Emma Knight (3)

Where do I begin? This is one of the most beautifully written novels I have read in a long while. The prose is exquisite. The plot is tight and moves along smoothly and steadily up to the final page. Pen (Penelope Eliot Winters) has known that she shares a middle name with a famous author, once a friend of her father. In part because her father deflects her questions, Pen decides to attend university in Scotland where her namesake now resides. All she knows for certain is that a rift in her show more parents' marriage seems to coincide with the friendship's demise. Aware of her paternal grandmother's emphasis on appearances and reputation, Pen has always held a tight rein on her behavior and desires. All is tested during that freshman year, as she unravels family secrets and experiences the awakening of her desires. Along the way, Pen is confronted with the mythos of ideal motherhood exemplified by multiple women in her life, one of whom likens it to the lifecycle of the female octopus. Engrossing and heartwarming.

I received an ARC of this book thanks to the generosity of the author #Emma Knight, the publisher #Viking Press and Goodreads. All opinions expressed are my own and are unconnected to the book's receipt. show less

The copy of the book I read had a Reaad with Jenna sticker on it. I see it was her pick in January of 2025 but I don't think I heard of it until it was on the Giller Long List. But it is interesting that a Canadian book was picked by Jenna at the beginning of the year. Maybe, despite being a Bush, she's not a fan of the current President's policies.

This book follows two girls from Toronto who have both decided to go to Edinburgh for university. Pen wants to go because that's where her father show more went to university and he gave her the middle name of Elliot after his best friend, Lord Elliot Lennox. Pen's parents divorced when she was a teenager and still refuse to interact with each other. She thinks that Lord Lennox may have the solution to this acrimony. Pen's best friend, Alice, decided to go because of Edinburgh's theatre mastery. Alice has always wanted to be an actress and she is already quite good. Pen does get in contact with Lord Lennox and he invites her for a weekend at his country house. As soon as Pen meets the older son, Sasha, she feels an attraction but Sasha seems to blow hot and cold in regards to how he feels about Pen. Lord Lennox is a famous mystery writer but he doesn't seem inclined to solve Pen's mystery. Meanwhile, Alice is rehearsing a starring part in a play and having an affair with the (married) tutor of one of their classes. When Alice tries to end the affair, the tutor attempts to rape her. Pen comes to Alice's aid and finds a way to prove the tutor's inappropriate behaviour with female students. And she does solve her own mystery.

The title is a reference to mother octopuses being the food source for her offspring after they are born. At the beginning of the book, Pen later in life and pregnant, muses about this but points out that human children rarely devour their mother. "More common is the one who devours herself." Motherhood can be perilous. show less

When I saw The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus by Emma Knight on Netgalley, it was the gorgeous cover that attracted me and I’m glad it did because it is a beautifully written coming-of-age story. Pen, with her best friend, Alice, have moved to Edinburgh from Toronto for university. But it is not just school that has attracted Pen to Scotland. She hopes she can solve the mystery of her rather unusual middle name by meeting an old friend of her dad’s.

The pacing seemed a bit slow to me show more at the beginning but it soon grabbed my attention and, once it did, I found it very engaging. Pen is a likeable protagonist and the story is interesting. This is a tale of burgeoning adulthood, young love, the importance of female friendships, and motherhood, as well as a bit of a mystery. This is Knight’s debut novel and a very impressive debut it is. I look forward to reading more by her in the future.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the opportunity to read this book in exchange fir an honest review show less

I didn't enjoy The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus as much as I thought I would.

It started off well for me: two Canadian childhood best friends off to university in Scotland, with a sidebar mystery about one of the two trying to find out, while there, why she was given the middle name of an old college chum of her dad's.

I was expecting more quirky cross-cultural hijinks than I got, and while there was some, it seemed this was more a family drama/coming of age/romance story focused on show more Penelope (Pen), one of the two Canadian young women. I didn't really resonate with either Pen or Alice, the other Canadian.

The significance of the title isn't divulged until around the 90% mark of the book. While the mystery resolution is an interesting twist, I wanted the epilogue chapters to be a little less ambiguous. show less