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The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus

A Novel

Audiobook
3 of 4 copies available
3 of 4 copies available
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER | READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON TODAY
“Undeniably delicious.” —The New York Times
“A spellbinding debut about friendship, motherhood, first love, and the choices that bind us. . . I couldn't put it down!” Carley Fortune, #1 New York Times bestselling author of This Summer Will Be Different
A witty, atmospheric, and brilliantly told novel that offers compelling portraits of womanhood, motherhood and female friendship, along with the irresistible intrigue surrounding an extraordinary British family

Arriving at the University of Edinburgh for her first term, Pen knows her divorced parents back in Canada are hiding something from her. She believes she’ll find the answer here in Scotland, where an old friend of her father’s—now a famous writer known as Lord Lennox—lives. When she is invited to spend the weekend at Lord Lennox’s centuries-old estate with his enveloping, fascinating family, Pen begins to unravel her parents’ secret, just as she’s falling in love for the first time . . .
As Pen experiences the sharp shock of adulthood, she comes to rely on herself for the first time in her life. A rich and rewarding novel of campus life, of sexual awakening, and ultimately, of the many ways women can become mothers in this world, The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus asks to what extent we need to look back in order to move forward.
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    • Publisher's Weekly

      November 25, 2024
      Cookbook author Knight (How to Eat with One Hand) makes her fiction debut with a touching tale of a student’s romantic entanglements and family secrets. Penelope “Pen” Elliot Winters arrives at the University of Edinburgh from Toronto. While in Scotland, she looks up aristocrat Elliot Lennox, from whom she believes her parents derived her middle name. Her father, Ted, was friends with Elliot and Elliot’s sister, Margot, at university, and Elliot now lives with his wife, Christina, at their crumbling family castle, while Margot is a fashion designer in London. Elliot and Christina invite Pen to their estate, where she meets their oldest son, Sasha, who is frequently in the tabloids as he finishes his final year at St. Andrews, and with whom Pen feels an instant attraction. As Pen frets over her virginity and worries what others think of her, she grows closer to the entire Lennox clan, including Margot’s daughter and grandson. But after a second trip to the castle ends with the cold shoulder from Sasha and revelations about their families’ connections, Pen confronts her naivety and tries to “make peace with herself.” Though the cast is a bit too crowded, making the story hard to follow, Pen’s intelligence and charm carry the reader along. The result is a satisfying coming-of-age story. Agent: Samantha Haywood, Transatlantic Agency.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      This ambitious novel, narrated by Saskia Maarleveld, follows Penelope as she leaves her native Canada for college at the University of Edinburgh. Once in Scotland, Pen seeks out her father's estranged friend, Lord Lennox, who she thinks might be behind her parents' divorce. Lord Lennox, now a famous writer, invites Pen to his family's famed British estate, where she finds herself mixed up in decades-old drama while growing close to Lennox's oldest son. The first half of this audiobook moves slowly as the large cast of characters is introduced, but Maarleveld's steady voice becomes more animated as the mystery unfolds and the pace picks up. Maarleveld is an expert with accents, and her narration infuses this coming-of-age story with the perfect amount of tenderness. C.A.P. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      July 1, 2025

      In 2006, Penelope Elliot Winters is off to college at the University of Edinburgh, leaving her recently divorced parents behind in Canada. Pen suspects they are hiding something and wonders if her father's school friend Lord Elliot Lennox (surely their shared name suggests a connection?) may have something to do with it. While in Scotland, Pen takes it upon herself to visit Lord Lennox and his mysterious family at their country estate. She falls in love with the entire family, including Lennox's son Sasha, just as her parents' secrets are revealed. Knight's fiction debut traces Pen's meandering coming-of-age with delicacy and attention to detail. Though the plot is somewhat drawn out and suffers from awkward perspective shifts, this exploration of family secrets, sexual awakening, and campus life satisfies. Saskia Maarleveld narrates, skillfully communicating the tensions among the characters as well as the confusion and exhilaration of embracing independence and self-discovery. VERDICT Leisurely paced and reflective, this story of coming into one's own should appeal to fans of Heather Frese's The Saddest Girl on the Beach.--Elyssa Everling

      Copyright 2025 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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