Lily and the Octopus

De: Steven Rowley

Narrado por: Michael Urie

Named to the American Library Association’s Reference & User Services (RUSA) Listen List!

Combining the emotional depth of The Art of Racing in the Rain with the magical spirit of The Life of Pi, Lily and the Octopus is an epic adventure of the heart.

When you listen to Lily and the Octopus, you will be taken on an unforgettable ride. The magic of this novel is in the listening, and we don't want to spoil it by giving away too many details. We can tell you that this is a story about that special someone: the one you trust, the one you can't live without. For Ted Flask, that someone special is his aging companion, Lily, who happens to be a dog.

Lily and the Octopus reminds us how it feels to love fiercely, how difficult it can be to let go, and how the fight for those we love is the greatest fight of all.

Remember the last book you told someone they had to listen to? Lily and the Octopus is the next one.

©2016 Steven Rowley (P)2016 Simon & Schuster

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Michael Urie narrates with a heartfelt passion that makes one giggle and laugh, nod in understanding and sob with sorrow. Urie's authentic emotion comes out in every character, whether it's Lily the dog's excitement, Ted the human's frustration, or the nameless octopus's apathy." ( AudioFile)

Love is rough

Well, this book was alright. I suppose the story was relatable and endearing, but I honestly thought the main character was going to be diagnosed with a mental disorder. He seemed pretty unhinged at times and I thought he could use more help then he was receiving. Themes are repeated over and over. I felt some of that could have been edited. For me, the story dragged on a little too long. I found the "time at sea" to be quite disappointing. I don't want to wreck it for you. Overall, it was a sad story so it may bum you out a bit. Not sure whom I would recommend this book to. I really wanted to like it. I really did.

Lovely story of the relationship between a man and

I absolutely loved this story. I want to be careful not to give anything away but it (the octopus) becomes a real horror as it gradually, inexorably, takes over the dog, Lily. I remember volunteering to make a two hour plus trip to deliver food to a quarantined relative just so I could listen and then as the story ended, driving with tears running down my face and an insane smile of satisfaction. As a listener and a pet owner, this book reached me on all levels. I remember thinking that the horror of losing a pet can only be balanced by the absolute overwhelming love a pet can inspire. Truly a great novel, beautifully performed.

Moving and Clever for those of us that has ever loved a dachshund

I could relate so much to this book. Lily’s story and the journey, it’s a special book that made me laugh and cry. It’s a must if you have a little dachshund that’s your heart and soul and you have faced demons together. It is honest and heartfelt.

For anyone who loves dogs

I am a firm believer that children should grow up with a dog. It teaches them how to love and be loved in return. This story centers on learning to love and how it feels to be loved. It's not the best dog book out there but it's a good one. Worth a credit.

The ending makes reading this book worthwhile

This is a very strange book and I really didn't enjoy it until I got to the end, which was absolutely wonderful. I am an animal lover but the storyline was just too bizarre for my taste. The ending was so beautiful and relatable. If you've ever lost a beloved pet you can't help but feel those emotions all over again. It was hard to get to the end and there were many times I thought about abandoning the story. So glad I did and listened through to the end. It's an easy read.

Amazing Performance

Would you consider the audio edition of Lily and the Octopus to be better than the print version?

Yes because the narrator added great energy to the story with his variation in voices-especially Lily's. This is by far the best rendition of an audiobook I have listened to and I listen to a lot!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Lily of course! The dog protagonist is resilient, adorable and funny.

What about Michael Urie’s performance did you like?

He did a great job embodying the essence of the characters in the story. He made the story come to life.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

You will laugh, you will cry.

Any additional comments?

This is the funniest sad story I have ever read. Particularly if you are a dog lover, it will tug at your heartstrings. Well worth the read.

Gut splittingly funny

This is British humor at its best. Maybe some Americans might not appreciate it at first, but hang on. You'll love it.

Amazing narration

Michael Urie crushes this narration. Had I been reading this, I'm not sure I would've enjoyed it as much. His voice was captivating and captured the essence of these characters perfectly.

Have your tissues ready

Any additional comments?

Why is it that every dog book that I read leaves me in tears? I am a huge dog lover so I am always drawn to this kind of book even though I know that I will be a mess before it is over. But the journey is usually worth it in the end and this book was no exception. So many things in this book reminded me of my own special dogs and I really enjoyed getting to know Lily and Ted.

My sweet Hershey
Lily is a dachshund and more importantly, Ted's best friend. They have been through so many things together during their 12 years together. They have a routine and enjoy their time together. This story takes you through so many of their milestones with each other including Lily's adoption, Ted's relationships, and health issues. I loved Lily and Ted's conversations with each other and could totally relate to them since I often converse with my own dog pack.

I spent most of this book being reminded of all of the dogs that I have been lucky enough to have in my life. I grew up with my Tiger dog who turned out to be a wonderful dog that I still love immensely even though she has been gone for over 20 years. As an adult, Hershey blessed my life. I was able to have her for a best friend for 13 ½ amazing years. She was a very intelligent Golden Retriever Rottweiler mix and the perfect member of our family. She died in September 2015 and we still miss her so very much. We currently have 3 dogs in our family. Our Cookie is a Chow mix that is still going strong at 12 years of age. We added two puppies to the mix in late 2015 and our Stella and Molly are still keeping me on my toes.

Michael Urie was a fantastic narrator for this story. He did such a great job with both Ted and Lily's voices. I have to say that they way he delivered Lily's lines were exactly how I would imagine my dogs would talk...you know, if they could talk. This was an emotional story and he really captured all of that emotion. I honestly don't know how he managed to deliver parts of this book without breaking down because I had tears streaming down my face just from listening to it.

There were some parts that I didn't care for as much. Some of the parts involving the octopus just seemed to pull me out of the story. I was always able to jump back in when the book switched gears but it would lose me a bit during those scenes. That is really my only complaint regarding the book and it is really just that the book chose to go in a direction that I wouldn't have went.

I would highly recommend this book to others. I do think that the audio is a fantastic way to experience this story and do recommend it. I did make the mistake of listening to this book at work. I quickly figured out that I had to stop and finish it at home or I would have been a blubbering mess at the office. So choose your listening or reading place well...and bring tissues. I would definitely read more from Steven Rowley in the future.

lily and the octopus

A wonderful story! I enjoyed every minute of it. I definitely will listen to it again. this truly captures the spirit of Lily. The performance of the book was outstanding.