remarkably bright creatures review

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(as of Dec 25, 2024 20:23:17 UTC - Details)

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

A Read With Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick!

NAMED A BEST BOOK OF SUMMER by: Chicago Tribune * The View * Southern Living * USA Today

“Remarkably Bright Creatures [is] an ultimately feel-good but deceptively sensitive debut. . . . Memorable and tender.” — Washington Post 

For fans of A Man Called Ove, a charming, witty and compulsively readable exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope that traces a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus

After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.

Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors—until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.

Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late. 

Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.

From the Publisher

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ecco (May 3, 2022)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0063204150
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0063204157
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.17 x 9 inches
Reviewer: Jabberwock
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: What an endearing book!
Review: This is one of those books that you will feel truly satisfied to have read. There is a warmth and charm about it that draws you in and holds you as a captive audience happily turning the pages to see how the story develops and ultimately concludes.Reading this was a lovely experience. The human characters are well developed, believable, and charming and the octopus is intelligent, acerbic, and delightfully anthropomorphized. The time spent in his brain will have you smiling from ear to ear. I enjoyed this book immensely and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a rich and satisfying read. You’ll be happy you chose it! Also, if you choose to listen, the narration of the audiobook was superb; five stars. I especially enjoyed the delightful voice chosen for the octopus- - imperious, acerbic, and “remarkably bright”.

Reviewer: FYHIII
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: This book is a masterpiece
Review: That’s all you need to know really, but it’s also a book full to the brim with sweetness, kindness, empathy and characters so fully formed that you’ll feel that you know them, or wish you did. You may weep (as I did repeatedly on a plane) at the wonderfulness of the story, but only because you’re so happy for the characters and the resolutions of the storylines. I am in awe at the level of craft necessary to create art at this high level!

Reviewer: IMAuD
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Lovely story to enjoy
Review: This story revolves around three main characters. Two amid the characters are human and one is an octopus. We meet Tova, an older woman who is put together and a very hard worker. Cameron, a thirty-year-old loser who can’t maintain a job. Marcellus, the octopus, who is extremely smart and quite remarkable.Throughout the book we watch as these three main character’s stories intertwine and become important to one another. The book is lovely as we learn about octopuses and their lives and intelligence as well as how resilient people can be.This was a good very good book. I enjoyed reading the book.

Reviewer: Kat
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A unique & extraordinary tale
Review: This is a well-written and wonderful story full of fascinating characters, and twists. I’ve never read anything quite like it, and you likely haven’t either. It’s well worth reading!

Reviewer: Randolph H Carmichael
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: unbelievably great book!
Review: I read all the great reviews, but kept resisting reading what sounded like an incredibly weird book about an old lady and an octopus. So glad my curiosity got the better of me - wow! One of the best books I’ve read in the last 2-3 years. There are heroes, and heartbreak, and mystery, and redemption - and yes, an octopus! Don’t be put off by what might seem a bit weird - this is a must read!

Reviewer: G
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: I dare you not to cry
Review: I loved this book! A charming, heartfelt story of intertwined lives coming together in a small Washington town. Beautifully written with wonderful, believable characters. You will fall in love with Marcellus.

Reviewer: Haley
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: 4.5 ⭐️. An absolute delight.
Review: This was an incredibly heartwarming read. It’s not my usual genre, but I loved it. It is simple but still has depth. Who knew a story about an octopus would make me cry? Highly recommend listening to the audiobook in tandem.

Reviewer: Kerry Colwell
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Amazing
Review: I love this book so much and I feel like I will go back and read it once a year. Marcellus, the octopus was exceptionally awesome. All the characters were one of a kind and special. It’s touching and life affirming. You are never too old to start a new chapter and just keep living your story!

Reviewer: Linda Pfeiffer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This story is about love and loss and just getting on with it. In 2024, I bought and read 70 books for my Kindle, and this was my favourite among them all. Tova Sullivan is a 70-something widow living alone in her beloved house. Her only child, Erik, died in a tragic boating accident when he was only eighteen, some thirty years before. Tova never saw dirt that she didn't automatically and thoroughly clean up immediately. So after her husband, Will, died, she accepted a job at the aquarium cleaning it after closing for the day. There she meet, Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus, who has been held in captivity since he was a juvenile. And as the sign on his display area says: His life span is four years, which is 1460 days, and Marcellus is counting down every one of them.To me, these are the two main characters of the book, but there are many more whom you will meet while reading this fascinating story. I will be thinking about the two main characters for a very long time and never want to forget them.As I said, this is my favourite book of 2024, and I plead with the author, Shelby Van Pelt to write another one soon. Such imagination and such immense talent.

Reviewer: Jorge
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Hace mucho que no leía un libro tan especial, me ha encantado. Tiene un lugar especial en mi corazón ❤️🐙

Reviewer: Runy
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I really enjoyed this story. The way it's told is original and quite entertaining. The characters are wonderful and the story is an easy, uplifting read.It's a perfect book to read on a train.

Reviewer: mle michelle lewington
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Amazing book

Reviewer: Mrs L J Butterfill
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Such an enjoyable book from start to finish. Beautifully written, a real pleasure to read. Wonderful characters dealings with all kinds of change. Highly recommend.