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Remarkably Bright Creatures
- Narrated by: Marin Ireland, Michael Urie
- Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins
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Remarkably Bright Creatures
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Summary
Bloomsbury presents Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, read by Marin Ireland and Michael Urie.
Good Housekeeping Best Books of 2022
Glamour Best Books of 2022
After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night cleaner shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium. Ever since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat over thirty years ago, keeping busy has helped her cope. One night she meets Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium who sees everything, 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 body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late...
Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel is a reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.
Critic reviews
"Truly original and touching." (Helen Hoang, author of The Kiss Quotient)
"A beautiful examination of how loneliness can be transformed, cracked open, with the slightest touch from another living thing. Shelby Van Pelt makes good on this wild conceit, somehow making me love a misanthropic octopus, but her writing is so finely tuned that it's a natural element of a larger story about family, about loss and the electricity of something found." (Kevin Wilson, author of Nothing to See Here)
"I defy you to put it down once you’ve started." (Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, author of The Nest)
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What listeners say about Remarkably Bright Creatures
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- AntPHenderson
- 28-10-23
It’s a hug in a book.
My wife said she was reading this and gave me a brief synopsis that involved missing people and an octopus - I was intrigued so decided I’d take the plunge.
Less the mystery thriller I was half expecting, more the romantic drama that verges on the silly but despite really not being my usual genre, was a fitting vibe to an otherwise fraught and tricky life period.
Its characters are well thought sculpted and the performances are wonderful, particularly the narrator for Marcellus who had me laugh out loud more than once.
Yes, the Scottish accent is dreadful. But it has its charm and I soon just heard Ethan rather than longing for something more realistic.
It’s a warm cardigan of a story with some ups and downs along the way to keep you on your toes.
Worth a read / listen. 🐙
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Peggy
- 27-05-23
Very enjoyable, terrible Scottish accent😂
Very enjoyable, not too heavy and fairly predictable narratively. But still a good listen, would recommend. The only thing that I did not enjoy was the awful attempt at a Scottish accent. As a Scot myself I can assure everyone that no matter where you go in Scotland, no one sounds like that. 😂
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Georgina W.
- 29-01-24
Brilliant Bright Creatures
This is a marvellous book for all ages above 13 probably. The octopus connects up the shattered pieces of the lives of a mother who lost her son when he was a teenager and a young man brought up by an aunt with no knowledge of his parents. We learn about the Pacific Giant Octopus, named Marcellus who is a rescue but been an exhibit for most of his life, through his own voice, escapes, collection of treasures, and astute understanding of the humans who visit or work at the aquarium. Their lives are told with poignancy, humour and realism in the main narrative. Definitely a good read and listen. Original and in some ways similar to Navaselva, The Call of the Wild Valley where human and wild species and their stories are interwoven too.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Henry’s Glam-ma
- 10-12-23
Magnificent tale!
If I was to mention I was listening to a story about an octopus and a grief stricken old lady, I do think no one would give this book a chance.
However, it’s so good. The writing is superb. I’ve gasped and cried and held my breath. Marcellus (the octopus) is my new hero! Take a chance on this one please.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Bramblekate
- 14-01-24
such unusual subject
This book held me captivated all the way through. The readers' voices were excellent and the characters were brilliantly portrayed.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- donna coleman
- 23-04-23
A sweet read
Read this because it was so popular in reading circles. It was a very enjoyable story but not as awesome as I had expected. For me, a book really hits the right note, if I immediately say I would read it again. This was a good read but I wouldn’t read it again.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- amazonaddict
- 22-11-23
Wow. Audio genius.
I have trouble deciding if the story or the production was what worked best. Great storyline and characters and brought to life so well.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Caroline H
- 08-11-23
Loved a great debut.
Great novel, beautiful story, well narrated. I look forward to the next one. slightly dodgy Scottish accent but got used to it!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- The Montagues xx
- 01-07-23
INTERESTING CONCEPT
Generally a good story and well narrated...however, the Scottish accent was truly awful...I kept having to grit my teeth to continue to listen when the character made his appearances. The concept of the narrative is well done and interesting.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 15-04-23
Great Story
Interesting storyline, couldn't put it down , really recommend this book. It was a great read.
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1 person found this helpful