Book Reviews of Ape House

A horrible disappointment. I waited for months for this book to come out, assuming that it would be of the same caliber as "Water for Elephants". It took me weeks of forcing myself to read to get through the book. At the end, I didn't care what happened to any of the characters, including the apes. I was just happy to be finished.

Trite dialogue, unbelievable characters and situations. Feels like a first effort and hard to believe she wrote the excellent Water for Elephants.

I enjoyed this book, however it is nowhere near the book that Water for Elephants is. This book has too much going on, it starts out so slow and then ramps up at the end. It is difficult to keep abreast of all of the subplots (ones that we could certainly do without)and it makes the reading more like running in circles. As for endings, this one has a beautiful little bow at the end. I am not always happy with that kind of ending and in this case it seemed inappropriate.

I was a little concerned when I started seeing reviews that the book was not good. If you like Sara Gruen’s writing, then read the book. If you are Looking for Water For Elephants part 2, then this might not be the book for you. I really like Sara’s other books. I like her style of writing, she reminds me of Jodi Picoult. Gruen does her homework on her subjects making the story real.

I am so glad that I did not let the reviews make me miss this book. I felt the book was different then Water for Elephants but this was not a sequel to that but a separate book and should be judged separately. The story is very slow to start but draws you in. I felt that I put my foot on the gas and did not let go and then the end was there. It was a little predictable but that comes when you read 2-3 books a week. You know that authors like to tie up ends and give you pretty packages.

There are many different characters in the book, none are really developed all the way, there is no main characters, they all share the role. You are left with some questions about the past and what the future might hold. I would have liked to see a thicker book with more developed characters.

After reading the mixed reviews about this book, I was reluctant to read it, but so glad I did. I found it intriguing and fastinating and read it in two days finding it hard to put it down until finished.

I may be in the minority, but liked it better than Water For Elephants, but that may be because I dislike the circus and adore the Great Apes.

After the effect that Water for Elephants had on me, I was really looking forward to reading Sara Gruen's next book. Although this book had an interesting subject, it didn't grab me as much. Sara's writing style is still very intriguing, but the book seemed to have some scattered and random thoughts in it. I felt that she was trying to take an experience that she had, the visiting of the bonobos, and make a full length book out of it. I really was hoping to like this book enough to keep, but I will be putting it up for swap.

Maybe I'm just in a good mood, throwing all these 5-star ratings around lately. Or maybe I've been reading good books. Who can say?

As I was reading 'Ape House,' I thought to myself, "this is a bit wackier than 'Water for Elephants' was." Then I remembered all the things that actually happened in 'Water for Elephants,' and while they were sometimes raw, violent, and just plain wince-inducing, they were a bit wacky too.

Forgive my sexism, but here we have a female writer of mainstream, non-genre fiction, who's not afraid of plot and takes some risks right on the edge of the Suspended Disbelief Bridge. Like John Irving but a girl.

And man it works. You got your signing bonobos, your eco-terrorists, your porn kingpin, your explosions, everything. And humor. Really good humor.

Great book about communication, family, and love. Some chapters are heart-wrenching and hard to read while others had me smiling or laughing. So sweet & so moving.

Simply fantastic! If you liked Sara Gruen's novel "Water For Elephants" you will like this. I was fascinated & could not put it down. Ms. Gruen is a wonderful storyteller."

Having previously read Sara Gruen's Riding Lesson's and Flying Lead Changes, I knew I enjoyed her writing. Easy flowing, with writing that built the charaters personalities and emotions well enough to understand and follow, I expected the same from Ape House. I was wrong. Ape House surpassed my expectations. Not only did Sara build knowledge of characters, emotions and experiences of those characters well enough for the reader to follow, but the story she wove regarding the bonobos was based on fact. As a reader not only could I feel the emotions that Isabel felt, I immediately pulled for the bonobos safe return. This was one of those books that quickly turned into a "I can't put down" book.

What a disappointment and total waste of time. Didnt even finish it. Cant believe it was even published!