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emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Suicide, Dementia
I stopped at the end of chapter 6 when Kali dies. It is absolutely gut wrenching and didn’t need to happen. She spent her whole life cooped up and when she was moved to a tank that they hadn’t ensured was octopus proof, she escaped and died. The fact that they didn’t have a 24/7 watch on her despite knowing that it might not be secure is shockingly lax. The author does not do nearly enough exploration into what it means to hold such intelligent creatures in captivity, especially non-display animals. Really disappointing and I couldn’t keep reading even though I was almost done.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
informative
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
I enjoyed this book a lot, but it did have some slow moments throughout. I found the chapters named after the octopuses to be the strongest and most interesting. I definitely recommend if you already love the animal and want to learn more about them!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail
For an author that claims to love octopuses so much, it's pretty disturbing not seeing her really question the aquarium keeping such an intelligent, sentient being in a completely bare pickle barrel for MONTHS. Even musing about why it seems Kali, a young octopus, doesn't seem to want to go back into her barrel. I wonder why??! Not only that, the author even says she'd love to have an octopus in her own house but her husband wasn't into the idea and that ultimately it wouldn't be "good for her marriage." I stopped reading after the aquarium finally moves Kali into a larger tank, where the staff are apparently in awe at how big she actually is because I guess she was never able to actually stretch out fully before. And that very same night, after the aquarium workers questioned that maybe the lid of the larger enclosure they put her in might not be octopus-proof, Kali escapes the lid, falls out of the enclosure and dies on the floor. This scene was a glaring showcase of human cruelty in my eyes....they had named Kali after a powerful god, and then proceeded to keep her stuffed in a barrel. And then didn't even take enough care to keep her safe when they moved her. And THEN the aquarium just ups and buys a new baby octopus without having solved the space problem that contributed to Kali's barrel-cage of 8 months and later death. I know a lot of people apparently got a lot out of this book but I found a lot of it cruel and self-absorbed.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
I have never been so moved by a book before. It's beautifully written. You instantly fall in love with everyone, vertebrate or invertebrate. You learn so much about so many different animals, people and beliefs. I cannot recommend it enough, I'm seriously considering rereading it already because there's so much to take in.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Self harm, Suicide, Terminal illness, Dementia, Grief
Minor: Self harm
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
I would highly recommend the audiobook format. The author is a very engaging and enthusiastic storyteller, so just let go and enjoy. Her experiences with octopuses leave you envious and I became quite attached to these wondrous beings. Other of her experiences like learning to scuba dive weren’t as engaging. She builds her case with respect to soul throughout the book while never overtly talking about it, then draws her conclusion on the matter at the very end. It would have been interesting to approach the topic earlier. I did thoroughly enjoy the book. I lost sleep because I just couldn’t put it down. Sign of a good book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Suicide, Dementia, Cannibalism, Car accident, Suicide attempt
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death, Misogyny, Suicide, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt