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Shelby Van Pelt

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Remarkably Bright Creatures: A Novel Audio CD – MP3 Audio, May 3, 2022

by Shelby Van Pelt (Author)

4.6 70,038 ratings

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"Remarkably Bright Creatures is a beautiful examination of how loneliness can be transformed, cracked open, with the slightest touch from another living thing." -- Kevin Wilson, author of Nothing to See Here

For fans of A Man Called Ove, a charming, witty and compulsively readable exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope that traces a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus

After Tova Sullivan's husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she's been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.

Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine 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 invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it's too late.

Shelby Van Pelt's debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.

Print length

1 pages
Language

English
Publisher

HarperCollins B and Blackstone Publishing
Publication date

May 3, 2022
Dimensions

5.3 x 0.6 x 6.7 inches
ISBN-13

979-8200969296
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Get to know this book

What's it about?
A widow forms an unlikely friendship with a giant Pacific octopus and together they uncover the truth about her son's disappearance.
Amazon editors say...
Readers will fall for this warm, wise, uplifting tale about love and loneliness…and Marcellus, a grumpy octopus.
Vannessa Cronin, Amazon Editor
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Humans. For the most part, you are dull and blundering. But occasionally, you can be remarkably bright creatures.
9,990 Kindle readers highlighted this
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Why can humans not use their millions of words to simply tell one another what they desire?
7,842 Kindle readers highlighted this
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She understands what it means to never be able to stop moving, lest you find yourself unable to breathe.
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Shelby Van Pelt lives in the suburbs of Chicago with her family. Remarkably Bright Creatures is her first novel.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09RM4BVX9
Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins B and Blackstone Publishing; Unabridged edition (May 3, 2022)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Audio CD ‏ : ‎ 1 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8200969296
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.88 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.3 x 0.6 x 6.7 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #235,505 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #330 in Books on CD
- #624 in Animal Fiction (Books)
- #5,081 in Family Life Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.6 70,038 ratings

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Shelby Van Pelt

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When Shelby Van Pelt isn’t feeding her flash-fiction addiction, she’s juggling cats while wrangling children. Her debut novel, REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES, will be published by HarperCollins in May 2022. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, she’s currently missing the mountains in the suburbs of Chicago. Find her at www.shelbyvanpelt.com, on Twitter @shelbyvanpelt, and Instagram @shelbyvanpeltwrites.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5

70,038 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the emotional tone heartwarming and magical. They also describe the content as very intelligent, believable, and a great read for any age. Readers praise the writing style as wonderful, endearing, and humorous. They describe the creatures as remarkably bright and wonderful. Customers also find the storyline entertaining and easy to follow. They find the premise amazingly creative and satisfactory. Opinions are mixed on the pace, with some finding it perfect and others starting a bit slow.

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Emotional tone Writing style Characters Storyline Premise Content Insightful Pace

673 customers mention "Emotional tone"637 positive36 negative

Customers find the book heartwarming, delightful, and almost a fairy tale. They also appreciate the different perspectives and insight into the mysterious and magical world of wildlife.

"...Such likable characters! It was relaxing to read a book with a satisfying ending." Read more

"...the octopus’s point of view, but otherwise it’s simply a delightful tale about family and connections that had me ugly crying by the end of the..." Read more

"...You have the gift of finding soulful topics, unique characters and bringing a story together that no one would have thought of...." Read more

"...It's almost a fairy tale. Remarkably bright creatures indeed. I am going to go look for other works by Shelby Van Pelt now. Such a satisfying read" Read more

548 customers mention "Writing style"520 positive28 negative

Customers find the writing style plausible, believable, and soulful. They also say the book is an easy read for all ages, good for book club discussion, and hard to categorize.

"This book reminded me of A Man Called Ove. It is wonderfully written; smart, endearing and humorous at times. Such likable characters!..." Read more

"...in such a hallmark way, but again, this story was a delightful snapshot of human emotions, and how good things happen when we are able to be..." Read more

"...come together wonderfully, but the characters are full and likable and real. More, please." Read more

"...Must read! The authors debut was nothing short of amazing. I loved her writing style and how she intertwined the characters...." Read more

541 customers mention "Characters"521 positive20 negative

Customers find the characters in the book easy to love.

"...Such likable characters! It was relaxing to read a book with a satisfying ending." Read more

"...There are a bevy of side characters, but trust me when I say that each one has importance to the story, even if it doesn’t seem so at the time...." Read more

"...Each character is given a detailed backstory that becomes very important to the plot...." Read more

"...only do the plot lines come together wonderfully, but the characters are full and likable and real. More, please." Read more

442 customers mention "Storyline"393 positive49 negative

Customers find the storyline entertaining, interesting, and not at all silly or pretentious. They also say the book has enough tension to keep it interesting, places a smile on their face, and is not too verbose.

"...It is wonderfully written; smart, endearing and humorous at times. Such likable characters! It was relaxing to read a book with a satisfying ending." Read more

"...This is a very special book, and I’m so glad I was able to finally read it. Highly recommended!" Read more

"...I’ve told friends about it and everyone who reads it loves it. It’s catchy and so wonderfully written and you want to keep reading to see what..." Read more

"...It made me laugh out loud and sometimes even cry, but all for the best reasons. You'll love Tova, Cameron and especially Marcellus. :)..." Read more

184 customers mention "Premise"184 positive0 negative

Customers find the premise of the book amazingly creative, cute, and well-planned. They also describe it as original, entertaining, and unusual in its perspective.

"The book itself is wonderful and the concept is well executed...." Read more

"...Extremely creative yet completely believable! Totally different than what I typically read but I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Highly Recommend!" Read more

"...A truly original work, but one that touches many familiar and personal themes and emotions." Read more

"...In retrospect, this is an intricately plotted story, carefully structured. But it didn’t seem so while I was reading it. And the characters!..." Read more

125 customers mention "Content"125 positive0 negative

Customers find the book entertaining, intelligent, and educational. They also say the premise is good and the author is genius. Readers also mention the book touches on sensitive topics and is a great read for any person or age.

"...We meet him on day 1,299. He is a highly intelligent, smart cookie of an octopus...." Read more

"Amusing, entertaining, educational, and moving novel.I enjoyed reading Marcellous' tricks ...." Read more

"Deftly woven, bringing disparate lives together into a wonderful tapestry. I loved the whole book. It never once felt clunky as some first books do...." Read more

"Characters, story, all good. A good choice for a book club." Read more

76 customers mention "Insightful"76 positive0 negative

Customers find the book insightful and light reading. They also mention that the characters are remarkably bright creatures.

"...And Van Pelt includes so many funny moments in her story that kept the tone light, despite some of the more heavy themes...." Read more

"...It's almost a fairy tale. Remarkably bright creatures indeed. I am going to go look for other works by Shelby Van Pelt now. Such a satisfying read" Read more

"...They truly are Remarkably Bright Creatures." Read more

"...engaging characters, a bitter-sweet love story with some remarkably bright creatures." Read more

66 customers mention "Pace"40 positive26 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pace of the book. Some find the story-telling unique and the pacing perfect, while others say the book starts out slow.

"...The story arc travels at the right pace, and I did not want to put it down...." Read more

"...It’s a heartwarming read. I found the beginning to be a little slow so it took a little to get into the book but if you persevere, you will be..." Read more

"I loved this book. Such a sweet story. It was so nicely paced. I truly enjoyed reading it. A lot like a man called Ove." Read more

"...I enjoyed this book very much. The story moves quickly and I didn’t want to put it down." Read more

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janine w.

An enjoyable read!

Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2024

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This book reminded me of A Man Called Ove. It is wonderfully written; smart, endearing and humorous at times. Such likable characters! It was relaxing to read a book with a satisfying ending.

2 people found this helpful

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Rain

Delightful, heartwarming, found family

Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2024

Verified Purchase

This story begins with a 60 pound (27.2 kg) giant pacific octopus named Marcellus. He knows the average lifespan of his kind is four years (1,460 days). We meet him on day 1,299. He is a highly intelligent, smart cookie of an octopus.

Tova (7o), is the overly proficient cleaner at the Sowell Bay aquarium where Marcellus lives. She takes great pride in her work, and it helps distract her from the loss of her husband, and the death of her 18-year-old son, Erik, 30 years ago.

“Tova wonders sometimes if it’s better that way, to have one’s tragedies clustered together, to make good use of the existing rawness.”

Marsellus and Tova strike up a sort of friendship in the evenings while she is cleaning. There is a bit of magical realism throughout, but it fits perfectly here.

Found family
Mystery
Friendships, of all kinds
Excellent backstories
Perfectly placed coincidences

I will concede that the story is a little schmaltzy at times. I didn’t care. I read this book in one afternoon, quietly inhaling these characters, their lives, wishing and hoping for the best futures for them.

I simply adored this found family, these lost souls.

There are a bevy of side characters, but trust me when I say that each one has importance to the story, even if it doesn’t seem so at the time.

In Cameron (30), we see the perpetual victim mindset. He’s a hard character to like, but once he understands his own culpability to his repeated downfalls, he has wonderful character growth.

Ethan (60s) the gentle giant Scotsman who crushes hard on Tova. He is a quasi father figure for Cameron.

Pieces of the puzzle slowly come together in such a hallmark way, but again, this story was a delightful snapshot of human emotions, and how good things happen when we are able to be vulnerable. I just wish that Marcellus had more chapters. He was delightful.

30 people found this helpful

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Booklover

surprisingly good

Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2024

Verified Purchase

If a friend hadn’t encouraged me, I would have missed reading this lovely heartwarming book. I loved Tova’s character; her quiet demeanor and strength. I was so glad that Cameron found what he was looking for.

Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2024

Verified Purchase

What a wonderful surprise this was! I thought Remarkably Bright Creatures was a story about a woman and an octopus, but it turned out to be so much more than that. This is Shelby Van Pelt’s first book, and I don’t think a debut has affected me like this since I read Hollow Kingdom, another story that unfolds through the eyes of an animal. The story has a bit of magical realism to it, in the sense that parts of it are told from the octopus’s point of view, but otherwise it’s simply a delightful tale about family and connections that had me ugly crying by the end of the book.

In the first chapter we meet Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus on display in the Sowell Bay Aquarium near Puget Sound. Marcellus has been in captivity for 1,299 days, and based on his life expectancy of about four years, he believes he only has a handful of days left to live. His dreary days in a small glass enclosure are broken up by secret nighttime excursions, as Marcellus is extremely smart and has found a way out of his tank.

Tova Sullivan is a seventy-year-old woman who has been working nights at the aquarium as a cleaning lady for the past two years. Tova knows how to remove the hundreds of fingerprints on the tank walls and can polish the floors to a brilliant shine. She’s also quite fond of the sea creatures she encounters each night, especially Marcellus, and the two have formed an unusual bond since Tova saved Marcellus one night after he escaped and became entangled in a bunch of electrical cords.

Next, we meet Cameron Cassmore, a thirty-year-old man who is drifting through life with no real purpose. Cameron lives in California, and one day his aunt gives him a box of his estranged mother’s things. Inside the box he finds a photo and an old class ring, clues that could lead to the identity of his father, a man he never knew. Cameron hops on a plane to Washington state, convinced the man he thinks is his father—a rich real estate tycoon—will be so distraught over abandoning his son, he’ll shower Cam with money. At least that’s the plan.

Finally, Ethan Mack is the owner of Sowell Bay’s Shop-Way, the local grocery store. Ethan has known Tova for years and secretly has a crush on her, but Tova is much too distant to notice his interest. When Cameron shows up at the Shop-Way looking for a job, Ethan directs him to his friend who manages the aquarium, which is how Cameron and Tova meet.

Tying all these characters together is Marcellus, a remarkably bright octopus with a penchant for stealing and hoarding the treasures he finds after hours on the aquarium floor, and who just might be able to bring two people together who need each other—but don’t yet realize it.

Van Pelt’s chapters alternate among all these characters and introduce a slew of side characters as well, each one vitally important to the story. At first, we don’t realize how each character is connected to the next, but slowly the author reveals her secrets until the stunned reader begins to understand the depth of these connections. Each character is given a detailed backstory that becomes very important to the plot. Tova’s story in particular was heart wrenching, as she has experienced quite a bit of loss in her life and finds herself mostly alone in her twilight years. Luckily she belongs to a group of women who call themselves the Knit-Wits, and the four of them meet weekly to eat, drink, gossip and support each other. Tova came to America from Sweden as a little girl, so the story is filled with details about growing up with her Swedish mother and father. Even the Dala horses her mother collected play a part in the story, and I found these little details added so much richness.

At first I couldn’t figure out how Cameron fit it, but once he arrives in Sowell Bay and meets Ethan and Tova, his story takes on new meaning. Cameron meets a woman named Avery who also plays a vital part in filling in some of the missing pieces about Cameron’s father, and I loved the way the author gave even the most insignificant side characters meaning and purpose.

Van Pelt infuses her story with so many emotional moments and themes. We see how the Knit-Wits are going through the aging process, as their numbers have dwindled over the last few years. Tova is facing being alone in her old age, with no children or husband to take care of her, and so she makes the rash decision to sell her beloved house and move into a retirement community. I don’t want to give too many details about Tova’s past and her losses, because I think it’s better to discover those revelations for yourself. Let’s just say that I felt Tova’s pain and wanted nothing more than for her to be happy.

And Van Pelt includes so many funny moments in her story that kept the tone light, despite some of the more heavy themes. There’s an ongoing bit about Cameron’s lost luggage that was hysterically funny, and Tova inherits a stray cat at one point, which was a delightful side plot. I also loved the story about the t-shirt that Tova uses to clean Ethan’s kitchen—you’ll just have to read the book so you can experience the hilarity too!

And of course, I can’t forget the star of the story, Marcellus the octopus. As the days tick by—each of his chapters starts with a marker (“Day 1,299 of my captivity”, etc)---the tension builds as Marcellus gets closer to his impending death (at least that’s what he thinks). Marcellus understands human nature more than most humans, and I loved the way he wisely intuits each character’s needs. Ultimately, this is a story about creatures—both human and animal—saving each other. The way Marcellus’s story plays out was absolutely perfect—heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time.

This is a very special book, and I’m so glad I was able to finally read it. Highly recommended!

178 people found this helpful

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stalios

Remarkably great book

Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2024

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I had seen this book recommended several times but refused to spend $20 for it. I caught it on sale for 2.99 during prime days. I'm so glad I did. There is a bit of a mystery and wonderful characters. So very human and of course one who is not. The story neatly wraps up every loose end and there is a happy ending for all. It's almost a fairy tale. Remarkably bright creatures indeed. I am going to go look for other works by Shelby Van Pelt now. Such a satisfying read

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Crystal74

Touching, funny, excellent characters — everyone

Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2024

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What a wonderful book. I know there will be people who are skeptical of the sentient octopus part, but let it go. You can handle Winnie the Pooh and The Lion King, you can easily handle this.
At the end, I realized how well written all of the characters were. Not only do the plot lines come together wonderfully, but the characters are full and likable and real. More, please.

3 people found this helpful

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Mona

I will never ever eat octopus again!

Reviewed in Canada on October 7, 2023

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I loved this story. It was brilliantly written, narrated by each character, in the first person…. even the octopus, Marcellus. I needed this ‘feel good’ book and would highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys a good story. It was funny, sad, heart warming and a bit quirky but worth the read. I was captivated by it from the beginning and could not put it down. Read it yourself, and I guarantee you will not want to eat octopus again either !

4 people found this helpful

Jorge

El libro más hermoso

Reviewed in Mexico on September 30, 2023

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Hace mucho que no leía un libro tan especial, me ha encantado. Tiene un lugar especial en mi corazón ❤️🐙

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janeymc

Great story of loss and loneliness and changing your mind

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 19, 2024

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Liked this book a lot. Well written and great characters. Worth a read for sure

Bookworm

Remarkably wonderful book

Reviewed in France on May 30, 2024

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Like many other readers I was a bit sceptical at first when I found the narrator was an octopus but it all comes together beautifully. Very touching at times, the story is fascinating and believable with a lovely warm ending. A great book and one I will remember.

One person found this helpful

Niccimac

Fave book 2024

Reviewed in Germany on May 18, 2024

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A must read

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Remarkably Bright Creatures: A Novel Audio CD – MP3 Audio, May 3, 2022

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