Her works have been translated into fortythree languages and have sold more than ten million copies worldwide. Gruen enjoys minimal luck in trying to recapture the magic of her enormously successful water for elephants in this clumsy outing that begins with. Is this device effective for revealing human foibles. Which of the human characters in ape house is most like a bonobo. Sara gruen is a wonderful writer and i truly enjoyed ape house. I regret to say that i found myself enmeshed in a quasiromance among humans for at least the first half of the book, with the bonobos and their human researcher interactions forming backdrop to the slow build of the. Ape house reading guide book club discussion questions. Entertainment weekly gruen delivers a tale thats full of heart, hope, and compelling questions about who we really are. Clearly, ape house is fiction, but its content is based largely on gruens reallife experiences at the great ape trust in iowa, where she conducted much of her research for the book.
Sam, bonzi, lola, mbongo, jelani, and makena are no ordinary apes. She shares her north carolina home with her own version of a blended family. It was sold out to spiegel and grau based on a 12 page summary. Sara gruen s busy novel, which concerns six bonobos and the people who conduct language studies with them, addresses a vast sweep of animalhuman issues. A very thought provoking story about the treatment of animals in our scientific institutions. Did you identify with her portrayal of human behavior. I devoured water for elephants so i had to pick this one up.
Redbook the biggest accomplishment of ape house is that it brings bonobos to life. Her works have been translated into fortythree languages and. Gruen seems to struggle with the directionality of the story. Ape house book whitby public library bibliocommons. Ape house by sara gruen in chm, doc, epub download ebook. 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. In ape house, sara gruen uses humor to reveal the many flaws of human society. Ape house is here and gruen has outdone herself in this, her fourth novel. I had read water for elephants with my book club and totally enjoyed it. Ape house is a great follow up to the brilliant water for.
These bonobos, like others of their species, are capable of reason and carrying on deep relationships but unlike most bonobos, they also know american sign language. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read ape house. In ape house, gruen furthers her study of this unique bond, this time portraying a group of six bonobo apes housed in the fictional great ape language lab in kansas city and the humans who either come to love them or seek to profit from their surprisingly advanced communication skills. I couldnt put the book down and i think that sara gruen is a superb author. Her books deal greatly with animals and she is a supporter of numerous charitable organizations that support animals and wildlife. Sara gruens busy novel, which concerns six bonobos and the people who conduct language studies with them, addresses a vast sweep of. Its not hard to pin down exactly why this lively, fresh, funny, politically correct, and sometimes over the edge novel is going to be at least as popular as water for elephants. Water for elephants is the book i wish i had written. For all you sara gruen fans who have been patiently waiting for her first novel since water for elephants, wait no longer. In order to write her latest novel, ape house, gruen studied linguistics and a system of lexigrams so that she could communicate directly with the bonobos living at the great ape trust in des moines, iowa. Sara gruens fourth novel known as ape house which was published in 2010 is centered around bonobo ape. Early in sara gruens new novel, ape house, one of the characters gives a mini lesson on american sign language, which, she instructs. I loved water for elephants as it was a very well done and i learned a great deal from the book.
Boston globe i read ape house in one joyous breath. Ape house by sara gruen 2010, hardcover for sale online. Her works have been translated into fortythree languages, and have sold more than ten million copies worldwide. Ape house is a wonderful page turner, from the first i was hooked. Contrast the physical and emotional transformations of isabel and amanda. A group of reporters visit the great ape language lab a laboratory where bonobos are trained to communicate. I love sara gruens prose, she has that magical touch which leaves the reader feeling the same love and empathy she has for all animals.
These bonobos, like others of their species, are capable of reason and carrying on deep relationshipsbut unlike most bonobos, they also know american sign language. Water for elephants was adapted into a major motion picture starring reese witherspoon, rob pattinson, and christoph waltz. Sara gruen s ape house seemed an attractive opportunity to see how such experiences might translate into a fictional world. Sara gruen is the author of the new york times bestselling novel water for elephants, now a major motion picture starring reese witherspoon and robert pattinson, as well as the novels riding lessons, flying changes, and the new york times bestseller ape house. It has all the ingredients of another emotional blockbuster movie too. I had been fascinated by humanape 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. I previously read water for elephants and was eager to read her newest book. Early in sara gruens new novel, ape house, one of the characters gives a minilesson on american sign language, which, she instructs.
The wildly entertaining new novel from the bestselling author of water for elephants. Ape house by gruen, sara and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. In her new novel ape house, however, the animals dominate, and the result is not nearly as good. Sam, bonzi, lola, mbongo, jelani, and makena are no. Ape house by sara gruen penguin random house audio. Isabel duncan, a scientist at the great ape language lab, doesnt understand. Led by bonzi, the matriarch and undisputed leader, the bonobo group. The first, ape house, features the amazing bonobo ape. Sara gruen born 1969 in vancouver is an author with dual canadian and u. A novel by sara gruen and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Sara gruen on ape house 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. Water for elephants was adapted into a major motion picture starring reese witherspoon, rob.
Ape house by sara gruen reading guidebook club discussion. Ape house delivers great entertainment, but it also opens the animal world to us in ways few novels have done, securing sara gruens place as a master storyteller who allows us to see ourselves as we never have before. Animal lovers, particularly, will find much to like in gruens depictions of the apes and the research into their language skills. The writing is effortless, as though gruen sat down and wrote the book in one breezy afternoon. Besides animals, sara also loves ruined castles rather than intact ones. Twentythree pages into sara gruens new novel, the facility where the main character, isabel duncan, studies and cares for a group of. Scenes involving the bonobos are winsome without being sappy, and the reader comes to share isabels concern for the animals.