Marcellus - you have absolutely stolen my heart. You wouldn’t think a story told from the point of view (among others) of an elderly octopus named Marcellus nearing the end of his life in an aquarium could be so magical, so endearing, and so moving, but this one truly is. This one is a #mustread and will have you feeling every type of emotion, but mainly love, the beauty of unexpected friendship, and bittersweet joy. Stunning and creative in every way.

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Marcellus has spent most of his life in captivity, but in his time behind the aquarium glass has become quite adept at the study of human beings. His particular favorite - and what is more, his closest friend - is the elderly and meticulous Tova, a widow grieving both the untimely loss of her husband and son, who is responsible for late night maintenance and has formed a significant bond with Marcellus.

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Through a random chain of events, Marcellus becomes intertwined with both Tova and a down on his luck young man by the name of Cameron, whose paths he discovers through his own shrewdness and years of observation of the habits of human, seem to be destined for one another and intertwined in the most unexpected of ways.

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Absolutely wonderful.

I absolutely loved this book. The character of Marcellus the octopus, is magnificent and a wonderful narrator in his chapters. And yes... I just wrote that. This is one of the reasons I thought I would not like this novel. I was afraid that this was going to be a weird love story between an octopus and a human, and I wasn't sure I wanted to read it. I am so happy that I did. It's not a romance novel, but it is a love story. It's about how we connect with each other and how much better our lives can be when we allow others into our lives.

Tova is our protagonist in the story. She works at the aquarium after hours as a cleaner. Marcellus is on exhibit at the aquarium and he knows how to escape his enclosure. He enjoys nightly forays throughout the aquarium. One night Tova finds him tangled among wires in the kitchen. She rescues Marcellus, and more importantly she keeps his secret. Tova is wrestling with grief from recently losing her husband, as well as long-term grief from losing her son in a boating accident many years ago.

It's about grief, friendship, family, growing old, and how opening ourselves to others can enrich our lives. And it's about an incredible, intelligent, elderly octopus who wants to help the lady who saved his life find her family before it's too late for either of them.

Just read it! I highly recommend this as a book that book clubs will enjoy. Thank you to NetGalley and Ecco for the arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I can't even begin to describe how in love I am with this book. All of the characters are incredible and the way that Shelby Van Pelt is able to intertwine all the characters and make the story connect like it does is absolutely mesmerizing. This is one that I will remember for a long time and will most likely be one of my favorite books of the year.

To find yourself rooting for an octopus in a book, it obviously has to be very good!

MARCELLUS!!! Marcellus is my favorite. Such a clever, amazing little guy. :) I wish there were more chapters from his POV. I loved Tova. She was so adorable but her story is heartbreaking. I know Cameron was a young, confused man, but his character was so annoying.

The characters all come together in such a heartwarming way. The ending had me crying so hard. I somewhat expected that ending, and the middle portion was very slow, but I stilled enjoy this and cried. Lol.

If you love Fredrick Backman, you will love this.

Tova works the night shift at the aquarium, emptying trash, and cleaning floors. The evenings become even more interesting when she encounters Marcellus, a Pacific octopus. He manages to get out of his tank and explore his area. It is not long before Tova talks with him and believes he understands her. Her son, Erik, mysteriously died on a boat and his body has never been recovered. Now, widowed, she finds solace in the aquarium. Marcellus and Tova form a friendship that is endearing. He helps her solve the mystery of her son’s death. Very creative book with wonderful people and a great story.

Special thanks to Ecco and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

What a heartwarming and a book that brought me out of my depression. For awhile. But when I think of it, I feel like I'm getting a great big hug from the universe.

I read this book but I hear audio is wonderful, especially the octopus, MARCELLUS, the hero of the story. Of course he doesn't speak, but in sentient.

This book I really loved! It took me awhile because I have sooo many books to review. I wish I read it earlier. 4.2 stars!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
Dates read: 8/8/2023-8/13/2023
Genre: Literary Fiction
Number of pages: 355

How lovely this book was! I would liken it to A Man Called Ove without the ominous, dark undertones. Almost immediately, the reader is offered three different mysteries: what is the truth behind Tova’s son’s sudden death, who is Cameron’s father, and how on Earth does this octopus keep escaping his tank? This is a story about endless love, hope, and the octopus who brings two unsuspecting individuals together. ❤️🐙 Read this if you are looking for a feel good story with a happy ending.

“But I do not like the hole in her heart. She only has one, not three, like me. Tova’s heart. I will do everything I can to help her fill it.”

This book is everything. Marcellus is one of my favorite characters of all time. This was a such a heartwarming read.

It reminds you of the importance of connections. That simply reaching out and making connections can pull you out of self imposed isolation.

Everyone should read this if they need an uplifting read.

Best book of the year we cannot wait for her next book in our library! Marcellus is the hero we all needed, ironically his humanity. Readers will enjoy Marcellus and his people in and out of the aquarium in Sowell Bay!

A big thank-you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for giving me a copy of this book for an unbiased review.

4/5 - Liked it quite a bit.

It's difficult to comment on this book, other than to simply say - I liked it. It was good. Not even necessarily "good" as in "good quality" (although that's there, it's a good quality story) but GOOD in the sense of relating to the topic of goodness. It's a kind book. It's the sort of story that makes you want to slow down and spend some time paying attention to the creatures around you. The sort of story that stretches your empathy muscles and leaves them satisfyingly sore.

I did have a couple of complaints - one was the somewhat stereotypical way that Avery was described. It was so male-gaze written that I had to double check that the writer was indeed a woman. The other is that Cameron tip-toed the line of being narcissistic and uninteresting. Although I think his character does have a solid redemption arc, I would have liked to find him more tolerable from the beginning (or at least, middle) of the story.

However, I absolutely loved the rest of the book. I adored Tova and feel as if I actually know her. I could not get enough of Marcellus - I often visit a local zoo and have very similar relationships with many of the animals there, so his connection with Tova felt familiar and deeply personal. I even loved the descriptions of Tova's house, which feels like a character in itself. But most of all, I loved the unconditional kindness that this story radiates and the deep, unflinching love with which it is written. Love for the natural world around us. Love for our friends. Love for our vocations. Love for those we have lost and those we have yet to find.

It's just a GOOD story.

Welcome to the small Pacific Northwest town of Sowell Bay, where Tova, a 70-year-old woman who finds herself alone in life, lives in the house her father built. Her son, Eric, disappeared mysteriously from a boat in Puget Sound at age 18, and her husband recently died. Her circle of friends, the beloved "Knit-Wits," is growing smaller as its members pass away or relocate in their old age. Just for something to do, Tova spends her evenings cleaning at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, where she befriends Marcellus, the giant Pacific octopus who has called the aquarium home for nearly his whole life. Cameron is a 30-year-old man-child (I mean that in the most loving way possible), who relocates to Sowell Bay from California while trying to track down his father. What neither Tova nor Cameron realizes is that Marcellus may be the key to unlocking the mysteries of their pasts...if only they would listen to him.

The best part about Remarkably Bright Creatures is the remarkably bright creature himself, Marcellus the octopus. I would recommend this book on audio for Marcellus's chapters alone; he is perfectly voiced by Michael Urie, who brings his superior-yet-endearing nature completely to life. Marcellus doesn't speak, but he is sentient, and his chapters are all about his observations of the human world -- and many of those observations are incredibly astute and poignant.

Remarkably Bright Creatures is one of those books that feels like a hug from the universe, a story that soothes you with its predictability and warms your heart with its quirky characters and gently reminds you that, even though it sometimes has teeth, the world is mostly a good, wonderful place. Simply put, it's just an incredibly charming story that gives you the warm fuzzies, and if I wanted anything more from it, it was just MORE MARCELLUS. I couldn't get enough of him.

At first I questioned whether this book would be all about an intelligent octopus. I got hooked as I continued and met the human characters and their relationships with the octopus and each other. Misconceptions, grief, love, friendships long lasting and new are highlighted. An interesting read.

This light and hopeful book about unlikely relationships is a joy to read. Shelby Van Pelt clearly believes in the underlying goodness in people (and other animals), making reading this book a definite mood-lifter. There is enough tension in the book to keep the reader interested, but it's an overriding sense of possibility that suffuses the experience.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This book was a lot of fun! I enjoyed it and loved the octopus. The middle dragged a bit for me, but overall a great debut.

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt is a heartwarming, charming, and unconventional story about the friendship between a lonely widow (Tova), a down on his luck young man (Cameron), and a giant Pacific octopus (Marcellus). The way the author intersected the lives of these three characters was beyond clever. The story is told from the points of view of Tova, Cameron, and yes…….Marcellus the octopus, whose shorter chapters I ended up loving the most. I began this book thinking that I would not like it, and would not be interested in an octopus being a narrator, but it totally surprised me. The chapters narrated by Marcellus were very short, but they were pure magic and one of the highlights of the book, as he shares his clever observations about life and the human condition.

All of the main and peripheral characters were so realistically and beautifully written. I don’t want to give away any of the story, but Marcellus has a role in the connections and bonds that form between the characters. The relationship that develops between Tova and Marcellus never felt contrived. The story was unlike anything I’ve read before. It was fresh, creative, original, and inspired. The story was well-paced and had the perfect combination of drama, emotion, humor, and wisdom. It was a compelling and easy read. There is a mystery, and at times I felt I knew where the story was going, but this did not take away from the overall impact of the story. Although some serious topics were sensitively tackled, the story was a hopeful and uplifting one. Some of the themes were: the importance of connection, friendship, family, grief/loss, coming of age, aging, loneliness, and the plight of animals in captivity.

The author perfectly captures setting and the feel of a close-knit, small town in the fictional Sowell Bay, in Washington state. I had never given much thought to octopuses before this book, but I came away with a curiosity and respect for these “remarkably bright creatures.” and I can’t wait to check out the recommended Netflix documentary “My Octopus Teacher.” It is hard to believe that this is a debut novel by this author. It is a well-deserved “Read With Jenna Today Show” book club pick. This novel will stay with me forever. I highly recommend this novel and cannot imagine anyone not being totally charmed by the story and the characters. Review thanks to Guest Fairy Ronna.

I am so glad I've been hearing some buzz recently on this book. I've been recommending it a ton since it has arrived in the stacks . When people hear one of the main characters is an octopus they either are immediately taken a back or in love with the concept. I am telling you it works 100 %=and he will quote possibly be your favorite character. The bond between this small group of characters will increase the size of your heart. I have read many great books lately but this one stands out as possibly the most perfect book to gift anyone. This is so heart warming and tender I can't imagine anyone not able to feel cheered while reading it.

A Jenna's bookclub pick that doesn't disappoint. The plot is quite unusual and keeps you turning the pages, with great descriptions along the way.

One of the most delightful books I've read this year! I loved everything about Tova and her story, and Marcellus' perspective was my absolute favorite. The character development, romance, and relationships built between Tova and every single other character in the book were all wonderfully written.

This is such a warm, comforting story that deserves a prime spot in your summer reading stack (audiobook is also fantastic and narrated by my personal favourite narrator, Marin Ireland).

Following three perspectives that combine in a small, gossipy town in Puget Sound: Tova, a lively, neat-as-a-button, 70-year-old, who works nights cleaning at the local aquarium centre where she forms a special friendship with a giant pacific octopus.

Marcellus, said giant pacific octopus, who journals his daily observations of humans during his captivity.

And Cameron, a lost 30-year-old, who is on a quest to find his father.

The characters are vivid, the story is equal parts comforting, moving, intelligent, funny, and the all around feel good novel we all need to soothe our weary hearts. Making me smile while making me cry - I just adored this one!