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The co-op bookstore for avid readers
The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus: A Read with Jenna Pick
Reader Score
67%
67% of readers
recommend this book
"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.
Book Details
- Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books
- Publish Date: Jan 7th, 2025
- Pages: 384
- Language: English
- Edition: undefined - undefined
- Dimensions: 8.90in - 6.40in - 1.30in - 1.00lb
- EAN: 9780593830451
- Categories: • Women• Family Life - General• Friendship
About the Author
More books by Emma Knight
What people are saying
Jenna Hager is co-host of NBC's TODAY with Hoda & Jenna and an editor-at-large for Southern Living magazine.
This is a witty and charming book about friendship, motherhood and finding ourselves, with mystery and romance at its core... I promise it will sweep you off your feet.
Joanna Rakoff is a novelist and memoirist.
I really, really loved this...elegantly-plotted coming of age tale, which is also a campus novel (my favorite genre!), and a comedy of manners (also my favorite genre?!), with a mystery at its heart... the perfect cozy winter read, particularly if one might want a distraction from the news.
Eleanor Dunn is a journalist and editor for the New York Times.
“The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus” is a family-mystery-slash-campus-novel set around a Saltburn-esque Scottish estate and the University of Edinburgh. But underneath all that, it’s an endearing, witty coming-of-age story about inheritance, sexuality and emerging womanhood
Praise for this book
"The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus is a spellbinding debut about friendship, motherhood, first love, and the choices that bind us. Emma Knight whisks us away to Scotland, where Penelope Winters navigates her first year at Edinburgh University while untangling a family mystery. I couldn't put it down!"
--Carley Fortune, #1 New York Times bestselling author of This Summer Will Be Different and Meet Me at the Lake
"Brimming with heart, The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus is a story about parents and children, friends and lovers, and that moment when a young person must strike out on her own to claim the life she most wants. Emma Knight swept me off my feet."
--Jenny Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of Pineapple Street
"Whip smart, unrestrainedly fun, and bursting with heart. . . A novel about finding ourselves, falling in love, and meeting that precious group of friends whom we call family. . . Joyous, clever, and wholly transportive."
--Katy Hays, New York Times bestselling author of The Cloisters
"Charm on every page. . . enthralling. Academia, friendship, young love, and family secrets, this is as smart as it is delicious, as nostalgic as it feels fresh. . . Knight is a blazing new literary talent."
--Ashley Audrain, New York Times bestselling author of The Push
"Knight's gorgeously intimate, cleverly insightful wordsmithing will certainly impress and entertain."
--Booklist
"Wonderfully crafted, Emma Knight's story of friendship, family secrets and first love made me nostalgic about the act of reading itself. Mystery, intrigue, posh Scots and academia, it's a book to lose yourself in. Pro tip: carry it around the house, like I did, for maximum snatched read-time. A beautifully written, page-turning delight!"
--Fran Littlewood, New York Times bestselling author of Amazing Grace Adams
"Sally Rooney fans, take note! Emma Knight's witty, wistful debut will keep you up all night, pondering the mystery and romance at its core, and rooting for Knight's irresistible heroine. I loved it."
--Joanna Rakoff, international bestselling author of My Salinger Year
"Addictive, nostalgic and comforting, this layered family mystery crept round my heart like a modern-day Dodie Smith."
--Claire Daverley, international bestselling author of Talking at Night
What people are saying
Jenna Hager is co-host of NBC's TODAY with Hoda & Jenna and an editor-at-large for Southern Living magazine.
This is a witty and charming book about friendship, motherhood and finding ourselves, with mystery and romance at its core... I promise it will sweep you off your feet.
Joanna Rakoff is a novelist and memoirist.
I really, really loved this...elegantly-plotted coming of age tale, which is also a campus novel (my favorite genre!), and a comedy of manners (also my favorite genre?!), with a mystery at its heart... the perfect cozy winter read, particularly if one might want a distraction from the news.