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Jennie
Jennie is the fictional account of a chimpanzee named Jennie Archibald based on real-life histories of four chimpanzees who were raised as children in human Meshie Mungkut, Lucy Temerlin, Vickie Hayes, and Nim Chimopsky--all of whom eventually died under tragic and even horrifying circumstances. All the scientific experiments described in this novel actually took place, under slightly different circumstances.
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
53 people are currently reading
886 people want to read
About the author
Douglas Preston
178 books13.4k followersDouglas Preston was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1956, and grew up in the deadly boring suburb of Wellesley. Following a distinguished career at a private nursery school--he was almost immediately expelled--he attended public schools and the Cambridge School of Weston. Notable events in his early life included the loss of a fingertip at the age of three to a bicycle; the loss of his two front teeth to his brother Richard's fist; and various broken bones, also incurred in dust-ups with Richard. (Richard went on to write The Hot Zone and The Cobra Event, which tells you all you need to know about what it was like to grow up with him as a brother.)
As they grew up, Doug, Richard, and their little brother David roamed the quiet suburbs of Wellesley, terrorizing the natives with home-made rockets and incendiary devices mail-ordered from the backs of comic books or concocted from chemistry sets. With a friend they once attempted to fly a rocket into Wellesley Square; the rocket malfunctioned and nearly killed a man mowing his lawn. They were local celebrities, often appearing in the "Police Notes" section of The Wellesley Townsman. It is a miracle they survived childhood intact.
After unaccountably being rejected by Stanford University (a pox on it), Preston attended Pomona College in Claremont, California, where he studied mathematics, biology, physics, anthropology, chemistry, geology, and astronomy before settling down to English literature. After graduating, Preston began his career at the American Museum of Natural History in New York as an editor, writer, and eventually manager of publications. (Preston also taught writing at Princeton University and was managing editor of Curator.) His eight-year stint at the Museum resulted in the non-fiction book, Dinosaurs in the Attic, edited by a rising young star at St. Martin's Press, a polymath by the name of Lincoln Child. During this period, Preston gave Child a midnight tour of the museum, and in the darkened Hall of Late Dinosaurs, under a looming T. Rex, Child turned to Preston and said: "This would make the perfect setting for a thriller!" That thriller would, of course, be Relic.
In 1986, Douglas Preston piled everything he owned into the back of a Subaru and moved from New York City to Santa Fe to write full time, following the advice of S. J. Perelman that "the dubious privilege of a freelance writer is he's given the freedom to starve anywhere." After the requisite period of penury, Preston achieved a small success with the publication of Cities of Gold, a non-fiction book about Coronado's search for the legendary Seven Cities of Cibola. To research the book, Preston and a friend retraced on horseback 1,000 miles of Coronado's route across Arizona and New Mexico, packing their supplies and sleeping under the stars--nearly killing themselves in the process. Since then he has published several more non-fiction books on the history of the American Southwest, Talking to the Ground and The Royal Road, as well as a novel entitled Jennie. In the early 1990s Preston and Child teamed up to write suspense novels; Relic was the first, followed by several others, including Riptide and Thunderhead. Relic was released as a motion picture by Paramount in 1997. Other films are under development at Hollywood studios. Preston and Child live 500 miles apart and write their books together via telephone, fax, and the Internet.
Preston and his brother Richard are currently producing a television miniseries for ABC and Mandalay Entertainment, to be aired in the spring of 2000, if all goes well, which in Hollywood is rarely the case.
Preston continues a magazine writing career by contributing regularly to The New Yorker magazine. He has also written for National Geographic, Natural History, Smithsonisan, Harper's,and Travel & Leisure,among others.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/dougla...
As they grew up, Doug, Richard, and their little brother David roamed the quiet suburbs of Wellesley, terrorizing the natives with home-made rockets and incendiary devices mail-ordered from the backs of comic books or concocted from chemistry sets. With a friend they once attempted to fly a rocket into Wellesley Square; the rocket malfunctioned and nearly killed a man mowing his lawn. They were local celebrities, often appearing in the "Police Notes" section of The Wellesley Townsman. It is a miracle they survived childhood intact.
After unaccountably being rejected by Stanford University (a pox on it), Preston attended Pomona College in Claremont, California, where he studied mathematics, biology, physics, anthropology, chemistry, geology, and astronomy before settling down to English literature. After graduating, Preston began his career at the American Museum of Natural History in New York as an editor, writer, and eventually manager of publications. (Preston also taught writing at Princeton University and was managing editor of Curator.) His eight-year stint at the Museum resulted in the non-fiction book, Dinosaurs in the Attic, edited by a rising young star at St. Martin's Press, a polymath by the name of Lincoln Child. During this period, Preston gave Child a midnight tour of the museum, and in the darkened Hall of Late Dinosaurs, under a looming T. Rex, Child turned to Preston and said: "This would make the perfect setting for a thriller!" That thriller would, of course, be Relic.
In 1986, Douglas Preston piled everything he owned into the back of a Subaru and moved from New York City to Santa Fe to write full time, following the advice of S. J. Perelman that "the dubious privilege of a freelance writer is he's given the freedom to starve anywhere." After the requisite period of penury, Preston achieved a small success with the publication of Cities of Gold, a non-fiction book about Coronado's search for the legendary Seven Cities of Cibola. To research the book, Preston and a friend retraced on horseback 1,000 miles of Coronado's route across Arizona and New Mexico, packing their supplies and sleeping under the stars--nearly killing themselves in the process. Since then he has published several more non-fiction books on the history of the American Southwest, Talking to the Ground and The Royal Road, as well as a novel entitled Jennie. In the early 1990s Preston and Child teamed up to write suspense novels; Relic was the first, followed by several others, including Riptide and Thunderhead. Relic was released as a motion picture by Paramount in 1997. Other films are under development at Hollywood studios. Preston and Child live 500 miles apart and write their books together via telephone, fax, and the Internet.
Preston and his brother Richard are currently producing a television miniseries for ABC and Mandalay Entertainment, to be aired in the spring of 2000, if all goes well, which in Hollywood is rarely the case.
Preston continues a magazine writing career by contributing regularly to The New Yorker magazine. He has also written for National Geographic, Natural History, Smithsonisan, Harper's,and Travel & Leisure,among others.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/dougla...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
October 8, 2012
Only now at the end of the book did I come to realize that this book is only partly based on reality and that all the characters were fiction. Somewhat disappointing, but considering the works of non-fiction I have read on chimpanzees, it's not too worrisome. Actually, I should have realized - had there been a real Jennie, I would have come across her along with the other chimpanzees who learned American Sign Language. The one thing I found hard to believe is that Jennie understood the concept of death, something wild chimpanzees definitely do not.
This story unfoulds through different overlapping perspectives of the people associating with the Jennie. It's brilliantly told. It all starts when Dr. Hugo Archibald brings a baby chimpanzee home from Africa. It turns his family life topsy-turvy for many years to come. This book delves into what it means to be human and how we differ from our closest relatives only by degrees. One of the scenes in the book, the one where Jennie is sorting pictures of animals and humans into different piles and places herself with the humans, is based on the actions of a real chimp who did the same.
Fiction or not, this is a highly recommendable book. It is deeply touching and definitely broadened my horizons.
This story unfoulds through different overlapping perspectives of the people associating with the Jennie. It's brilliantly told. It all starts when Dr. Hugo Archibald brings a baby chimpanzee home from Africa. It turns his family life topsy-turvy for many years to come. This book delves into what it means to be human and how we differ from our closest relatives only by degrees. One of the scenes in the book, the one where Jennie is sorting pictures of animals and humans into different piles and places herself with the humans, is based on the actions of a real chimp who did the same.
Fiction or not, this is a highly recommendable book. It is deeply touching and definitely broadened my horizons.
August 3, 2011
Douglas Preston's first novel (published in 1994)is a fictionalized account of one chimpanzee named Jennie who is raised from birth as a member of the Archibald family. Derived from four very real, and tragic, histories of chimpanzees raised as children in family homes, the story is told through "interviews" and "journals" of the characters involved. Jennie, like the actual chimpanzees the story is based on, learned American Sign Language and established relationship bonds with people. The novel incorporates some of the actual scientific experiments and results. Facinating read.
November 24, 2020
4.5 stars -- The mid-20th century enthusiasm for attempting to socialize chimpanzees and other great apes in human family settings has inspired multiple novels, many of them very good.
JENNIE is a well-written and heartrending story of an infant chimp who is raised by a middle-class American family in the 1960s. They teach her sign language and treat her as a human child. But as Jennie grows and becomes a strong and willful adult ape, things rapidly begin to change, echoing the real-life experiences of families who participated in these experiments.
With its multiple-perspective storytelling style, the book holds your attention. I also liked that the author clearly has an avid interest in chimps beyond artistic inspiration and concludes the book with contact info for a variety of great ape conservation groups.
JENNIE is a well-written and heartrending story of an infant chimp who is raised by a middle-class American family in the 1960s. They teach her sign language and treat her as a human child. But as Jennie grows and becomes a strong and willful adult ape, things rapidly begin to change, echoing the real-life experiences of families who participated in these experiments.
With its multiple-perspective storytelling style, the book holds your attention. I also liked that the author clearly has an avid interest in chimps beyond artistic inspiration and concludes the book with contact info for a variety of great ape conservation groups.
November 20, 2013
I'm not a fan of books which tell stories about animals lives, but since it was a gift I decided to give it a chance. I don't regret! I found the story so fascinating that I also watched the movie. Of course the movie tells only part of Jennie's story.
This story is a little monotonous at the beginning, but as I read the interviews I started getting involved with Jennie's life. It is really touching. Some parts of Lea's speech about how the routine was with Jennie made me remind a little of Marley and Me, that is another book I loved even though it was about an animal.
One thing it made me think about is animal research. It really seems so cruel to the animals. Jennie wasn't physically hurt, but the way she was raised as she was a human child and the way she was left, it must have caused a huge trouble in her mind.
This story is a little monotonous at the beginning, but as I read the interviews I started getting involved with Jennie's life. It is really touching. Some parts of Lea's speech about how the routine was with Jennie made me remind a little of Marley and Me, that is another book I loved even though it was about an animal.
One thing it made me think about is animal research. It really seems so cruel to the animals. Jennie wasn't physically hurt, but the way she was raised as she was a human child and the way she was left, it must have caused a huge trouble in her mind.
November 27, 2012
This book made me cry in different areas of the story especially the ending. The story is depressing, insightful, compelling, humorous and heartbreaking. The book is about Jennie, a chimpanzee, who is raised as a child in Boston. She lives with Professor Hugo Archilbald, who found her, his wife and children. Jennie acts like a normal toddler doing things like riding her tricylce, fighting with her human siblings over the tv and even drinks as a teenager. Her story will captivate you and you will see her as a human child instead of a chimpanzee.
May 10, 2009
This novel will make you question the notion of what is right, have tissues handy.
August 7, 2016
very moving
May 21, 2024
A very sweet book, like a look back at the 60s/70s with some great characters
I can sense much of Douglas Preston's values and who he became as a person/author reflected in the people in this book. I think the people he interviewed had a very profound effect on him and his later writings
I can sense much of Douglas Preston's values and who he became as a person/author reflected in the people in this book. I think the people he interviewed had a very profound effect on him and his later writings
May 28, 2014
What makes us human? Is it our ability to communicate? How we can use tools? Maybe it is our ability to reason or our ability to love. Jennie blurs the lines and will make you re-think what it means to be human as you are introduced and will fall in love with Jennie, a chimpanzee. Born to a nearly dead mother in the jungle, Jennie is adopted and brought back to America, where the man decides to raise her, doing research for the museum.
Jennie captures your heart right away. At times she is a handful and acts like an animal, but the more she interacts with the family, the more humanlike little Jennie becomes. Jennie loves, just as deeply as a human. Jennie learns sign language and Jennie is every bit as much of a family member as the two human children. The book is at times humorous and I would laugh out loud at Jennie's antics and smile at her cleverness.
Through interviews of those who were part of Jennie's lives, we can follow a timeline of how Jennie learns, interacts and is. I had to stop and remind myself that she was not human, but her actions and thoughts were so decidedly human-like at times that it was hard to not think of her as human.
This is a thought-provoking book and one that I very much enjoyed. I felt very much connected to Jennie and the book was equally heartwarming and heartbreaking for me. Excellent writing and a character, Jennie, that you will never forget.
Jennie captures your heart right away. At times she is a handful and acts like an animal, but the more she interacts with the family, the more humanlike little Jennie becomes. Jennie loves, just as deeply as a human. Jennie learns sign language and Jennie is every bit as much of a family member as the two human children. The book is at times humorous and I would laugh out loud at Jennie's antics and smile at her cleverness.
Through interviews of those who were part of Jennie's lives, we can follow a timeline of how Jennie learns, interacts and is. I had to stop and remind myself that she was not human, but her actions and thoughts were so decidedly human-like at times that it was hard to not think of her as human.
This is a thought-provoking book and one that I very much enjoyed. I felt very much connected to Jennie and the book was equally heartwarming and heartbreaking for me. Excellent writing and a character, Jennie, that you will never forget.
October 7, 2007
Science fiction based on real instances of chimps raised by humans. Not a whirlwind thriller like most of the Preston/Child collaborations, but well researched. It follows the point of view of several characters through diary entries, interviews, and letters. I laughed, I cried, I sobbed at the end. It's one of those animal stories. But it has piqued my interest in reading some of the non-fiction of Jane Goodall. Written with clarity and realism I had to keep reminding myself if was fiction.
December 29, 2009
It's an enjoyable and thought-provoking read, but is ultimately undercut by lack of clear markers between fact and fiction. Preston takes real occurrences and presents them through fictional interview and biography excerpts. The story is crafted well, but it's the insights into chimpanzee psychology that makes it worthwhile. Unfortunately, the reader never knows which insights are genuine and which are purely dramatic. The book is, in the end, nothing but a theoretical fancy.
November 6, 2011
This was a story about an scientist who brought home a baby chimpanzee and raised her with the help of his family. She became part of a research study and was tutored in sign language and saw herself as human. She was unable to recognize or relate to other chimps and yet, as she became an adolescent, she was unable to control herself among humans. It was fascinating and heartbreaking and in the usual Douglas Preston Style, a real page turner.
May 27, 2009
This book is partially responsible for my recent monkey "obsession." Even though it is fiction, Preston makes it seem pretty realistic, and I fully believe that there are people out there stupid enough to try to raise a monkey. It never ends well for the animal. I knew this going in, but I still felt really bad for Jennie in the end.
February 3, 2009
Sweet. Sorrowful. Creative way to put a true story to the page. I wish I could have met Jennie--a chimp that was brought home by a scientist and raised as a child. She is adorable! And incorrigible. And darling. Pretty crazy story.
April 6, 2010
I loved this endearing, loving and sad book about raising chimpanzees in a human home. Made me cry! I will so support the organizations that are out there trying to protect chimps and apes in the wild.
October 5, 2023
I wasn't quite sure what to expect going into this book. I hadn't read anything by Douglas Preston before, but this book still looked to be different from his usual writing (it didn't list Lincoln Child as a co-author, for one thing...) I was surprised to find that it was not only written as a series of interviews and book/article excerpts, but that it was a brutal yet tender account of a chimpanzee and her human family, and the cruelties that can crop up when we blur the line between human and animal.
In the 1960s, a scientist collecting ape bodies for study finds himself in the care of a newborn, orphaned chimpanzee. Rather than give her to a zoo or research facility, he decides to raise her alongside his own children, naming her Jennie. As Jennie grows up in New England with her human family, she learns sign language, befriends the scientist's son, and becomes a sensation among both the scientific community and the celebrity circuit. But though some treat Jennie like a human and others treat her like an animal, it's not entirely clear which world she belongs to... and when Jennie finally becomes too difficult to handle, her ultimate fate will be heartbreaking.
According to the author's notes, the story of Jennie is based on the stories of four real chimpanzees who were raised as humans... and who suffered some of the same things she did. This book is heartbreaking, not shying away from how chimpanzees used for research were often mistreated and/or treated as objects instead of living beings. It also calls out the dangers of treating animals, especially undomesticated animals, like humans instead of the creatures they are. And for all the good intentions of Jennie's family, sometimes it's those with the best of intentions who do the most harm.
The format of this book -- as a collection of interviews and excerpts from a main character's memoir -- gives it a sense of immediacy, letting us get closer to the people who knew Jennie and, by extension, to her. It does mean that some events get repeated from different perspectives, and that we're left with conflicting views on some characters (some characters feel very hostile and/or don't trust other characters, as is natural), but that just helps to give this book an air of realism.
Though Jennie is fiction, her story is also the story of other chimps who have suffered as experiments and glorified pets. It shows the dangers of treating animals like props or little humans instead of respecting them as creatures, and is a call to treat our animal companions and neighbors with a little more respect.
In the 1960s, a scientist collecting ape bodies for study finds himself in the care of a newborn, orphaned chimpanzee. Rather than give her to a zoo or research facility, he decides to raise her alongside his own children, naming her Jennie. As Jennie grows up in New England with her human family, she learns sign language, befriends the scientist's son, and becomes a sensation among both the scientific community and the celebrity circuit. But though some treat Jennie like a human and others treat her like an animal, it's not entirely clear which world she belongs to... and when Jennie finally becomes too difficult to handle, her ultimate fate will be heartbreaking.
According to the author's notes, the story of Jennie is based on the stories of four real chimpanzees who were raised as humans... and who suffered some of the same things she did. This book is heartbreaking, not shying away from how chimpanzees used for research were often mistreated and/or treated as objects instead of living beings. It also calls out the dangers of treating animals, especially undomesticated animals, like humans instead of the creatures they are. And for all the good intentions of Jennie's family, sometimes it's those with the best of intentions who do the most harm.
The format of this book -- as a collection of interviews and excerpts from a main character's memoir -- gives it a sense of immediacy, letting us get closer to the people who knew Jennie and, by extension, to her. It does mean that some events get repeated from different perspectives, and that we're left with conflicting views on some characters (some characters feel very hostile and/or don't trust other characters, as is natural), but that just helps to give this book an air of realism.
Though Jennie is fiction, her story is also the story of other chimps who have suffered as experiments and glorified pets. It shows the dangers of treating animals like props or little humans instead of respecting them as creatures, and is a call to treat our animal companions and neighbors with a little more respect.
May 11, 2022
Una lectura diferente que me saca totalmente de mi zona de confort🙈
Puedo con todo el dolor, sufrimiento y maltrato humano pero no con el animal, por mínimo que sea y aunque sea ficción🤷🏻♀️ por esto no suelo leer novelas que traten el tema animal. Aunque de vez en cuando, muy a mi pesar, aparece alguna que me hace ojitos y tengo que ir mentalizándome hasta encontrarle su momento. Y esto me pasó con “Jennie”, primera novela publicada del autor.
🐵La historia cuenta como el Dr.Archibald, del Museo de Historia Natural, encuentra a una chimpancé recién nacida y huérfana en África y se la lleva a casa para criarla junto a sus hijos, como si fuera un experimento científico. Aunque muy pronto, Jennie, deja de ser un experimento para convertirse en un miembro más de la familia, y con el que se comunican con el lenguaje de signos. Pero cuando la pequeña chimpancé crece la convivencia se vuelve muy complicada.
🐒Los familiares y el entorno más cercano son los que te cuentan como es convivir con un chimpancé y lo que para ellos supuso. Y así, a través de sus ojos, conoces a Jennie y su historia. A pesar de haber estudios y experimentos científicos de por medio no se recrea en ellos, se centra en lo importante, en Jennie.
Esta acertada forma de narrar la historia, y la ausencia de explicaciones científicas y tecnicismos hace que esta lectura sea sorprendentemente adictiva, ágil y rápida.
🖤Es una historia maravillosa, llena de amor e, inevitablemente, de dolor. Me ha encantado conocer a Jennie, su sensibilidad, su testarudez y sus muchas liadas pardas se han ganado un hueco en mi ❤️, haciendo que su historia sea inolvidable. Me ha provocado más de una llantina, sí, pero también me ha hecho reír a carcajadas, así que estamos a pre 🥲
🐵Recomiendo su lectura y no solo porque sea extremadamente entretenida, también porque te acerca un poco más a un animal con el que compartimos el 98% de nuestro ADN y pone de manifiesto la triste y cruda realidad… Hay animales más humanos que muchas personas.
Puedo con todo el dolor, sufrimiento y maltrato humano pero no con el animal, por mínimo que sea y aunque sea ficción🤷🏻♀️ por esto no suelo leer novelas que traten el tema animal. Aunque de vez en cuando, muy a mi pesar, aparece alguna que me hace ojitos y tengo que ir mentalizándome hasta encontrarle su momento. Y esto me pasó con “Jennie”, primera novela publicada del autor.
🐵La historia cuenta como el Dr.Archibald, del Museo de Historia Natural, encuentra a una chimpancé recién nacida y huérfana en África y se la lleva a casa para criarla junto a sus hijos, como si fuera un experimento científico. Aunque muy pronto, Jennie, deja de ser un experimento para convertirse en un miembro más de la familia, y con el que se comunican con el lenguaje de signos. Pero cuando la pequeña chimpancé crece la convivencia se vuelve muy complicada.
🐒Los familiares y el entorno más cercano son los que te cuentan como es convivir con un chimpancé y lo que para ellos supuso. Y así, a través de sus ojos, conoces a Jennie y su historia. A pesar de haber estudios y experimentos científicos de por medio no se recrea en ellos, se centra en lo importante, en Jennie.
Esta acertada forma de narrar la historia, y la ausencia de explicaciones científicas y tecnicismos hace que esta lectura sea sorprendentemente adictiva, ágil y rápida.
🖤Es una historia maravillosa, llena de amor e, inevitablemente, de dolor. Me ha encantado conocer a Jennie, su sensibilidad, su testarudez y sus muchas liadas pardas se han ganado un hueco en mi ❤️, haciendo que su historia sea inolvidable. Me ha provocado más de una llantina, sí, pero también me ha hecho reír a carcajadas, así que estamos a pre 🥲
🐵Recomiendo su lectura y no solo porque sea extremadamente entretenida, también porque te acerca un poco más a un animal con el que compartimos el 98% de nuestro ADN y pone de manifiesto la triste y cruda realidad… Hay animales más humanos que muchas personas.
July 1, 2021
I didn't know what to expect with this book--I read all Douglas Preston/Lincoln Child books (collaboratives & separates) & enjoy all of them. This one surprised me. It tells the story of an anthropologist in the 1960s doing research on chimpanzees. On a trip to Africa, he is collecting skulls to study & classify. One of the female chimpanzees brought to him is just barely alive & pregnant & he ends up delivering the baby just as its mother dies. He decides to raise the chimp & brings it home to his family in New England. The chimp has no idea it is any different from the humans who become her family & they treat her as if she were their daughter. As she grows, she learns to speak in ASL (American Sign Language) & turns the ideas about animal intelligence & especially the connection between human & ape upside down. The book is told from the point of view of a writer who is interviewing all the people involved with Jennie (the chimp) from the members of the family to neighbors (including a reverend who tries to teach her about God), co-workers from the museum, scientists who work with her & observe her, & various articles about her. As she goes from infant to a female chimp coming into her prime years & preparation to adulthood, her intelligence & strength increases & it soon becomes hard to control her & provide for her needs. A decision has to be made as to how to proceed--do they keep her even though she can be destructive & dangerous or do they find another place for her in a zoo or chimp rehab environment. She's been raised as a human & never seen any of her own species--what is best for everyone in this situation? This was a fascinating book--though the characters are fictional, all the behaviors, experiments, activities & events are taken from various sources & have really happened at one point or another with chimps. It is a very good book.
November 8, 2024
🐒 En 1965, le Dr Hugo Archibald, au cours d'une mission d'étude des chimpanzés au Cameroun, recueille une guenon tout juste née. Il va l'adopter et elle, Jennie, sera traitée comme un membre de la famille par son épouse, son fils Sandy et sa fille.
Nous découvrons, au fil d'interviews, entretiens, courriers et témoignages, le quotidien de cette famille hors norme. Lorsque Jennie est intégrée dans un programme spécial, elle apprend les rudiments du langage des signes, et peut désormais mieux communiquer avec les humains qui l'entourent. Mais la vie d'un chimpanzé qui ne connaît que l'homme n'est pas si simple, et l'adolescence de Jennie va se révéler ingérable.
🐒 Premier roman de Douglas Preston, il est basé sur une histoire vraie, et conçu comme une recension d'un matériel journalistique nécessaire à l'écriture d'un ouvrage.
Comme toujours, l'écriture de l'auteur est addictive. Et cette histoire, d'un style si différent des habituels thrillers de Douglas Preston, est particulièrement émouvante. Les rapports entre l'homme et l'animal y sont décrits sans filtre. Et si la cruauté humaine n'est jamais cachée, le livre met aussi en avant la nécessité de ne pas sous-estimer l'intelligence, la fourberie, mais aussi la méchanceté, la jalousie..., chez le chimpanzé. Et c'est bien ce qui m'a marqué dans l'ouvrage : ne pas idéaliser l'animal en restant sur les idéaux d'un monde où seul l'homme est capable du pire.
Douglas Preston cite assez régulièrement, en manière de clin d'oeil, les travaux et découvertes de Jane Goodall, la plus connue des anthropologues ayant travaillé avec les chimpanzés.
Un très bon roman, récit familial, récit d'amour et d'amitié, de découverte et d'espoir !
Nous découvrons, au fil d'interviews, entretiens, courriers et témoignages, le quotidien de cette famille hors norme. Lorsque Jennie est intégrée dans un programme spécial, elle apprend les rudiments du langage des signes, et peut désormais mieux communiquer avec les humains qui l'entourent. Mais la vie d'un chimpanzé qui ne connaît que l'homme n'est pas si simple, et l'adolescence de Jennie va se révéler ingérable.
🐒 Premier roman de Douglas Preston, il est basé sur une histoire vraie, et conçu comme une recension d'un matériel journalistique nécessaire à l'écriture d'un ouvrage.
Comme toujours, l'écriture de l'auteur est addictive. Et cette histoire, d'un style si différent des habituels thrillers de Douglas Preston, est particulièrement émouvante. Les rapports entre l'homme et l'animal y sont décrits sans filtre. Et si la cruauté humaine n'est jamais cachée, le livre met aussi en avant la nécessité de ne pas sous-estimer l'intelligence, la fourberie, mais aussi la méchanceté, la jalousie..., chez le chimpanzé. Et c'est bien ce qui m'a marqué dans l'ouvrage : ne pas idéaliser l'animal en restant sur les idéaux d'un monde où seul l'homme est capable du pire.
Douglas Preston cite assez régulièrement, en manière de clin d'oeil, les travaux et découvertes de Jane Goodall, la plus connue des anthropologues ayant travaillé avec les chimpanzés.
Un très bon roman, récit familial, récit d'amour et d'amitié, de découverte et d'espoir !
December 30, 2021
Finished it right before NYE!
According to my list of Preston and Child books (i read all the Pendergast novels, the non-Pendergast novels, Gideon Crew novels and the solo books), this was the first book written by Doug. As its not Pendergast, Gideon or some other exciting thriller, i was suprised how it turned out. Apparently its mostly fiction, but based on real events. Im kinda confused. I tried googling the real events, but couldnt find anything yet. Anyway, this book proves that you cant keep an animal from the wild (also, dont kill the mom for scientific research!). In the beginning its all cute, but its get worse and worse when the animal grows up. I work in a wild animal shelter (birds, hedgehogs, bats, hares etc) and every summer i experience the same. People that trying to keep baby crows, ducklings or baby hares, because they look cute and helpless. Until they get sick because of the wrong food or they poop too much.
A piece of advice: see a young wild animal? Dont raise it at home, but call the closest animal shelter!
According to my list of Preston and Child books (i read all the Pendergast novels, the non-Pendergast novels, Gideon Crew novels and the solo books), this was the first book written by Doug. As its not Pendergast, Gideon or some other exciting thriller, i was suprised how it turned out. Apparently its mostly fiction, but based on real events. Im kinda confused. I tried googling the real events, but couldnt find anything yet. Anyway, this book proves that you cant keep an animal from the wild (also, dont kill the mom for scientific research!). In the beginning its all cute, but its get worse and worse when the animal grows up. I work in a wild animal shelter (birds, hedgehogs, bats, hares etc) and every summer i experience the same. People that trying to keep baby crows, ducklings or baby hares, because they look cute and helpless. Until they get sick because of the wrong food or they poop too much.
A piece of advice: see a young wild animal? Dont raise it at home, but call the closest animal shelter!
September 16, 2022
Extremely interesting read. If you're a fan of this author, go back and check out his earlier books, before the Pendergast series. Here is a fictional story of a chimp named Jennie, who lived with humans from 1965-1974. The story is based on real events/stories of chimps and research. The author who is Mr. Preston in the story provides excerpts from those who took care of Jennie: Dr. Hugo Archibald, Dr. Pam Prentiss, neighbor Rev. Palliser, Hugo's wife Lea, and son Sandy. Sandy thought of Jennie as a sister. The research project involved teaching Jennie ASL.
We follow Jennie and her friends/family/researchers as she grows into puberty. She was an unruly chimp, but you want to love her anyway. As we move along, Jennie becomes a problem and the Archibalds agree to send her to Florida to an island with other chimps. Of course issues occur and you'll have to read the story. The author has a science background and many of his books revolve around archaeology, paleontology, and dinosaurs, etc. He worked at the American Museum of Natural History so he's got the expertise to write about science. I recommend you check out his earlier books before Pendergast became a huge hit. The non-fiction book about the Museum is also fascinating.
We follow Jennie and her friends/family/researchers as she grows into puberty. She was an unruly chimp, but you want to love her anyway. As we move along, Jennie becomes a problem and the Archibalds agree to send her to Florida to an island with other chimps. Of course issues occur and you'll have to read the story. The author has a science background and many of his books revolve around archaeology, paleontology, and dinosaurs, etc. He worked at the American Museum of Natural History so he's got the expertise to write about science. I recommend you check out his earlier books before Pendergast became a huge hit. The non-fiction book about the Museum is also fascinating.
October 14, 2025
The author does that thing where he writes a preface to tell the audience that all of his findings and interviews are true. Things were getting so bonkers that I was like, "Okay, this can't be true." It is marked as fiction 🤦♀️😂 The book is loosely based on many studies done on different Chimpanzees. It is marked as a fiction and thriller. Which is interesting because the book was adapted into a DISNEY CHANNEL ORIGINAL MOVIE.
I found many characters very unlikable. Sarah, basically the forgotten middle child, was the one I related to the most.
Hugo is just basically the worst man. Horrible husband. Horrible father. Loves the chimpanzee, Jennie more than he loves his own children.
There is a weird subplot where a reverend tries to convert Jennie to Christianity. Bizarre.
There was a lot about teaching Jennie sign language, which as a fluent speaker (yes, it is considered a spoken language) of sign language, I enjoyed.
Anyway, this is basically 300 minutes of ape carnage.
I found many characters very unlikable. Sarah, basically the forgotten middle child, was the one I related to the most.
Hugo is just basically the worst man. Horrible husband. Horrible father. Loves the chimpanzee, Jennie more than he loves his own children.
There is a weird subplot where a reverend tries to convert Jennie to Christianity. Bizarre.
There was a lot about teaching Jennie sign language, which as a fluent speaker (yes, it is considered a spoken language) of sign language, I enjoyed.
Anyway, this is basically 300 minutes of ape carnage.
December 5, 2017
I am absolutely amazed at the quality and variety of books Preston (and Child) have written. My first book I read by Preston was Ice Limit and I have been hooked ever since. It has been a great adventure with Wyman Ford, Gideon Crew and Special Agent Pendergast on my journey to read all of his books. Jennie was totally unexpected. It is a very different format with people involved telling their story. It made me cry a few times at the end. A great read.
March 29, 2020
A phenomenal book - based on real stories. This is an important book that will develop empathy with our brothers and sisters in the animal kingdom. The DNA of a chimpanzee is 99% similar to a human. we can have a blood transfusion with a chimp and live. Yet we often treat them horribly. This book shows how human they are and how inhuman we can be. Preston's best and most important book. Pick it up. Demand that it stay in print.
March 13, 2021
I love Douglas Preston’s writings, but this, his first effort, was not in league with his other novels. It started charming, then descended into sadness and ends on a depressing note. The sweet kid in the story grows up to be a drug addled moron and there isn’t a single character to like aside from Jennie. The one “Christian” character is a complete buffoon, which is insulting. Overall, not a great story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 9, 2022
I did not like that he put everything from the tape recorders into the book. There are several times that they say “please edit that out” or “don’t put that in your book” and yet, I read those sentences with my own eyes. This book took me quite a while to get through because I didn’t care for the writing style, but I got there. The story is a touching one, there’s just a bit to get there before it’s found. My heart is just there for the family.
February 28, 2020
A wonderful yet sad read. While I know it's not real, I had to keep reminding myself of that as the interviews fee true and each character has a very distinct voice (as in real life). The fact that a lot of the stories we read about actually happened to other peoples and apes and the ASL studies were a real thing is amazing and this is an entertaining way to discover these studies.
December 13, 2023
This book is truly amazing and you just get so attached. You can see how the family got attached and it's sad what inevitably happens and it's incredibly emotional and full of heart and love. And it's just full of all the things that make life what life is. Apparently there's a movie based on it called the Jenny project and it's just a remarkable book.
March 29, 2023
Very good first novel. Faithful to the sources from which it was drawn. It would have been a 5-star but for the limiting nature of the epistolary structure. That structure eliminated a potentially fascinating POV, that of Sarah and it kept me at arm's length which muted the emotional ending.
January 8, 2025
Surprisingly touching. The author does it great job of presenting the narrative in different formats. At times the story becomes a bit narrow focused and one dimensional, but this is still well worth a read.
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