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tlkpharm's review against another edition
3.0
I had mixed feelings throughout this book. Initially I enjoyed reading the stories of the different chimpanzee families. After awhile, it became difficult to keep track of all of them. A bit later in the book, the stories began to feel repetitive. I enjoyed the conclusion of the book, as well as the updates she gave about some of the chimpanzees years later. Overall, I did not enjoy this book as much as I thought I would.
catswain's review against another edition
4.0
When I was about 15 years old I became enthralled with animal behavior and chimpanzees. I read everything I could about Jane Goodall and also the chimps like Lucy and Washoe that learned sign language. It was one of the reasons I majored in biology. So I picked up this book more for nostalgia than anything else. However, I got caught up in the book more than I thought I would. Reading about the chimpanzees of Gombe was like reading a novel with multi-generational characters.
etirabys's review against another edition
4.0
A little clunky on a sentence level sometimes, but if you want hundreds of pages of Jane Goodall talking about chimp behavior / social organization / child development / ingroup-outgroup differentiation – which I ABSOLUTELY DID – this is for you. Minimal veering into the author's life, which I appreciated.
My least favorite parts: the occasional bland philosophical musing (love, evil, etc), and what I consider overinterpretation of chimp emotions – I agree with JG and think it's highly probable chimps' emotional lives greatly resemble humans, but I found myself getting tetchy every time she claimed chimp X was feeling kinda specific emotion Y. (Interacts with a lab animal, looks into his eyes, and says that there was no resentment, only gratitude at being played with, etc.)
My least favorite parts: the occasional bland philosophical musing (love, evil, etc), and what I consider overinterpretation of chimp emotions – I agree with JG and think it's highly probable chimps' emotional lives greatly resemble humans, but I found myself getting tetchy every time she claimed chimp X was feeling kinda specific emotion Y. (Interacts with a lab animal, looks into his eyes, and says that there was no resentment, only gratitude at being played with, etc.)
sammy234's review against another edition
5.0
I found this memoir absolutely fascinating. Adding it to my favorites list. It's nothing like what I usually read, but even so, it completely sucked me in. It read less like a book about chimpanzee behavior and more like a story about a multigenerational family.
Jane Goodall's love and respect for these animals was evident as I read, and it made me connect to them, when before I had honestly found chimpanzees very frightening and strange. That's not to say she romanticizes them at all. She's very candid about the fact that they are a violent species, capable of great cruelty, but also capable of empathy and love.
I watched the documentary based on this book a couple days ago out of curiosity, and while it is very beautiful visually, I don't really recommend it. It only gives surface information and the book is much more informative and engrossing, though it focuses less on Jane's life and more on the lives of the chimpanzees.
Jane Goodall's love and respect for these animals was evident as I read, and it made me connect to them, when before I had honestly found chimpanzees very frightening and strange. That's not to say she romanticizes them at all. She's very candid about the fact that they are a violent species, capable of great cruelty, but also capable of empathy and love.
I watched the documentary based on this book a couple days ago out of curiosity, and while it is very beautiful visually, I don't really recommend it. It only gives surface information and the book is much more informative and engrossing, though it focuses less on Jane's life and more on the lives of the chimpanzees.
heathercbrad's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.0
daal1592's review
4.0
¡Un documental de NatGeo hecho libro!
A través de la Ventana es un libro de divulgación científica que habla, de manera amena, sobre los Chimpancés y su comportamiento social. En este libro se resúmen décadas de observación de los Chimpancés en su entorno natural, y gracias a la pluma de la autora, estos datos científicos son sencillos y comprensibles.
Las similitudes en el comportamiento de los Chimpancés y los humanos es increíble. Queda claro que son animales con sentimientos, capaces de sentir emociones fuertes como la felicidad, la compasión, la ira, el dolor y el vacío de la perdida.
Toca también temas como el maltrato animal que sufren los Chimpancés de diferentes formas en aras del entretenimiento y bienestar de los seres humanos y como esto los afecta a lo largo de toda su vida.
Una lectura educativa y emotiva para entender de forma fácil a la especie genéticamente más parecida a nosotros.
A través de la Ventana es un libro de divulgación científica que habla, de manera amena, sobre los Chimpancés y su comportamiento social. En este libro se resúmen décadas de observación de los Chimpancés en su entorno natural, y gracias a la pluma de la autora, estos datos científicos son sencillos y comprensibles.
Las similitudes en el comportamiento de los Chimpancés y los humanos es increíble. Queda claro que son animales con sentimientos, capaces de sentir emociones fuertes como la felicidad, la compasión, la ira, el dolor y el vacío de la perdida.
Toca también temas como el maltrato animal que sufren los Chimpancés de diferentes formas en aras del entretenimiento y bienestar de los seres humanos y como esto los afecta a lo largo de toda su vida.
Una lectura educativa y emotiva para entender de forma fácil a la especie genéticamente más parecida a nosotros.