Reviews for The life cycle of the common octopus : a novel
Publishers Weekly
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Cookbook author Knight (How to Eat with One Hand) makes her fiction debut with a touching tale of a student’s romantic entanglements and family secrets. Penelope “Pen” Elliot Winters arrives at the University of Edinburgh from Toronto. While in Scotland, she looks up aristocrat Elliot Lennox, from whom she believes her parents derived her middle name. Her father, Ted, was friends with Elliot and Elliot’s sister, Margot, at university, and Elliot now lives with his wife, Christina, at their crumbling family castle, while Margot is a fashion designer in London. Elliot and Christina invite Pen to their estate, where she meets their oldest son, Sasha, who is frequently in the tabloids as he finishes his final year at St. Andrews, and with whom Pen feels an instant attraction. As Pen frets over her virginity and worries what others think of her, she grows closer to the entire Lennox clan, including Margot’s daughter and grandson. But after a second trip to the castle ends with the cold shoulder from Sasha and revelations about their families’ connections, Pen confronts her naivety and tries to “make peace with herself.” Though the cast is a bit too crowded, making the story hard to follow, Pen’s intelligence and charm carry the reader along. The result is a satisfying coming-of-age story. Agent: Samantha Haywood, Transatlantic Agency. (Jan.)
Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
Knight bookends her debut novel with gentle scenes of a new mother preparing her infant daughter for sleep and their next-morning snuggles. In between, she returns to “the age of leaving” to “remember who we were, and what we thought we knew.” Born and raised in Toronto, Penelope Elliot Winters begins her first year at the University of Edinburgh in 2006, joined by her BFF Alice (their Scottish decisions were made independently). Pen’s across-the-pond arrival puts her in easy train-ride proximity to Lord Elliot Lennox, once her father’s close school friend. Although the men have since become estranged, Pen is convinced her shared name is not coincidental, and she’s hoping Lennox might help her better understand her separated parents’ past. Along with her growing relationship with the extended Lennox clan (particularly young Sasha), Pen commences her own journey of self-discovery with new friends, new experiences, and new relationships, especially in matters of the heart. Another coming-of-age novel about commencing young adulthood could seem pedestrian, but Knight’s gorgeously intimate, cleverly insightful wordsmithing will certainly impress and entertain.
Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
While attending the University of Edinburgh in 2006, a young woman is taken in by an enigmatic family as she discovers secrets about her own. Penelope Winters is far away from her Toronto home as a freshman at the University of Edinburgh. But it isn’t only education that drew Pen abroad—she knows that her divorced parents have been keeping secrets from her, and she thinks that her father’s estranged best friend, a mystery writer named Elliot Lennox who lives in Scotland, may be able to shine some light on the mysteries of her past. After spending a weekend with the Lennox family, Pen falls in love with them—including their handsome son Sasha. But as Pen balances getting to know the Lennoxes with trying to uncover her own family’s hidden mysteries, she’s also dealing with the many firsts that come along with living on her own at university. She and her best friend, Alice, a fellow Canadian, navigate exams, sex, and independence as their friendship grows and changes. In her fiction debut, Knight delicately explores the painful and exhilarating experience of growing up, which for Pen includes falling in love for the first time and realizing that her parents are flawed human beings. This is largely Pen’s story, and while the occasional point-of-view shifts do add depth, they are sometimes a bit disorienting. However, the charming characters, Pen’s personal growth, and a nostalgic portrait of campus life make this an altogether enjoyable read. A lovely and poignant coming-of-age story. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Library Journal
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In 2006, Penelope Elliot Winters is off to college at the University of Edinburgh, leaving her recently divorced parents behind in Canada. Pen suspects they are hiding something and wonders if her father's school friend Lord Elliot Lennox (surely their shared name suggests a connection?) may have something to do with it. While in Scotland, Pen takes it upon herself to visit Lord Lennox and his mysterious family at their country estate. She falls in love with the entire family, including Lennox's son Sasha, just as her parents' secrets are revealed. Knight's fiction debut traces Pen's meandering coming-of-age with delicacy and attention to detail. Though the plot is somewhat drawn out and suffers from awkward perspective shifts, this exploration of family secrets, sexual awakening, and campus life satisfies. Saskia Maarleveld narrates, skillfully communicating the tensions among the characters as well as the confusion and exhilaration of embracing independence and self-discovery. VERDICT Leisurely paced and reflective, this story of coming into one's own should appeal to fans of Heather Frese's The Saddest Girl on the Beach.—Elyssa Everling
