Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

23 reviews

kimveach's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing fast-paced

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

5.0

Who knew I liked reading animal thoughts?  After Lessons in Chemistry and now this book, it appears that I do.  This was the perfect book for me right now.  I loved the Puget Sound setting, the characters, and the wise old octopus.  Though the book focuses on loneliness and loss, it feels like you've been given a warm hug.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment

Moderate: Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Death of parent, Death, and Child death

Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Addiction, Pregnancy, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content

purplepenning's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

A charmingly original debut with a Fredrik Backman vibe! Tova is an older woman who has lost her share of loved ones and, sometimes to her friends' dismay, copes by staying busy and applying Scandinavian stoicism. While staying busy at her cleaning job at the aquarium, she makes an unexpected friend — a surprisingly deft, gently humorous giant Pacific octopus named Marcellus. Observing what others may not,  Marcellus unlocks the mysteries of the past and opens the possibilities of the future. 

I loved Marcellus the first time I read this, but the audiobook version is so good that I fell even deeper for him on the second read/listen!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Child death, Chronic illness, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Animal death, Cancer, Grief, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Drug use, Addiction, Blood, and Suicidal thoughts

nialiversuch's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Suicide attempt, Confinement, Cursing, Terminal illness, Abandonment, and Death

Minor: Animal cruelty, Addiction, Drug abuse, Animal death, Sexual content, and Drug use

laheath's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

Admittedly, I was skeptical about the premise of this book, but after continually seeing wonderful reviews, I gave in and I'm so glad I did! I loved the narration in the audiobook and would happily listen to a podcast by Marcellus, the octopus! I was immediately drawn into his predicament of being imprisoned at an aquarium. The friendship that developed between he and Tova, the cleaner, was so sweet, as was hers with Ethan, the Scottish town grocer. Enter Cameron, a 30 year-old who has never held on to a job and comes to town looking for his biological father after being raised by an aunt when his mother deserted him. The portrayal of small-town life in the Pacific Northwest was endearing and the themes of loss, grief, and aging tugged at my heart.  The story is somewhat predictable, but seeing how it all came together was a treat, even the emotional ending.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, and Confinement

Moderate: Pregnancy, Addiction, and Drug abuse

Minor: Alcohol and Cursing

hannahcstocks's review against another edition

emotional reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Drug abuse, Cancer, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Medical content, Confinement, Addiction, Chronic illness, Animal death, Child death, and Grief

Minor: Blood and Alcohol

vireogirl's review against another edition

emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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

4.75

The octopus narrator is the best. Snarky, intelligent, and other-worldly. A beautiful story. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cursing, Alcohol, and Grief

Minor: Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Vomit, Animal death, Cancer, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, and Drug abuse

jhbandcats's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

This book is full of warmth and love from beginning to end. It was such a comforting read. Normally I read books that are dark or violent, and this was so refreshing. (I’m going back to my disturbing books in just a moment; I just want to extol the virtues of this one first.)

I loved the cranky octopus Marcellus, a prisoner in a small glass cell for most of his life. He has a lot to be cranky about: he’s smarter than the other sea creatures in the aquarium so he has no one to keep him company. Plus, he’s *definitely* smarter than the humans who stroll by every day, peering in and leaving their fingerprints smeared all over his tank. 

He’s figured out how to escape his tank and wander around after hours, and he befriends a clever widow when she rescues him from an adventure gone wrong. The bond between these two is the backbone of the book (even though octopuses don’t have backbones). However, it’s the bonds between the denizens and newcomers of the small town that drive the narrative. 

Lovable, flawed characters, a couple of mysteries, and an exploration of human nature combine to make this book a Remarkable Creature in and of itself. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Pregnancy, Child death, Grief, Addiction, Animal death, and Confinement

ciciyo's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide, Abandonment, Self harm, Toxic friendship, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Animal death, Cancer, Confinement, Cursing, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Addiction, Terminal illness, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Misogyny, and Suicidal thoughts

ruffian23's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, and Confinement

amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative reflective sad 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Death, Abandonment, Child death, and Confinement

Moderate: Emotional abuse and Pregnancy

Minor: Drug abuse and Drug use