Ape House is nothing like Water for Elephants except that the animals steal the show. If you fell in love with Rosie, you'll definitely like Bonzi, Lola, Sam, Jelani, Mbongo and Makena. While the apes (bonobos really) are the center of the story, Isabel and John create the story around them. Isabel is a language researcher, studying the apes in a research facility. John comes to do a story on Isabel and the apes. Isabel feels like the apes are her family and John, dissatisfied with his life, feels drawn to her commitment to the apes. Then the book takes off a like a train. I had a hard time putting the book down. I was engrossed with the story. An explosion injures Isabel and displaces the apes. John struggles with his life, trying to maintain his career and his marriage. Both John and Isabel are on paths to get back what means the most to them.
If you choose to read Ape House, know there are scenes of animal abuse, similar to Water for Elephants. It was hard for me to read but it was part of the apes' story. Just like humans, they endured pain and abuse to come out stronger. This story does have a beautiful, happy ending.
I highly recommend Ape House. It was a fast paced story that I throughly enjoyed. Others who shared their thoughts on Ape House: The Perpetual Page Turner, From One Book Lover, Sassy. Savvy. Domesticity, Bibliophile By The Sea, and My Books. My Life.
I thought the author name was familiar *headdesk* lol
ReplyDeleteyes...I want to read this one. I loved Water for Elephants. I hate how they treat the animals. Did you by any chance catch the video of the chimps that were being used for research and finally were allowed to go outside for the FIRST time ever?? It made me cry...they were so excited and scared....broke my heart!
ReplyDeletehere's the link. I disagree with the poster and the title they gave it. There's nothing funny about their reaction...it is heartbreaking!!
ReplyDeletehttp://youtu.be/gliZFtfPTeo
I loved this book too although parts of it were really disturbing. I am always reluctant to read a book about animals because they are usually sad.
ReplyDeleteJust finished The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta, check it out!
Oh, it's so nice to see a positive review of this book. I had seen a few that gave mediocre ratings when it first came out and they scared me off from it. I think I might get the audiobook and try to squeeze it in for fun this winter.
ReplyDeleteI just bought Ape House in a sale and am eager to read it. Glad you liked it.
ReplyDeleteI bought a copy of this ages ago and it's just been sitting unread on my shelf - eek! It's good to know it's got a happy ending, I'll probably pick it up when I'm really in the mood for that kind of read :-)
ReplyDeleteThis one is on my wishlist. I really liked Water for Elephants but this one actually sounds like it's more up my street
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