now and again?! I'm reading the elephants one now...not too far into it yet, his only contact with animals so far has been shoveling horse droppings.

[geek the girl]

Oooh, is Ape House out now? Like all of you in this thread, I adored Water for Elephants and have been looking forward to reading more by Sarah Gruen.

[talldede]

I am a big fan of Water for Elephants and now the movie trailer is out. It is visually stunning, I can not wait for this movie!

YouTube - "Water for Elephants" Trailer