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2.84k reviews for:
Rendezvous mit einem Oktopus: Extrem schlau und unglaublich empfindsam: Das erstaunliche Seelenleben der Kraken
Sy Montgomery
3.89 AVERAGE
2.84k reviews for:
Rendezvous mit einem Oktopus: Extrem schlau und unglaublich empfindsam: Das erstaunliche Seelenleben der Kraken
Sy Montgomery
3.89 AVERAGE
So, to preface, this is the first book I’ve read that was written by a naturalist. The two things that stood out to me when I started reading were the author’s curiosity and her choice of prose.
The author is naturally curious about the octopus, and having spent a lifetime working with animals, I suppose her general approach to any new creature is more curiosity than fear or disgust. I’m not saying her opinions couldn’t shift to those feelings, but it seems unlikely they start there. While reading the first few chapters, this aspect was something I truly enjoyed—the visceral experience of someone who looks at these wonderful creatures with great fascination and without much bias. Given that my knowledge of octopuses is limited, I also appreciated how she educated me on a lot of aquatic trivia.
Then there’s the prose. I actually liked it quite a bit when I started reading until she began documenting her dives. I’m an amateur diver myself, so that was the only part of the book where we shared a common experience. For all the other sections—even when the prose was overly descriptive—I still enjoyed it, until I reached the diving sections. For example, the line “my air rising in silver bubbles like a song of praise…” felt like too much. At some point, the language overshadowed the message.
However, the most disappointing aspect of the book is the treatment of an octopus named Kali. For all the love and attention devoted to her in the book, the hardship she endured felt just as immense—making her situation all the more heartbreaking.
I don’t claim to understand the logistics of running and maintaining an aquarium on the scale mentioned, but the octopus deserved so much better. Since the available octopus exhibit was occupied by an older female, Kali had to be kept in a pickle barrel for eight or nine months!!!—and considering an octopus lives only about three years, that’s a terrible amount of time to spend in a barrel, especially for such an intelligent and curious creature.
In a cruel twist of fate, when she was finally relocated, she was found dead the next morning outside her tank. These creatures are so innately curious and bright, so when she is honored as an intrepid explorer in her death, it leaves a poor taste. I felt uncomfortable with the contrast between Kali’s confinement in a barrel and the author and her friends marveling at her intelligence as they played with her. Kali’s situation was the elephant in the room, yet I was expected to be distracted that the core group was able to study and interact with her? The only silver lining is that Kali’s life in captivity was probably longer than it would have been in the open ocean, but I’m not sure it was better.
Rounded up from 3.5 because for what its worth....I did enjoy the book
The author is naturally curious about the octopus, and having spent a lifetime working with animals, I suppose her general approach to any new creature is more curiosity than fear or disgust. I’m not saying her opinions couldn’t shift to those feelings, but it seems unlikely they start there. While reading the first few chapters, this aspect was something I truly enjoyed—the visceral experience of someone who looks at these wonderful creatures with great fascination and without much bias. Given that my knowledge of octopuses is limited, I also appreciated how she educated me on a lot of aquatic trivia.
Then there’s the prose. I actually liked it quite a bit when I started reading until she began documenting her dives. I’m an amateur diver myself, so that was the only part of the book where we shared a common experience. For all the other sections—even when the prose was overly descriptive—I still enjoyed it, until I reached the diving sections. For example, the line “my air rising in silver bubbles like a song of praise…” felt like too much. At some point, the language overshadowed the message.
However, the most disappointing aspect of the book is the treatment of an octopus named Kali. For all the love and attention devoted to her in the book, the hardship she endured felt just as immense—making her situation all the more heartbreaking.
I don’t claim to understand the logistics of running and maintaining an aquarium on the scale mentioned, but the octopus deserved so much better. Since the available octopus exhibit was occupied by an older female, Kali had to be kept in a pickle barrel for eight or nine months!!!—and considering an octopus lives only about three years, that’s a terrible amount of time to spend in a barrel, especially for such an intelligent and curious creature.
In a cruel twist of fate, when she was finally relocated, she was found dead the next morning outside her tank. These creatures are so innately curious and bright, so when she is honored as an intrepid explorer in her death, it leaves a poor taste. I felt uncomfortable with the contrast between Kali’s confinement in a barrel and the author and her friends marveling at her intelligence as they played with her. Kali’s situation was the elephant in the room, yet I was expected to be distracted that the core group was able to study and interact with her? The only silver lining is that Kali’s life in captivity was probably longer than it would have been in the open ocean, but I’m not sure it was better.
Rounded up from 3.5 because for what its worth....I did enjoy the book
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
A collection of stories and speculations about octopi largely from the author’s experience observing them in the New England aquarium. Expected this to be a bit more rooted in science, but it leaned more into anecdotes with a handful of citations. Lots of prose on the author’s diving experience as well. There wasn’t even interesting philosophical ponderings on consciousness. Would pass!
emotional
informative
fast-paced
emotional
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
My relationship with this book started off as extremely positive - I had not known much about octopuses and I was instantly captivated by their nature, quite skillfully sketched in the first chapter. Ironically, maybe this is precisely the reason for which I started to seriously question this book in the middle of it, and I finished it feeling more disturbed and sorry for octopuses than positively educated.
I mean, the main thesis of Sy Montgomery is "Octopuses and people are SO different, right? Like, as different as it can get. AND YET! BEHOLD! Octopuses are so, so, intelligent and so, so emotional, and you can connect so well with them and become FRIENDS! I love octopuses! YAY!".
Okay, great. So, Mrs. Montgomery, tell me please, why do you never question keeping those intelligent creatures that are capable of sadness, boredom and longing, in a captivity? Why are you not outraged by the fact that your friend, Kali, was kept in riddiculously small space with nothing to keep her entertained? Why do you gloss over this complicated matter, dealing with it in one short paragraph, and you are not even speaking your mind, just quoting someone who captures octopuses for a living (oh, so he does not have moral issues with it, how come, he earns money on it! But I would say that a journalist should at least try to go a little deeper here... But no, I totally get it, it's so cool to pet an octopus in an acquarium. Sorry I asked).
Also, it would be cool if a middle-aged, educated woman didn't write her memoirs like a self-absorbed, overly emotional fifteen-year-old. Just suggesting.
I mean, the main thesis of Sy Montgomery is "Octopuses and people are SO different, right? Like, as different as it can get. AND YET! BEHOLD! Octopuses are so, so, intelligent and so, so emotional, and you can connect so well with them and become FRIENDS! I love octopuses! YAY!".
Okay, great. So, Mrs. Montgomery, tell me please, why do you never question keeping those intelligent creatures that are capable of sadness, boredom and longing, in a captivity? Why are you not outraged by the fact that your friend, Kali, was kept in riddiculously small space with nothing to keep her entertained? Why do you gloss over this complicated matter, dealing with it in one short paragraph, and you are not even speaking your mind, just quoting someone who captures octopuses for a living (oh, so he does not have moral issues with it, how come, he earns money on it! But I would say that a journalist should at least try to go a little deeper here... But no, I totally get it, it's so cool to pet an octopus in an acquarium. Sorry I asked).
Also, it would be cool if a middle-aged, educated woman didn't write her memoirs like a self-absorbed, overly emotional fifteen-year-old. Just suggesting.