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I really enjoyed listening to this book. I feel as though the voice actors were able to bring the book to life in a way that I don't think I would have felt if I had read the book on paper.

The characters were mostly likable (if not perfect humans) and Marcellus was a standout personality. I appreciate how he broke down the "complexities" of human-kind into simple generics.

While I liked the book, I do think that it was maybe a little long to convey the plot. As Marge would say, she could have used an editor. Also, after a long development, the ending just wrapped up neatly very quickly. I would adjust the pacing a little.

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I actually saw a post about this book from a friend who was in an aquarium in Queens whereby they did a full symposium on the book, and there was a live octopus on sight. Then I reflected on all my travel to the PNW, especially to see the Orca whales when my daughter was young wanting to be a marine biologist.

I liked this "lighter read" overall. However, I have never been a big fan of the "animals telling the story". Animal Farm, Watership Down ( ugh), but I did like the wit in the Disney movie, "Finding Dori".

I like Marcellus the best. The " great creatures" did address grief, family, and freedom. I was hoping to talk about loneliness and belonging in class. That made a significant impact on me in the end.

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I am going to start at the end. I was just waiting for the book to end because I wanted it be be wrapped up the the neat package I knew it would be.

Along the way, I enjoyed the journey.

My heart ached for Tova - from her loss and loneliness to her kneading grief. She was my favorite character and I rooted for her from the beginning. Her developing relationship with Ethan made me smile and the tale of her driving on the highway to pick up the rare Grateful Dead shirt had me laughing in the car.

Cameron annoyed me. Initially, I felt for him, but I also felt like he was a lost soul. At first, I thought he must be younger than he was in the book (he was 30). His connections with others helped him find himself and provided support to help him grow.

The last character I thought I was going to adore was an octopus, but here I am saying that I loved Marcellus. Listening to him on the audiobook brought him to life. He was witty and intuitive. I anticipated his chapters to hear his viewpoint and what his next moves just might be. After I read the book, I found online fan clubs devoted to him.

I enjoyed each character in their own way. I was disappointed we did not find out what happened to Daphne.

This is a book I would share with others who enjoy a summer read that has a theme of growth, resilience, and friendships.

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Lorraine Adu-Krow --> Thoughts and Overall Reactions

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Lorraine Adu-Krow --> Thoughts and Overall Reactions

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My overall impression of the book was that it was a good quick read! That being said, some parts of the book felt quick and some parts felt a bit too drawn out.

I liked the characters overall, they felt realistic albeit at times annoying.

Finally, the ending, although satisfying felt a bit rushed to me. For example, the fact that Tova was so resistant to change seemed to be a character trait but then she sold her house (it felt overnight). It didn't feel real at times but really just rushed. Also the idea that Cameron was painted as this incredibly immature character throughout the book but at the end has almost turned over a new leaf. These character developments threw me off and didnt seem to "flow" with the rest of the book itself.

My biggest takeaway from the book was honestly that humans are awful and animals can do no wrong. LOL, Marcellus was the highlight of the entire book for me personally.

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So after reading so many depressing books, where nobody seemed to ever catch a break, I have to say that I was really enthralled by this book. I do like mysteries, and I found this was an easy read, and I was drawn right into the book.

I was surprised by how open and caring Tova was, in spite of losing her son and her husband, and I really connected with her the most, especially to her work ethic. She would always go above and beyond, even using her own money to pay for what she considered better cleaning products. She didn't care what her friends thought about her work, nor about the pay - it was about doing a good job and being proud of it.

I was also touched by how generous Ethan was, almost naively so, and how both Ethan and Tova kept a positive attitude towards Cameron no matter how horrible he was to them. I didn't think Ethan's character was totally believable - who would offer a total stranger to come stay with him - but it helped the story unfold since Ethan was smitten with Tova.

I fell in love with Marcellus, feeling sorry for him for being taken into captivity, but loving his mischeviousness and how quickly he and Tova became co-conspirators - how she threw away the lock and then would pretend not to notice when she would see him in another tank eating. I didn't understand at first what he was alluding to, when he talked about knowing who the 2 related people were. I imagined that it was somebody else who often came to the aquarium.

I felt sorry for Cameron, having been dealt such a terrible hand in life, but I also wanted to kick him in the butt everytime he just gave up: at all his different jobs, and in his different relationships. He really lacked grit and perseverance yet everybody kept giving him more chances, even if he was convinced that the world was out to get him.

Although we knew from the very beginning that Marcellus was going to die - he was afterall counting the number of days until his demise - it was so touching to have him bring Tova closure and also for her to return him to his home. I thought that when Tova came back from sick leave and saw the other octopus there that he had died without her being able to say goodbye. Even the ending made me smile, although it was bittersweet since Tova had already sold her house and Marcellus' days were numbered. I just laughed at the imagery of her rolling the mop bucket down the quay with an octopus in it! I did feel like I was there.

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My first thought when I started to listen to the book was this is ridiculous, An octopus named Marcellus actually talking?
However, I continued to listen and really came to like Marcellus.

I learned so much about octopuses, they actually do have three hearts and are very intelligent.

I loved all the characters in the book. Marcellus' character was the thread that sewed together the story.  Marcellus had found Eric’s remains on the floor of the ocean. He kept his key and brought it to the aquarium. He knew that Tova would find it and she would know that it was her son’s key. When Cameron left his drivers license on his bosses table Marcellus purposely put it in a spot for Tova to find it.

Finally when Marcellus put Eric's school ring in the eel tank it culminated in the truth about  who’s ring it was.

Marcellus  is the remarkable bright creature.  He was instrumental in changing everyone's life.

I think that everyone became a better person.

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Overall, I enjoyed this book and appreciated that it was a "lighter" read than some of the other books from this year.

I really latched on to Tova's character and found myself really caring about her (and not wanting her to move, among other things). I also appreciated how frustrated I would get with Cameron and think this was another successful element of the novel in terms of me caring about the characters. I loved Ethan and, of course, Marcellus: I loved the way his character shined a light on humanity from an outsider's perspective and the incorporation of the title phrase "remarkably bright creatures" being about us - I clearly thought it would be in reference to Marcellus!. "Bright" to me from his viewpoint means smart, sure, but I also think "bright" as in "capable of bringing light" to others, as many of the characters did for each other along the way or at the end.

I think Van Pelt does a good job of, as Tracie said, exploring loneliness and belonging in a relatable way: in my opinion, none of the human characters had any "unbelievable" elements to them or anything out of the ordinary (though sad), which made them all relatable.

I appreciated how open-minded the characters were: Tova seemed inflexible. Cameron seemed incapable of getting out of his own way, Ethan was patient (as was Avery (though minor)) and gave Cameron a second (third?) chance at life and work, Terry was willing to give Cameron a chance...and all of these factors made it possible for the ending Van Pelt decided on to actually happen in an organic, even if expected, way. I think it's a good story about how families and the friends that we choose to become family can be messy but supportive and how providing people with opportunities and second chances can allow them to find themselves.

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I enjoyed the book, though I didn't LOVE it. I did like the ending and how things worked out for the characters. However, I didn't feel a strong connection to any of them. I really like Cameron's Aunt Jeanne and I really like Marcellus. Other than that, I thought all of the characters had one or two annoying traits that I just couldn't get past. However, I can credit the author for making her characters real and round. I also loved the infusion of the rich setting of the pacific northwest and the mystery at the bottom of the ocean. Piecing together the connections between Cameron and Tovah was definitely a fun part of the book. My biggest takeaway has to do with loneliness and belonging. I appreciate how the the author wove in aspects of friendship and family in various forms, from the knitwits, to Aunt Jeanne and Cameron, to Marcellus and Tovah, to Ethan and Tovah, to Cameron and Ethan and Cameron and Tovah, and more!

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