Part of me wanted to give this book a higher rating. There's no arguing that it's beautifully and intelligently written with many fascinating observations on the human condition. And it demonstrates powerfully the barbaric ways in which "mankind" treats not just chimpanzees, but all animals. But Bruno's evolution goes way too far and way too fast . A chimp is a chimp and no sane woman is going to fall in love with a chimp, have sex on a regular basis, and then willingly carry that chimp's child at the risk of her own life. I know this is a work of fiction, but that's stretching the truth a bit too much for my taste. ( )

A true gem in all respects and amazingly well written book for a first venture. Bruno is quite unusual and his travels are beyond description. Were it not for the unusual 'incest' between the chimp and his caretaker this would make for a great film. Rarely do I come across a novel that bends the rules like this one. This is NO Planet of the Apes, but instead a romp into creative story telling at its best. Bravo Mr. Hale! ( )

Let me start off by saying this book is not for everyone. It is bizarre, strange, quirky and totally enjoyable! Even though this novel has more than 500 pages I sped through it and couldn't put it down. The writing is superb and the descriptions are lush. I can not wait for this author to write another! ( )

The WTF factor is strong with this one.

The story of Bruno, a chimpanzee who learns how to speak and who slowly "evolves" into a man started out really strong. Bruno described the circumstances of his captivity and hints at the story that led up to his current condition. However, the story takes long, long, long time to tell, and Bruno is a somewhat less than reliable narrator. Well, either this, or Hale left out some relevant explanations of certain turns in the plot.

While there is something clever about describing mankind from the perspective of a chimp and relating that evolution is not as big a step up from the animal kingdom as man would believe it to be, the story itself just isn't gripping me.

DNF @ 37%. ( )

From the beginning, the reader knows that Bruno is a speaking chimpanzee who lives at a research laboratory in Georgia because he killed a man. We also know that he is deeply in love with Lydia Littlemore. The novel is told first person from Bruno to Gwen, a transcriber who is recording Bruno for his memoirs.

Bruno Littlemore is a very special chimpanzee. When a group of scientists visited the Lincoln Park Zoo to perform some cognitive tests on the chimps there, Bruno stood out for his superior abilities. He stood out so much that the scientists brought him to their lab for more experiments. With the help of a janitor who visited Bruno late at night at the lab, Bruno slowly learned to speak. With this spectacular new skill, one of the scientists, Lydia, took Bruno home to live with her.

This is really when the novel begins to dip more deeply into the philosophical and existential questions of what it means to be human and what the rights of animals are. Bruno becomes more and more human and less and less animal as he becomes Lydia’s lover and learns language. He even gets cosmetic surgery to make him look more human.

Bruno’s life and adventures easily fill this lengthy tome without getting too redundant and tedious. I stayed engaged throughout most of the book, and Hale’s style is both literary and profound. There were certain parts that could have moved along more quickly. There were also many disturbing scenes that were intentionally difficult to get through. There is much thought-provoking content that makes one ponder the nature of humanity and the thin line that separates us from apes.