--- product_id: 431719622 title: "Remarkably Bright Creatures: A Novel" price: "₨761" currency: SCR in_stock: true reviews_count: 9 url: https://www.desertcart.sc/products/431719622-remarkably-bright-creatures-a-novel store_origin: SC region: Seychelles --- # Remarkably Bright Creatures: A Novel **Price:** ₨761 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Remarkably Bright Creatures: A Novel - **How much does it cost?** ₨761 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.sc](https://www.desertcart.sc/products/431719622-remarkably-bright-creatures-a-novel) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description desertcart.com: Remarkably Bright Creatures: A Read with Jenna Pick: 9780063204157: Van Pelt, Shelby: Books Review: Worth listening to, Loved it!! - Okay, I know so many people who read this book and have recommended it but honestly, I just didn't get it. A book where the main character is an octopus? A book with a huge number of improbabilities. Nope, I didn't understand the fascination. But more and more reader friends were recommending it so... I decided to listen to it. Best decision ever! The story is sweet and charming, and yes, a lot of improbabilities but, it's worth it. It is worth listening to if for no other reason, to hear the voice of Marcellus, the giant Pacific octopus. I loved listening to his countdown, his accounting, to his mischievous nocturnal adventures, and to his well thought out and thoughtful endeavors. I love the character of Tova, she and her friends are a hoot. Also, if you don't listen to the book, you're going to miss Ethan's accent and it is worth listening to! A bit of drama, mystery, trauma, romance, adventure, and more. And what Tova helps Marcellus do at the end.. beautiful, perfect 🥰 Listen to your friends, read this one! Better yet, listen to it! Listening to it made it five stars, if I had only read it, it still would have been four, four and a half but listening makes a difference 😁 Review: Unique. Touching. Great story. - Great read. My book club chose this as our favorite book of the year. Unique story and well-written. The characters are relatable and flawed. I understand that this will be a movie for release this year and I'm excited to see how they bring this octopus and his emotions to the big screen. A touching story. 👍🏻👍🏻 ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #354 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #2 in Literary Fiction (Books) #4 in Humorous Fiction #66 in Women's Domestic Life Fiction | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (136,531) | | Dimensions | 6 x 1.17 x 9 inches | | ISBN-10 | 0063204150 | | ISBN-13 | 978-0063204157 | | Item Weight | 2.31 pounds | | Language | English | | Print length | 368 pages | | Publication date | May 3, 2022 | | Publisher | Ecco | ## Images ![Remarkably Bright Creatures: A Novel - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81X7rAcaQkL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Worth listening to, Loved it!! *by L***E on March 19, 2026* Okay, I know so many people who read this book and have recommended it but honestly, I just didn't get it. A book where the main character is an octopus? A book with a huge number of improbabilities. Nope, I didn't understand the fascination. But more and more reader friends were recommending it so... I decided to listen to it. Best decision ever! The story is sweet and charming, and yes, a lot of improbabilities but, it's worth it. It is worth listening to if for no other reason, to hear the voice of Marcellus, the giant Pacific octopus. I loved listening to his countdown, his accounting, to his mischievous nocturnal adventures, and to his well thought out and thoughtful endeavors. I love the character of Tova, she and her friends are a hoot. Also, if you don't listen to the book, you're going to miss Ethan's accent and it is worth listening to! A bit of drama, mystery, trauma, romance, adventure, and more. And what Tova helps Marcellus do at the end.. beautiful, perfect 🥰 Listen to your friends, read this one! Better yet, listen to it! Listening to it made it five stars, if I had only read it, it still would have been four, four and a half but listening makes a difference 😁 ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Unique. Touching. Great story. *by S***. on February 21, 2026* Great read. My book club chose this as our favorite book of the year. Unique story and well-written. The characters are relatable and flawed. I understand that this will be a movie for release this year and I'm excited to see how they bring this octopus and his emotions to the big screen. A touching story. 👍🏻👍🏻 ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Remarkable Book--I Want More Like It! *by S***L on January 22, 2025* I stumbled on Remarkably Bright Creatures among my recommendations. As often happens, the premise intrigued me enough to read it even though I didn't know the author. Well, if Shelby Van Pelt often writes like this, I definitely want more of her books. The friendship between Tova the aquarium cleaning lady and Marcellus the giant Pacific octopus is a definite selling point in this book. It's a great twist on the "A Kid and Their X" trope (the kind of thing you see in stuff like Where the Red Fern Grows, Old Yeller, Free Willy, and so forth). This one, I am pleased to report, is far less cheesy and saccharine. Tova is a multifaceted character whose life may seem small in her estimation, and probably is if we go by what is a "normal" life in a small seaside town. Yet that life has been stuffed with complex emotions, unanswered questions, and a longing for "more" that I think everybody can relate to. At least, I certainly could. As for Marcellus, he's multifaceted, too. A part of me did stick with his point of view, and story, because it is a story of a "remarkably bright," underestimated creature trapped and controlled in a world he doesn't understand. I have cerebral palsy and was diagnosed as level 1 autistic this spring; I'm still looking back and trying to heal from a lot of the latter's implications. So in a visceral way, yeah. I'm not a captive animal or mistreated, but I understood how Marcellus felt. What I liked even better about his story though, is that Marcellus' story doesn't stop there. Marcellus actually has a life and a history that Shelby Van Pelt, Tova, Cameron, and other characters dig into. He's not just a captive yearning for freedom and mourning lost opportunities, as often happens with similar stories. He makes wry, witty, yet quiet, non-snarky observations about humans. He cares deeply for Tova because she took time to know him as a "person," but also because she's the only human who has ever stopped long enough for Marcellus to know as a real "person." Marcellus gets to be the conduit of real revelation and change for people inside and outside his world. That's amazing, and frankly, it's a lot more than many human characters get. Remarkably Bright Creatures couldn't succeed with just Tova or Marcellus though, or at least not as well as it did, I think. The other characters pop off the page as well. Cameron is my favorite, precisely because I didn't expect to like him at first. By his own admission, he comes off as a burnout and a loser, and I admit, that's how I saw him to begin with. But as with Tova and Marcellus, Cameron is hiding a lot of layers, a lot of depth. He's got a great heart, but he's still a typical, kinda clueless 30-year-old guy (and I'm still a 30-something so I say that tongue in cheek). He's vulnerable but not pitiful; he plays the victim sometimes, but then he gets mad at being called out on that and wants to do better. He struggles and is a burnout, but he's got good, solid friends and some real interests and potential. In other words, I got really into his arc, especially once Tova, Marcellus, and even Ethan got involved. As for Ethan, he's unexpectedly cool, as well. I admit some brownie points with him, as I love all things Scottish or Irish and he is of Scottish descent. But I also didn't expect a shopkeeper in his '70s with a gruff edge to be a Grateful Dead fan or to get along so well with a neat and tidy, tiny Swedish aquarium cleaner, so brownie points on plot and character there. In fact, Ethan's role in the story, in particular, went all kinds of unexpected places, so without spoiling anything, I'll tell you to keep an eye on it. Finally, Shelby wins some extra brownie points for a lot of the "little" things that "pop" out at me when reading a book like this one. For instance, I love cats and love the reluctant yet affectionate relationship Tova develops with a stray cat. I love Marcellus' Collection and the pride and care he takes in it. I love and felt some heartbreak over Tova's reminiscing about the attic playroom that never got to be a playroom. But I think the thing I loved most about Remarkably Bright Creatures is how remarkable Shelby showed readers humans--and creatures--can be, without getting heavy-handed or cheesy. There are some romances here, so to speak, but this is a relationship novel, and those are, have been for the past several years, some of my favorite ones. There is some language here, so caveat emptor if that's not your thing. From a writer's perspective, I also wondered how much some threads or characters were actually needed. For instance, looking back, I understand why Tova had a brother, but I'm unsure how much he furthered the plot. Similarly, I understand the roles of Avery and Marco but again, am unsure how much they furthered the plot. Also, I almost hate to say it, and I could be wrong about this. After all, I know about as much concerning octopi as the average person who watches Jeopardy (which I do). But while Marcellus' plot thread is great, and while I definitely understand suspension of disbelief, I did wonder along with Cameron how much those boundaries were pushed. I mean, I buy Marcellus getting out of his tank, and with the right Collection items, I guess Tova and Cameron could've figured out whatever they needed to know. But...there's a logical shard of me that isn't quite sure she buys how everything lined up, I guess. All that aside though, Remarkably Bright Creatures is still a remarkable book. As often happens, I'm now eager to find more like it. And yes, it does get a hearty recommendation. At the very least, I'll want to take closer looks next time I go to an aquarium. ## Frequently Bought Together - Remarkably Bright Creatures: A Novel - The Frozen River: A GMA Book Club Pick: A Novel - The Lost Bookshop --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.sc/products/431719622-remarkably-bright-creatures-a-novel](https://www.desertcart.sc/products/431719622-remarkably-bright-creatures-a-novel) --- *Product available on Desertcart Seychelles* *Store origin: SC* *Last updated: 2026-04-25*