Reviews

In Murderer’s Ape, Jakob Wegelius tells the story of Sally Jones, a sea-faring gorilla with the ability to read and write (using a typewriter). Her best friend, the Chief, has just been arrested for a murder he didn’t commit. The Murderer’s Ape chronicles the year Sally Jones spent hunting for the true killer.

I’ll confess, the thought of a literate gorilla traveling around the world to prove the innocence of her former ship captain seemed a little far-fetched to me at first. But Wegelius builds the events in this novel so carefully one after another that suspending my disbelief ultimately didn’t prove to be any trouble at all. Which is really remarkable, considering all of the marvelous places Sally Jones oh-so-plausibly travels to in the course of proving the Chief’s innocence: London, Lisbon, Alexandria, Port Said, Karachi, Bombay, and Cochin.

In the end, this book was my favorite read of the entire month. To learn why, see my full review on my blog, Caterpickles.

charlottepr's review

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

dljmsw's review against another edition

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3.0

This book was a slog. It had hints of greatness, but the length really diluted those moments. I was so excited about it, but in the end, I was glad it was over.

maddie137's review against another edition

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5.0

Such a beautiful story, I really didn't want it to come to a close.

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