Reviews with content warning for Terminal illness - Lily and the Octopus

Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley

9 reviews

theverycraftyvegan's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted 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? No

5.0

This is the first book by Steven Rowley that I’ve read and I look forward to reading everything he’s ever written. And Michael Urie’s narration was perfect.

Lily and the Octopus filled me with so much love and also such a deep sadness; just like I knew it would. The way I immediately knew at the beginning, the way I sobbed uncontrollably and then cried with happiness at the end! I was glad I finished this book while I was home alone so I could freely feel and release all these emotions.

Dog lovers be warned. This will rip your heart out. But it will also heal you. Steven doesn’t leave you a blubbering mess.

“BEGIN. THE. STORY. OF. ME!” ~ Lily

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yvo_about_books's review against another edition

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emotional funny sad slow-paced

3.25

Finished reading: March 28th 2024

“If you spend your entire life trying to cheat death, there's no time left over to embrace life.”

I love books with animals playing an important role in the plot, so I'm still not sure how Lily And The Octopus has escaped my radar for this long. I loved the sound of the bond between main character Ted and his elderly dog Lily, and I even added it to my list of 2024 priorities in the hope I would read it sooner than later. It still took me longer than expected to actually pick it up, but what I didn't expect either was that I was going to end up having mixed thoughts instead. Things started out on a high note and initially I was loving the unique and whimsical writing style where the dog Lily has her own voice and the main character has active conversations with her. It had all the signs of becoming a high rating, but I have to say that this same uniqueness started to grate after a while. I mean, don't people around Ted see that he is completely delusional? Still, I was intrigued and entertained enough to keep reading, up until that ridiculous and overlong boat scene. This is exactly where the story lost me, and the pace was getting slower and slower even before that. That said, there were some nice deeper messages and definitely prepare to have some tissues at hand just in case. Lily And The Octopus had a fantastic start and I enjoyed the ending and message, but it was the middle where everything just became too muddled and over the top for me. I was enjoying the magical realism, but that part just took things WAY too far for me and completely ruined the reading experience (especially since it didn't even make sense). Anyhow, I can't deny that it is a story you won't forget any time soon either way.

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alienguy's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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asienerbrown's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.75

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prairieraven's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Sobbed so much. Heartbreaking and an amazing book in the worst way (all the feelings and grief)

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amandalorianxo's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I read Steven Rowley’s The Guncle first, not his later backlist but since he is publishing another book soon I wanted to read his other novels to play catch up on my tbr. You can tell this is a early work from him because while I felt for Ted and the tumor that was in Lily’s body, as a grown man he came across as immature and now how I imagined a 42 year old was supposed to act ? Then again maybe this is why we are introduced and brought in to his therapy sessions because it seemed like he needed them to adjust / make sense of his emotions. I never owned any pets but I can only imagine the huge loss it feels when they are gone. Steven Rowley did ok with this one but thankfully his writing and characterization has improved in the last several years since this one. Ironically, Michael Yerger is the audiobook narrator in this one and he voiced Marcellus in Remarkably Bright Creatures. How fitting ;)

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vanesst's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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? No

4.0

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readtheroomjess's review against another edition

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emotional 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

I have very mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, it’s beautifully written, heartwarming, and made me think a lot about how much I love the dogs at my feet. However, it was also heartbreaking in a way that felt gratuitous at times. I’m not sure any dog parent wants to hear a story about this

(this being pet illness and death)

. I also think a big part of the point is how much Ted used his relationship with Lily as a crutch to avoid “real life”, and that can be a cautionary tale for those of us who put our lives into our beloved animals. I suppose I’m glad I read this book, but I also kind of wish I never had.

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marinapaso11's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I would’ve given it 5 stars if it wasn’t for the tiny mention of the stereotypical Inuit

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