The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus

Reviews / Votes

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 * 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 * I'm in love with this luminous debut - the charm on every page, the enthralling cast of characters, the dialogue to die for. Academia, friendship, young love and family secrets, this is as smart as it is delicious, as nostalgic as it feels fresh. I wish I could read it all over again for the first time. Emma Knight is a blazing new literary talent * Ashley Audrain, #1 bestselling author of THE PUSH and THE WHISPERS * Whip smart, unrestrainedly fun, and bursting with heart, readers will fall in love with the rambling, glorious world of Talmorach and the secretive, aristocratic family of Lord Lennox. A novel about finding ourselves, falling in love, and meeting that precious group of friends whom we call family, Knight's debut is the modern-day Mitford novel I've been searching for. Joyous, clever, and wholly transportive, I loved every page! * Katy Hays, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of THE CLOISTERS * 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 * 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 * 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, the internationally bestselling author of AMAZING GRACE ADAMS * I loved escaping into this world. Knight is a fantastic writer and perfectly captures the intense friendships, insecurities, and rollicking highs and lows of youth * Nell Hudson, author of JUST FOR TODAY * A sweeping story of friendship, first love, and family secrets, The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus feels simultaneously timeless and incredibly fresh. Emma Knight's writing perfectly balances warmth with wistfulness, and her characters are so vivid you'll swear you've met them in real life. This is the type of book you'll stay up far past your bedtime reading (with absolutely zero regrets) - it's pure magic * Genevieve Wheeler, author of ADELAIDE * Oh, how I adored this novel! I found it so utterly charming and delightful, a much needed respite * Huma Qureshi * I could easily read five more novels about the adventures of Pen and Alice . . . Told over the course of one year, it's an unputdownable novel about female friendship and the events that shape us * Cosmopolitan * [A] winsome tale of one young woman's coming-of-age . . . a tantalizing yet quietly touching debut about inheritance, emerging sexuality and what it truly means to come into one's own * The New York Times Book Review * We love this Edinburgh-set debut . . . a rollercoaster ride of youth, with all its passion, insecurities, heady highs and crushing lows * The Sunday Post * A lovely and poignant coming-of-age story * Kirkus * A witty novel about navigating independence and complicated relationships * People * An amazingly accomplished debut * Oprah Daily * Memorable characters, witty moments, Scottish settings . . . Emma Knight's debut novel has it all. . . . A powerful tale about love, life, choices and friendship * Woman's World * The coming-of-age tale for a generation * The Globe and Mail *