
The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Saskia Maarleveld
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By:
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Emma Knight
About this listen
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.
©2025 Emma Knight (P)2025 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
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“An amazingly accomplished debut.”—Oprah Daily
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When I was a little girl, I dreamed a handsome knight would come and rescue me from my wretched mother. He'd ride up on his white steed and break the curse I've been fated to carry since the day I was born. Funny how things changed over time, how the fairytale twisted into something far more crooked—and darker—than I ever imagined. In reality, my knight is scarred and broken, living alone in a castle of bones that overlooks the sea. He isn’t searching for me. He never was.
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5 STARS
- By AudioObsessed on 03-12-23
By: Keri Lake
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Fahrenheit 451
- By: Ray Bradbury
- Narrated by: Tim Robbins
- Length: 5 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
Guy Montag is a fireman. In his world, where television rules and literature is on the brink of extinction, firemen start fires rather than put them out. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television "family."
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Wish I Hadn't Cliff Noted This in High School
- By Joel on 03-27-17
By: Ray Bradbury
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The main character feels like me- like my life.
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The Note
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Growing up, May Hanover was a good girl, always. Well-behaved, top of her class, a compulsive rule-follower. Raised by a first-generation Chinese single mother with high expectations, May didn’t have room to slip up, let alone fail. Her friends didn’t call her the Little Sheriff for nothing. But even good girls have secrets. And regrets. When it comes to her friendship with Lauren and Kelsey, she's had her fair share of both.
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Irritating Narration
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What listeners say about The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Amazon Customer
- 02-13-25
More more more!!
Such an excellently told story. I couldn’t get enough and was left truly satisfied with that craving for more !!!! Highly recommend!
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- Jeri B
- 03-01-25
Boring. DNF.
OMG. Usually I can’t wait to get back to an audio book. This was SO BORING. I quit with 5 hours to go, and at 1.4 speed. Do yourself a favor. Don’t.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Linda K. Goff
- 03-12-25
Well written and excellent and performances by the narrators, but shallow story.
What was the point of the novel? The story was not worthy of a novel. Very weak premise.
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- Melissa hinson
- 01-24-25
Get this wonderful book!!! Couldnt put it down!!!!
Whether or not you attended college- you have a history of your early adulthood- when youre away from your family, and trying to figure out who you are- this book will hit home with you. Its so great! The writing is so colorful and thorough!!!
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- elisabeth
- 01-16-25
Excellent writing
Beautifully narrated/ excellent writing/ detailed richly developed characters/ vivid descriptions of landscape and interiors/ lyrical musings on life’s many journeys and choices made
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- Meredith G.
- 02-27-25
a beautiful story
a beautiful read. i will be thinking about this book and the characters for a long time
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- Catalina Salinas
- 02-25-25
Nice twist!
Love the voices of the narrator! Saskia is amazing! The story captures the reader and couldn’t stop reading. Great female characters full of empowerment and tenderness loved it
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- Dorothy
- 01-25-25
Beautifully written, beautifully narrated
This is a really good listen. The narrator is a phenom and the story is unusual. It really hooks you.
Delightful characters.
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- Anonymous User
- 03-06-25
Characters
Tedious repetitive episodes but writing was good. Description of graduate students was accurate. Plots with different characters kept it interesting.
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- Kimberly D. Holmberg
- 01-10-25
Incredible writing!
I loved the study into friendships and family roles that aren’t always what they seem.
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