Reviews for The Intimate Ape: Orangutans and the Secret Life of a Vanishing Species

The average rating for The Intimate Ape: Orangutans and the Secret Life of a Vanishing Species based on 2 reviews is 1.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2010-01-29 00:00:00 Dena Ladner This is a LibraryThing Early Reviewer book. It would have been nice if this actually lived up to its subtitle: Orangutans and the Secret Life of a Vanishing Species. The reader learns very little about the "secret life" of orangutans; instead, nearly all the orangutans described in the book are those that reside in zoos or are being rehabilitated and have had extensive contact with humans. This doesn't make the orangutans described any less fascinating, when Thompson actually spends time describing them instead of dwelling on his own reactions and pontificating on how much human beings have destroyed in this world. Much of the book is also spent describing the experiences of individuals who have studied orangutans, which is interesting, but again, is not exactly in keeping with the way the book was billed. Thompson's writing style also got on my nerves really badly. Just one example of the typical style: "They are an interesting pair. He, very much the man. Tall, handsome, rugged. She, very much the woman. Smart, beautiful, rugged. Together, very much the couple." Phrasing like this shows up repeatedly, and made grind my teeth together. Thompson also struck me as taking what must have been intensely frustrating liberties; at one point, he brings a French horn player all the way from Canada to Camp Leakey in Borneo, apparently (if he did, it is not mentioned) without securing the permission of those who work and run the camp, because he wants to see how the orangutans react to the music. The overall impression is of someone who has good intentions but is not approaching his subject with very much organization or intellectual rigor. I was disappointed that I didn't like this book better, because I really wanted to learn more about orangutans (both in the wild and in captivity), what their lives are like, the ways they learn. This was not the right book for that.

Review # 2 was written on 2010-07-19 00:00:00 David Gonzalez I wish GoodReads had an "abandoned" button. Or in this case, a "hurled into the corner at speed for being entirely unreadable" button. I found the author's style so annoying, clunky and fragmented that I gave up very early on. There may indeed be something of worth here, but I haven't the fortitude to wade through the clanking prose to find it.