3.5
Brazzaville Beach
ByPublisher Description
William Boyd's classic
has been called a "bold seamless blend of philosophy and suspense . . . [that] nevertheless remains accessible to general readers on a level of pure entertainment." (
).
When her marriage to a brilliant but unstable mathematician finally shatters, Hope Clearwater leaves England to join a team of primate researchers in a remote African country. Though she is there to study chimps, the greater challenge is her attempt to grapple with her own recent past—as well as her fellow scientists. And when she discovers evidence of supposedly peaceful chimps engaging in extreme violence, Hope finds herself drawn into a war of desperate egos and ruthless ambitions.
Download the free Fable app
Stay organized
Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.
Build a better TBR
Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building tool
Rate and review
Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tags
Curate your feed
Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesStay organized
Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.Build a better TBR
Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building toolRate and review
Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tagsCurate your feed
Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesBrazzaville Beach Reviews
3.5
“Woah.
I picked up this book expecting a Jane Goodall type story about historically fictional expedition to study chimps… And it was a lot darker than I expected. Switching between the past and present and examining where our protagonist was while she was going through her divorce, versus while she’s on her mission to study the chimps was super interesting.
For most of the book I felt like the two stories were really separate. But when we got to the end and why their marriage ended, it made a little bit more sense. The idea that things could be going well (or as expected) in their marriage and then just completely get thrown off the rocks by very unexpected behavior (his mental illnesses) totally mirrored what was happening in the present day with the chimps. Years and years of research could not have prepared the team for the amount of massacre that goes on in this chimp colony. I see the connection for sure, and that point that the book was making was definitely interesting.
There were definitely quite a few moments that fell flat for me unfortunately. I thought the feminist angle could’ve been taken a little bit further. I felt like Hope didn’t have enough rage for the complete misogyny that was surrounding her. I know that it is a period piece, and in the 90s it was definitely much more expected for men to treat you like that, especially in the scientific field. However, I was just so frustrated for Hope and I really wanted it to go somewhere further than it did. Especially with all the drama of her tent burning down. It just kind of fell flat in the end. I really thought it was gonna get super exciting but instead she just got kidnapped by a whole separate group?? I know they’re in Africa and you can’t ignore the politics but it just felt unrelated. It became a very different book. There was conflict for sure, but it wasn’t quite the kind I was hoping for.
I’m also gonna say I was pretty disturbed by the actions of the chimps. It was a little bit hard to read not going to lie. I know that’s nature and crazy things happen but yikes. It was well written in very literary, but it definitely made me uncomfortable. Especially the way Boyd had as get to know each chimp by personality and name.
All critiques aside I’m glad I read this one. It’s truly not like anything I’ve read before! And I’m always trying to broaden those horizons!!”
Start a Book Club
Start a public or private book club with this book on the Fable app today!FAQ
Do I have to buy the ebook to participate in a book club?
Why can’t I buy the ebook on the app?
How is Fable’s reader different from Kindle?
Do you sell physical books too?
Are book clubs free to join on Fable?
How do I start a book club with this book on Fable?
