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Oct 27, 2011

Linda rated it:

Sara Gruen is a wonderful writer and I truly enjoyed "Ape House". I previously read "Water for Elephants" and was eager to read her newest book. I loved "Water for Elephants" as it was a very well done and I learned a great deal from the book. I thought that I might be somewhat disappointed in "Ape House" because I found "Water for Elephants" so captivating. Ape House did not disappoint me, but "Water for Elephants" continues to be my More...

4 comments like (12 people liked it)

Oct 25, 2011

Janelle rated it:

I picked up an advance reader's edition of this at the ALA conference this summer (2010). This is Sara Gruen's much-awaited ~~second~~ fourth! novel - her Water for Elephants did very well (and the copy I recycled at my book group's holiday book exchange was much fought over).

The "ape house" has many meanings. On the surface, it's a community of bonobos living in a university research facility. The bonobos are highly intelligent and, in the end, far more human than many of t More...

1 comment like (10 people liked it)

Jan 12, 2012

Christopher rated it:

The novel lacked anything resembling character development and has a bumbling, senseless plot. It reads like the manuscript of a first-time novelist; in fact, I've read better manuscripts and self-published novels than this highly-acclaimed author's third book. If you love Sara Gruen or are masochistic, pick it up and brace yourself.

5 comments like (6 people liked it)

Mar 15, 2011

Timothy Patrick rated it:

I started this book under the impression that it was a piece of capital L Literature, but it turned out to be more along the lines of one of the earlier Anita Blake books with bonobos replacing the vampires. It took me a while to get into, but eventually I started to enjoy reading this. It's fun and silly and things explode. Despite what the jacket blurbs say, it's unlikely to change your life (unless you're the sort of person who sees an episode of Scooby-Doo and immediately starts a charitable More...

2 comments like (13 people liked it)

Oct 30, 2010

Kathryn rated it:

I started this book on the plane leaving for vacation. I only read in the evening while my husband was watching TV at night and finished it in three days/evenings. It was SO GOOD! Fascinating about bonobos and how much they resemble human beings. Quite the sexual species. Sara Gruen writes so fluidly, easy to follow and understand. I learned a bunch as I was absorbed into this wonderful story.

3 comments like (4 people liked it)

May 20, 2011

Heather rated it:

I would like to thank Bridget for helping me enjoy this book. Bridget, you read this expecting quality literature, or at least a good/touching story, which it was not, so you hated it. I then read it expecting it to be awful, which it also was not, so I liked it!

It wasn't particularly well-written, well-character-developed, etc., etc. I completely agree w/Bridget's review that some of the plot twists were fairly ridic - and convenient (guy comes into the place where the neighbor work More...

2 comments like (5 people liked it)

Oct 19, 2010

Sarah Pi rated it:

Solid three and a half stars, but I'll round up since I read this book in less than a day (and a busy one at that), and there are very few books that make me drop everything to read these days.
I've read all three of Gruen's previous books, and enjoyed them all, though Water for Elephants was by far the most accomplished of the three. When I first heard the premise of this book, I was a little skeptical. It sounded forced. It's not. Everything about the Bonobos seems real and possible. In More...

3 comments like (8 people liked it)

Jun 19, 2011

Matthew rated it:

This book lacked the majesty and wonder that made Water for Elephants so enticing. There are some graphic scenes of animal cruelty, which I found hard to read. The characters are likable, but not totally engrossing or unique. The amazingly human-like behavior of the bonobo chimps in the novel was really what had me reading to the end.

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Oct 11, 2010

Bookmarks Magazine rated it:

Overall, critics considered Ape House a dissatisfying follow-up to Water for Elephants. With its evocative Depression-era setting and unforgettable characters, Water continues to enthrall legions of fans. Unfortunately, some reviewers found Ape House's intriguing premise overshadowed by poor editing, a "silly story," and "trite characters" (Washington Post). Others felt that Gruen glossed over key issues. A few did enjoy Ape House, and lauded Gruen's "knack ... for creat More...

0 comments like (6 people liked it)

Nov 12, 2011

Sandy rated it:

Isabel is a scientist whose relationship with the apes in her linguistic study is as near and dear as family -- in no small measure because their real affection is in stark contrast to the neglected and dysfunctional home of her childhood. John is a reporter who meets Isabel and the remarkable bonobos shortly before their lab is viciously attacked, adding drama to an already challenging personal and professional life. Although I had a hard time putting the book down, there were also times when More...

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Oct 21, 2011

Jill rated it:

I LOVED Water for Elephants and honestly, was looking forward to reading Ape House. Same author...it should be just as good, if not better, right?

Not right. And now that I've read a few reviews from others, it seems I'm not the only one who was more than a little disappointed.

I'm sure that Gruen was trying to keep the plot line moving with all her twists and turns, but it all ended up feeling trite and some of the 'coincidences' that she used to connect characters (like More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 08, 2011

Gen rated it:

This would be a solid 3.5 stars if we could do half-stars on GoodReads. I read it quickly and enjoyed the ride, but ultimately didn't find it overly moving, heartfelt, insightful or otherwise unforgettable. However it's an interesting premise and the plot pulls you in, and there's nothing more satisfying than a good page-turner.

The central plotline focuses on a group of lab bonobos with the capability of understanding spoken English and speaking in ASL - and author Sara Gruen pain More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 06, 2011

Lauren1012 rated it:

Scrolling through the reviews, I find it interesting that most people seem to feel this book was a disappointment after Water for Elephants. I guess I'm in the minority; I didn't really like Water for Elephants that much (it was ok, but not something I'd rave about as others have), so I wasn't sure I'd like this book. But, my friend insisted that I read it and just had to trust her. I'm glad I did. At first I thought I was going to be disappointed; it seemed like the author was laying the ground More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 08, 2011

Grace rated it:

I can't remember the last novel I read in one sitting. But this past week, on a plane from Atlanta to San Diego, I read Sara Gruen's Ape House. And I liked it a lot.

Sara Gruen wrote Water for Elephants, which is now a movie. I read Water for Elephants when it was new, in hardback, because I happened to pick it up at the library and was curious about the title. I love, love, loved it. So, when I was browsing at the airport Borders and saw her name on Ape House, I picked it up without ev More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jul 21, 2011

Karen rated it:

Sara Gruen wrote one of my favorite novels, “Water For Elephants”, so I was really hoping that I would enjoy her latest novel, “Ape House.” Unfortunately, it completely fell flat. The story was clunky with cliché characters and absurd plot lines.

On the positive, it started with a great idea. What if Bonobos who could speak ASL fell into the hands of the wrong people, specifically a sleazy porn/reality TV producer? The story brings up many valid moral questions and puts forth some int More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Jul 20, 2011

Lisa rated it:

This novel captivated me from the beginning with the descriptive narrative about the Bonobo apes. Gruen not only described their physical attributes and behaviors, but gave each of the apes a personality. They were so realistic and it felt as it they were human beings with their comprehensive language skills and attitudes. Gruen did an amazing job describing the little things such as their favorite foods (like m&ms and pizza) and activities. As far as the characters went in this novel I love More...

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Jul 18, 2011

Sherri rated it:

Written from the perspective of John Thigpen, a reporter first for the Philadelphia Inquirer, and then later after a dispute with another writer, for the much maligned LA Weekly Times; this story takes you from the hallowed scientific laboratory to the scorned reality t.v. show.

Thigpen's adventure starts out at the laboratory as he is being introduced to some Bonobo apes who have learned to communicate through sign language and lexigrams. Amazed at the conversation he has with the More...

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Jun 21, 2011

Glen rated it:

Sara Gruen is a lovely and charming person, as my wife and I found out when we heard her read from this book at Octavia Books in New Orleans a couple of months ago, and her sweetness and demure demeanor belie a cheeky sense of the erotic and risque, but prepare you for the fact that she can't resist a happy ending, as evidenced by this novel and the better-known predecessor, "Water For Elephants". Alas, this book is not as good as that one, despite the heartfelt research that Gruen po More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 19, 2011

Christie rated it:

This is the first Sara Gruen novel I have read. I just finished it today and I have mixed feelings about the book overall.

The beginning was very engaging; I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Isabel Duncan's relationship with the bonobos and was quite intrigued by the bonobos themselves. However, the novel took a turn that I was not expecting and that I'm not quite sure I liked. I was expecting the novel to focus more on the bonobos and their intelligence, but that story-line became alm More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jun 03, 2011

Mallory rated it:

I feel sorry for Sara Gruen. Everything she writes will forever be compared against Water for Elephants, which is a high bar for anyone, even the author of the selfsame novel. That said, Ape House is no [novel: Water for Elephants], despite addressing a handful of similar themes.

Gruen is an expert at creating human-like animal characters; this time around, it is a tribe of Bonobos which would make any reader want to dive into ape linguistic studies. Unfortunately, however, the Bon More...

1 comment like (4 people liked it)

May 17, 2011

Naomi rated it:

I enjoyed Ape House by Sara Gruen. I must admit I thought apes and Chimpanzees were the same species . So Gruen informs us how thebonobos or apes are a different species.I was impressed with the fact that the apes learned sign language very well. I thought Isabel Duncan and JOhn Thigpen were very interesting characters. When the Apes are viwed on a reality TV network( Ape House), John gets the story of a life time and exposes the cruelty to these animals. After Duncan is hurt in the lab explosio More...

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Apr 12, 2011

Rita rated it:

It pains me to not have liked this book.

Sara Gruen obviously is a champion for the humane treatment of animals and it shines through in her fiction. It seems like she'd be a witty and kind and smart person, someone I'd really love to hang out with.

This book, though, was not a great read. And, I hate to say that.

In one of the previous reviews on this page, someone said that maybe she should have written a memoir about her experiences with the apes instead of trying t More...

0 comments like (10 people liked it)

Apr 10, 2011

Maryan rated it:

Gruen focuses on communication between apes and humans in "Ape House". There is an eclectic cast of characters including bonobos who you will love and others who will appal however her wit makes this a compelling satire.

Isabel Duncan is a linguistic scientist working with bonobos using American Sign Language, apparently simultaneously with spoken English, which maybe a teensy bit of a linguistic stretch, in an extraordinary relationship with these intelligent apes,

More...

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Mar 22, 2011

Megan rated it:

Great, great story....enjoyed as much as Water for Elephants.

Right before I went on tour for Water for Elephants, my mother sent me an email about a place in Des Moines, Iowa, that was studying language acquisition and cognition in great apes. I had been fascinated by human-ape discourse ever since I first heard about Koko the gorilla (which was longer ago than I care to admit) so I spent close to a day poking around the Great Ape Trust’s Web site. I was doubly fascinated--not More...

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Mar 04, 2011

Kerfe rated it:

For a book full of recycled types and cliche, "Ape House" is surprisingly good. Despite the formulaic characters (the Struggling Writer, the Struggling Journalist, the Sleazy Owner, the Bad Mother/Mother-in-Law--isn't it time to retire this one?, the Evil Agressive Female--this one too, Shallow Hollywood, the Freaky-Looking-but-Goodhearted-and-Solid-Twentysomething, the Goodhearted Hooker, the Man with a Hidden Past...AND Appealing Animals!) and the predictableness of the plot (Do you More...

1 comment like

Feb 08, 2011

Lisa rated it:

When I read the summary of this book, I felt an uncomfortable fear that Sara Gruen had bitten off more than she could chew, and all sorts of horrible scenarios spiraled through my brain. I cringed at the thought of apes, more furry human than anything else, imparting some valuable life lesson to their benevolent overseers, grateful for the opportunity to imitate some level of 'human'. 'My god,' I thought, 'what if she calls them monkeys?'

I should have known better.

The u More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 04, 2011

Xiao rated it:

I think i might've enjoyed this a little more than Gruen's well and widely acclaimed Water For Elephants. I loved both books! SG's books always deliver an extremely compelling read- providing instances of the human condition every person in a modern society can relate to, as well as a wonderful insight to a world that breaks away from the everyday grind. I can only imagine the amount of research SG devotes her time to, which by all means magnificently nourishes her storyline to be such an intere More...

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Jan 26, 2011

EZRead rated it:

I saw Sara Gruen speak about “Ape House” at the BEA before the release of the book. The woman is 199.99% crazy for bonobos, after having spent time in a language research center for apes in Iowa. Most of the cute short stories that she told about her own adventures showed up in the book, which begs the question; why didn’t she just make this nonfiction and bypass all the silliness? “Ape House” is stuffed with dues ex machinas, goofy coincidences, and caricatures right out of a high school improv More...

0 comments like (10 people liked it)

Jan 11, 2011

Emily rated it:

This book was alright but I as disappointed from what I expected. Her novel "Water For Elephants" is one of my all-time favorites and perhaps it's just that this one is more scientific and the other one more historic but I did not much care for this one. The published summary on the novel mentions a green-haired vegan and a retired pornstar but the two characters hardly appear and even then it is towards the end in insignicant roles. Also, a romance is hinted at through out the book bu More...

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Jan 09, 2011

Rebekah rated it:

Great ape scientist Isabel Duncan has made a career, a reputation, and a life out of communicating with bonobos. Duncan and her ape are sought out by the scientific community and the media alike due to the incredible progress Duncan's six apes have made in communication using ASL and computers. So it seems unthinkable that anyone would bomb the bonobos' Kansas facility -- nearly killing Duncan. While she recovers in the hospital, the apes are loaded into trucks and driven off into the unknown More...

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