Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - Remarkably Bright Creatures

Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

250 reviews

alastaire's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Very heavy, death focused.
I loved each of the characters but thought the general message of the book was a bit off. More info on that in spoiler:

I thought they were setting up a found family story but then it didn't matter to the characters (as in they didn't form a closer familial type bond with each other) until they discovered that they were actually related by blood.

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karitoy's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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moond4ncer's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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nikimorr's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Wow! This book is incredible. I was a little skeptical starting - a book from the viewpoint of an octopus? Having finished - I wish there had been more chapters from the viewpoint of Marcellus the octopus.

This book follows the viewpoint of 3 main characters - Tova, Cameron, and Marcellus. Tova is an elderly woman who is a bit wound tight. Tova has lost her husband in their later years and lost her son many decades prior in a dark mystery. Cameron can only be described as a complete mess - a man dealt a difficult life with no known father and a mother who abandoned him as a child. He is the kind of character you both want to hug and shake some sense into. And Marcellus, last but definitely not least, is a brilliant octopus in captivity at the local aquarium nearing the end of his life. How do this characters connect? It all becomes apparent very readily to the reader but not to the characters.

There is nothing in this book that comes as a surprise. The foreshadowing is intense, and I figured out the ending early on. This book is about the ride, not the destination. The only reason i did not give this book 5 stars was because of the length of time it took for communication and resolution. It was almost torturous for a period of time - the reader knows the information, and the characters get close constantly to learning the truth, but somehow something happens and the characters elude learning the information that would resolve so many issues.

Many of the themes of this book are very sad, but, in many ways, it speaks to the reality of many people’s lives. And, the lives of animals held in captivity. But, as is eloquently put, it is no one’s fault what cards you are dealt, but you control the way you play.

In very large part, this story speaks to the power of moving on and letting go, even with baggage and even with no answers. I believe just about any reader can relate to this sentiment whether on a large or small scale.

And then, on a side note, the reader is educated on marine life. And it is literally impossible not to come away from this book with curiosity and fascination for the giant pacific octopus.

The end is chef’s kiss.

I had hoped from the very beginning that Marcellus would be released into the sea by Tova. I’m so happy it happened but would have understood if it had not - it would have been more realistic for Marcellus to have died in his tank/prison. I also seriously appreciated that, besides the biological relationship, there was no big reveals. We never learn what happened to Erik (although we get enough just to satisfy) and we never learn a large amount about Daphne, what happened, where she is, etc. (although, again we get an idea). It was more about the characters learning to let go and move forward. And realistically, we don’t always get all the answers neatly wrapped at the end.

Such a brilliant book that is worth the read for any reader.

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k8lynn's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

first audiobook to make me cry!

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anonymous_user's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

What a beautiful book. It really touched me. It took me a little bit to get into, but I loved the characters, especially Marcellus. It had me tearing up at the end - what a special story.

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