This is a book review and sneak preview of Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley that is due to be published by Simon and Schuster on 7 June 2016.
Steven Rowley lives in Los Angeles and has been pursuing a career as a screenwriter and more recently a paralegal. To cope with his grief when his beloved dachshund Lily died, he wrote this novel. This is a debut novel and there is talk of it being turned into a movie - not a bad start for this first time book writer!
Set in the bustling city of Los Angeles, Ted a middle aged man who is recently single and spends his days working from home and being with his rescue dog, a dachshund called Lily.
Lily gets sick from a tumor, symbolised as an octopus, and Ted's life is turned upside down as he deals with the sadness of Lily reaching the end of her days and the grief of losing his beloved companion.
The story takes you on a magical journey of Ted and Lily - sometimes I was unsure if Ted was imagining parts of the story or if it was actually happening. Reminiscing about the times spent together, the adventures they went on and the bond between man and dog, all the while trying to fight off the octopus.
This book is powerful and moving, I read it with a lump in my throat most of the way through, but it is so beautifully written that it was worth the emotional rollercoaster. This is the kind of book I couldn't stop thinking about when I wasn't reading it and when you find a book like that you know it's made a huge impact - so I've officially added it to my top 5 favourite books of all time!
I recommend this book to everyone but especially to dog lovers - you will have an instant connection with the story and the unbreakable bond between man and dog.
Set in the bustling city of Los Angeles, Ted a middle aged man who is recently single and spends his days working from home and being with his rescue dog, a dachshund called Lily.
Lily gets sick from a tumor, symbolised as an octopus, and Ted's life is turned upside down as he deals with the sadness of Lily reaching the end of her days and the grief of losing his beloved companion.
The story takes you on a magical journey of Ted and Lily - sometimes I was unsure if Ted was imagining parts of the story or if it was actually happening. Reminiscing about the times spent together, the adventures they went on and the bond between man and dog, all the while trying to fight off the octopus.
This book is powerful and moving, I read it with a lump in my throat most of the way through, but it is so beautifully written that it was worth the emotional rollercoaster. This is the kind of book I couldn't stop thinking about when I wasn't reading it and when you find a book like that you know it's made a huge impact - so I've officially added it to my top 5 favourite books of all time!
I recommend this book to everyone but especially to dog lovers - you will have an instant connection with the story and the unbreakable bond between man and dog.
I give this book 5 stars out of 5
Jarrah Jungle's Star Rating:
Jarrah Jungle's Star Rating:
1 Bad - I'd rather eat brussel sprouts topped with anchovies than read this again
2 Not Good - I'd rather watch paint dry than read this again
3 Ok - I'm sitting on the fence - its not great but not terrible either
4 Good - I'd give up a bottle of the worlds best champagne for this read
5 Great - I'd pass up a date with Johnny Depp for this read
Lily And The Octopus can be purchased from the author here and Simon and Schuster
2 Not Good - I'd rather watch paint dry than read this again
3 Ok - I'm sitting on the fence - its not great but not terrible either
4 Good - I'd give up a bottle of the worlds best champagne for this read
5 Great - I'd pass up a date with Johnny Depp for this read
Lily And The Octopus can be purchased from the author here and Simon and Schuster
Disclosure: NetGalley partner with bloggers such as me to help promote authors and their books and I was given this ebook published by Simon and Schuster to review. As always, all opinions are my own.
[Image via Dymocks]
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Wow! Top 5 books of all times, it must be a really good read. It sounds like a tearjerker, tho!
ReplyDeleteCarrie
curlycraftymom.com
Its a brilliant read Carrie I couldn't put it down and it is a tearjerker but in a good way. It's not often a book makes you feel so emotional but this one really hit the spot for me x
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