Get this book! It is a marvellous modern-day fairy story.
What a magical and enchanting book! I loved it from the first page and was totally sold on it once I'd met Marcellus the amazingly clever and intuitive giant Pacific octopus. We all know what very intelligent and remarkable creatures octopuses are, so the feats accomplished by this captivating creature did not seem too farfetched at all. And when it turned out that Marcellus had a special relationship with Tova, the joint protagonist of the book, and was instrumental in turning her life around, I was completely swept away by the story. Part mystery, part human love and endurance, I read the book in one sitting, not wanting to leave the wonderful characters inhabiting the story. A wonderful modern-day fairy story. I can highly recommend it!
Every once in a while you come across a book that will stay in your heart long after you finish it. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt is one of those books.
I. loved. this. book.
Remarkably Bright Creatures is one of the best books I’ve ever read. Tova is around seventy years old and leads a very simple life. She lives alone after her husband passed away Their only son disappeared 30 years ago, presumed dead. Tova never accepted the police assumption that he committed suicide. She passes her days by chatting with her Knitting group and cleaning at the aquarium. This has been uneventful until one day when Tova discovers the octopus goes on nightly walks and after rescuing him with a tangle of power cords she develops a strange connection to him.
Cameron is in his thirties, recently single and so homeless. He thinks he discovers who his father finally is and sets off to meet him. After buying a camper van he ends up in tova’s hometown. The world really is a small place.
This is such a beautifully written book. I highly recommend this heartwarming story.
Unusual and whimsical, but thoroughly enjoyable.
Tova is a lonely window whose son went missing thirty years ago, and is now presumed dead. Since her husband died she has worked at the local aquarium, cleaning every evening. There she meets Marcellus and they become friends. Marcellus knows what happened to Tova's son and he has to find a way to tell her. That isn't very easy because Marcellus is an octopus!
It sounds unusual, and it is, but as you are reading, especially from Marcellus' perspective, it is all utterly believable! The characters are interesting and appealing and you don't even have to suspend belief to imagine the intelligence and behaviour of the octopus. It is all plausible. I really enjoyed the town setting and the wide variety of secondary characters who were all so well written. There were lots more details I would have liked to know about the other characters as they all seemed so real.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and immersed myself completely in the world. A genuinely lovely read!
Meet Tova, an aquarium cleaner, and Marcellus, the octopus. He holds the key to the disappearance of Tova's son. A novel about family, friendships, and an octopus that's a remarkably bright creature.
I love octopuses (octupi?) so when I saw one on the front cover of this novel, I immediately jumped at the chance to read and review it. They are, as the title says, remarkably bright creatures and the story of Marcellus the octopus and Tova, the aquarium cleaner really intrigued me. Tova's son, Erik, mysteriously disappeared years ago and Marcellus holds the key (literally) to his disappearance.
The story follows Tova and her coming to terms with the changes in her life and her relationships with the other inabitants of Sowell Bay. The chapters alternate between Tova, Marcellus, Ethan (Sowell Bay's supermarket manager) and Cameron, who turns up at Sowell Bay after discovering his mother came from there. At first I struggled to understand why Cameron featured in the story, not being an inabitant of Sowell Bay, but once his mother's history was revealed, it made sense.
I read this novel in one sitting. The inhabitants of Sowell Bay, along with the introduction of Cameron to their midst provides an original, interesting and sometimes amusing novel. Shelby Van Pelt successfully carries off the different narrative voices within the novel, and it's a light and entertaining read which also deals with grief, separation and death in a sensitive way. At the heart of the novel are family, friendships and an octopus that's a remarkably bright and funny creature. Read this - you won't be disappointed!