Soul of an Octopus (Montgomery) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
Charming and moving...with extraordinary scientific research.
Guardian (UK)


Sy Montgomery's The Soul of an Octopus does for the creature what Helen Macdonald 's H Is for Hawk did for raptors.
New Statesman (UK)


An engaging work of natural science... There is clearly something about the octopus’s weird beauty that fires the imaginations of explorers, scientists, writers.
Daily Mail (UK)


Fascinating…touching… informative.… Entertaining books like The Soul of an Octopus remind us of just how much we not only have to learn from fellow creatures, but that they can have a positive impact on our lives.
Daily Beast


Journalistic immersion…allows Montgomery to deliver a deeper understanding of the "other," thereby adding to our understanding of ourselves. A good book might illuminate something you knew little about, transform your world view, or move you in ways you didn't think possible. The Soul of an Octopus delivers on all three.
New Scientist


Informative and entertaining, part memoir and part scientific exploration, reminds us that if we are the best creatures on the planet at thinking, we can benefit by thinking about the creatures that may be doing it in some other way.
Columbus Dispatch


Sweet moments are at the heart of Montgomery's compassionate, wise and tender new book.… Only a writer of her talent could make readers care about octopuses as individuals.… Joins a growing body of literature that asks us to rethink our connection to nonhumans who may be more like us than we had supposed.
St. Paul Pioneer Press


Montgomery's deep love of these creatures often causes her to excessively anthropomorphize them, but her depictions of her intimate experiences with her cephalopod friends ring true, allowing readers to see them in an entirely new light.
Publishers Weekly


(Starred review.) Naturalist Montgomery admirably demonstrates the complexity, intellect, and personalities of the octopuses…without ever resorting to easy anthropomorphism. Her science is accessible but not overly simple, and the details she offers about these creatures bring them into sharp focus. —Lisa Peet
Library Journal


(Starred review.) In prose as gripping and entwining as her subjects’ many arms, Montgomery chronicles the octopus’ phenomenal strength, dexterity, speed.… She also tells funny and moving stories…[and] profoundly recalibrates our perception of consciousness.
Booklist


Naturalist Montgomery chronicles her extraordinary experience bonding with three octopuses.… With apparent delight, Montgomery puts readers inside the world of these amazing creatures. A fascinating glimpse into an alien consciousness.
Kirkus Reviews