Ape House by Sara Gruen

Sara Gruen is the same woman who wrote Water For Elephants - by the way. This novel revolves around - yup, you guessed it, apes.  Specifically, bonobo apes.  The main character, Isabel Duncan, works in the Great Language Lab in Kansas.  She has dedicated her life to teaching the apes to sign and communicate with humans.  Obviously this intrigues people and a writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer, John Thigpen, visits one day to write an article.  Unfortunately, a terrorists bombs the lab, terrorizing the apes and severely injuring Isabel.  The apes are then sold to man of questionable ethics who turns the apes into reality stars.  From this point on, it's Isabel's race to gain custody of the apes and find out who actually bombed the language lab and nearly killed her. 

This, I thought, was a solidly GOOD book.  It was nothing like Water For Elephants except that the animals are definitely the heroes.  I actually listened to this on CD in the car which, for me, sometimes changes the feel of a book.  Considering this book didn't get good reviews at all, I wonder if I liked it more listening to it then I would have.  Who's to say but I liked it and think it's worth the read.  I'm assuming that the information about the bonobos is true and it is truly fascinating.  Worth the read just for that bit of info.  Recommendation:  Read it, I think it's worth it.  Or listen to it...even better.

Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen

Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen. It's about a guy, who in 1931, finds out his parents have died suddenly in a car accident. The narrator and main character, Jacob Jankowski, is in the last weeks of school at Cornell University, completing his degree in veterinary medicine when he gets this horrible news. In addition, he also finds out that his parents have left him with nothing, including the vets office he was going to join with his father because the Depression and college fees have left them broke. In shock, Jacob runs away and joins the circus where he becomes the "vet" for 7 years taking care of horses, elephants, chimps, orangutans, hippos, big cats, dogs, giraffes and much more. The book is building up to some shocking occurrence but I am only 1/2 way through. I am, however, enjoying every minute this book. It is hilarious and the writer's ability to give such sweet and compelling details to the main characters relationship with the animals and other characters in the story is superb.

It was totally enjoyable and only took me two days to read. It was one of those books where you look forward to waking up so you can read it while drinking your morning coffee. I would give it 3 1/2 stars (out of 4). The only reason that I don't give it the other 1/2 is because it isn't quite up there with my all time favorites and at the beginning of the book, I knew the "twist" that was to be revealed in the last part of the novel. Also, I loved the story and the detail that the author gave to the circus people. She gave the reader several characters who were likable and who you, as the reader, were rooting for. Something that I've found recently in novels is that there aren't any characters that I feel a connection with or that I even like. I feel that many authors just don't give their readers characters with enough "umph" to them and they I'm not invested in their outcome. In Water for Elephants, I was totally invested and in fact engrossed in the characters lives. A definite recommendation.