Remarkably Bright Creatures: 'That Octopus Book', the major bestseller coming to Netflix soon - Cover May Vary

I have to admit my heart sank when our book club suggested a book about an Octopus and an old lady. That soon changed as I became invested in the characters and the lyrical prose. The ending actually made me cry…and I loved Marcellus the octopus!

I had high hopes for 'Remarkably Bright Creatures' as I have been learning about octopuses and am quite in awe of them. It seemed then completely wonderful to find a book with an octopus as the central character, but this book isn't quite that. Marcellus the octopus is the character that I am left with a lasting impression of and I am so glad that I met him in this book. He is fascinating, funny, wise, and magical and the book is worth reading just for the role he plays. Several of the other characters are also likeable and tenderly drawn. This is a sometimes funny, sometimes moving, sometimes annoying, and sometimes faintly tedious book and I found myself forcing my way through the middle section. There was enough to keep me reading, but only just. It is worth persevering for the ending though and, of course, for Marcellus. If you love octopuses you will be glad that you read this.

This book was such a lovely experience, a joy to read and listen to. At its heart lies the theme of relationships. We meet Tova Sullivan, who has endured the loss of her husband and the mysterious disappearance of her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, over thirty years ago. Tova takes a job cleaning an aquarium at night, where she befriends an octopus named Marcellus. As they spend time together, Marcellus narrates parts of the story, revealing fascinating details about their lives. He is incredibly clever and able to sense Tova’s footsteps and pick up on her emotions. Surprisingly, Marcellus possesses the ability to uncover hidden truths. Tova becomes a trusted confidant to him, and he makes it his mission to help her answer some pressing questions. I won’t spoil the plot, but let’s just say Marcellus is a remarkably bright and intelligent creature. I simply fell in love with him.

Remarkably Bright Creatures - What a book. This is easily the best book I have ever read. From the in-depth characters, the authors style of writing and the knowledge put into this book. It was perfect. The characters in this book where phenomenal. Each with their own unique personality and background story that enabled us as a reader to picture them and their stories perfectly. The book highlights some really interesting concepts, in that we often make our choices which lead to us harming ourselves, leading to conclusions when we don’t know the full picture. This book really made me think outside “the box” so to speak. The octopus- where do I start. If someone had told me I’d fall in love with an idea and personality of an octopus I would think they were mad. But honestly, the character of Marcellus was just beautiful. The relationships as they develop through the book had me welling up in several parts, and watching their stories unfold perfectly with all the pieces in the puzzle coming together was a masterpiece in itself. This was honestly one of the most heart warming- beautifully written books I’ve ever read. The easiest 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I’ve ever given to a book.

This book was quite an entertaining read and it was worth picking up and indeed finishing, but I would have to say that it didn't live up to the advertising hype that probably drew me to it. In all honesty, few of the books I've read actually merit the exclamations as to how wonderful they are by the blurb that advertisers use to promote their books, which has the effect of making me take these with a pinch of salt. However, that is another story but this story was good and certainly had a feelgood factor about it. Of course, reading a book like this requires you to suspend reality somewhat but nevertheless there was a good story with some well written characters and some folks would love it and some others perhaps not so much. I was sort of middling about it but I come down on the side of it being worth a read.

So first things first, the blurb is misleading. After reading it I thought that it would be a book about an octopus detective, finding out how the son was murdered and then working out how to communicate that to Tova. It is not. What this is is a book about family and what not having one is like. It's also about growing older. Tova is, in her eyes, approaching the end, in a house that's emptier and colder every day, with no one to look after her. Meanwhile Marcellus is reaching the end of his life, Giant Pacific Octopi only living for four years and the book treats that like a countdown. The two bond and that bond is one of the best things about this book. Watching Marcellus trying to work out how to communicate with Tova is great. Unfortunately what he couldn't have accounted for is humanity's stubborn disregard for what's in front of them. So what mystery there was was solved about halfway through the book and then everyone just continued on as if it hadn't been. So if you're looking for a mystery book this isn't it. It also doesn't have as much octopus as you might expect. The bits from Marcellus' perspective were fun but also a little few and far between. It's mostly focused on Tova, her circle of acquaintances and Cameron, who's life got to a point that going to a random Washington town on a whim was a good idea. It's all very sweet and a lovely look at a community. It was an engaging read and I loved how everything evolved. It was definitely worth the read. It just wasn't a mystery story like I thought it was.

Fantastic book! The author has such an easy writing style and her characters are all very loveable - especially Marcellus! Wish I could experience reading it again for the first time!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Took a little while to get into it, but once I was in I couldn’t put it down. I thought Marcellus, the octopus was very clever and it was thanks to him Tova found her Grandson. This book did make me cry.

At first glance, with the title and cover, I expected the octopus to take center stage in the story—but it turned out to be more of a family-searching journey, which was a lovely surprise. That said, the octopus adds just the right spice to the story, offering a unique perspective on the human world. Personally, this book reminded me of my grandfather, who was adopted as a baby and spent years searching for his original family. It gave me a deeper understanding of why people feel such a strong desire to know their roots.

Warm, fuzzy and everything good read.

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.

This was magical. It did take me over 100 pages to understand who all these people were and what they were to the story, but it was worth it in the end. Marcellus, you beauty.

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt is heartwarming and comforting, leaving the reader with a bittersweet feeling—sad to say goodbye to the characters, yet grateful to have been part of their journey. The story follows Tova Sullivan, a widow who spends her nights cleaning the Sowell Bay Aquarium, and Cameron Cassmore, a young man who unexpectedly finds himself single, unemployed, and without a place to stay. Readers are also introduced to Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Intelligent and mischievous, Marcellus avoids human interaction when he can, yet he is gradually charmed by the small woman who cleans the glass of his enclosure each night. Shelby brilliantly portrays his curious and perceptive nature, at times allowing the reader brief insight into the workings of his mind. As the story unfolds, the reader is gently drawn into the intertwined lives of all three characters. What makes this book so compelling is the way the author captures the softness and perseverance of each character, despite the challenges they face. One of the most enjoyable elements is the brief, interspersed windows into Marcellus’s mind, captivating the reader with his honest and bemused reflections. However, some readers may find the momentum slows briefly toward the end, as the characters take a bit longer to uncover the final pieces of information. Remarkably Bright Creatures is a wonderful choice for readers seeking a light, wholesome, and heartfelt story. You grow to love these characters and think of them with genuine affection. This book is truly more than just a beautiful cover.