A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness

I'm still reading this book, with great pleasure, and have given it as a gift, as well. The book gives me a whole new perspective on the consciousness of animals. I had no knowledge of octopuses, nor of other sea animals. I do live in an area with many animals and birds, and have observed them, as they have observed me. What a gift to be among them! I recommend this book to anyone who wants to think of animals in a new way.

I became fascinated by these lovely, curious and intelligent beings. I cried during their tragedies and fell in love with all of them, each with its own personality and idiosyncrasies.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about complex, intelligent animals.

The book got bogged down a little on the staff and their lives. Nevertheless, it's a fascinating read.

I have fallen in love with octopuses (it is still uncomfortable to say it that way)...what fascinating creatures. Octopuses have been shown to be highly intelligent...if only we could communicate with them!

A very well written and interesting introduction to Octopuses. In addition to the various inhabitants of the aquarium / museum, the humans were interesting characters as well. A great deal of interesting facts were woven into a story that was in no way pedantic in style.

As marine science is my avocation I found the book just fascinating. However, I think you do not need to be a scientist to appreciate the emotions so strongly followed by Ms Montgomery and her compatriots. The correlation between humanoids and others in the natural world is striking. It was really hard to put the book down.

This is a wonderful book about a very intelligent animal. I think humans are beginning to realize the intelligence os the "animal" world. Granted they think differently than we do. Each species needs special skills to survive, so each has a differing set of skills to interface with their own environment. I found the book a fascinating read and have given copies to many friends and relatives.

Lovely group for and about octopus lovers and the subjects of their love and admiration. This is an engaging, emotional book that conveys not only information but respect and regard. Don't miss the pictures, they are worth many words.

Who knew that octopuses have feelings, curiosity, consciousness, or could trust? This is an extraordinary look at these animals, and underscores how little we know about the animals with whom we share pur planet. Thank you so much Sy Montgomery for this glimpse of something wonderful.

Absolutely one of the most enjoyable reads this year. I learned things i had never even imagined. Well written, deeply engaging., Who would have imagined an octopus could be friendly, playful, and quite intelligent? But it is so. well written; will hold your attention.

Delightful book! The author goes beyond just keeping track of an octopus's goings and comings and gets into the probably emotions of several octopuses. I've been fascinated by the creatures for several years, and this verifies what I always suspected about them. Clever, crafty, and with individual personalities.

I enjoyed this book immensely. The writing is very eloquent and the author's own sense of wonder is quite evident. Some reviewers have complained that it's not "science-y" enough, but for the lay-reader, it's a perfect introduction to this unique and intelligent creature. I read portions of it aloud to my sophomore English students, and they were all riveted. One student even purchased her own copy and continued to share bits and pieces of the book through the rest of the school year. I'm definitely glad to have purchased this book.

I am fascinated by marine life and octopuses especially, so I was really excited to read this book. While it definitely has some interesting information, it fell very short of my expectations. Its focus is largely on the author and her perceived relationships with the octopuses, which can come off as self-centered. One of my main issues with the author's approach was that she accepts captivity at face value and doesn't demonstrate much genuine recognition of the diminished lives of the animals that she appears to love so deeply, and it shows in her writing-- its more about her and how much the octopuses love her. That human-centric or self-centered attitude is arguably a significant contributing factor to many animal conservation issues we face in the world today. Loving animals to death isn't to be lauded, and true respect for a species should include allowing them to live their lives in their natural environments. The author herself should know better, and in fact probably does-- evolutionarily speaking, octopuses have thrived and evolved intellectually in the wild. If we had captured octopuses and stuffed them into small jars and tanks eons ago, it is unlikely they would have evolved into the fascinating intelligent creatures they are today, and thus wouldn't have been so captivating to us now. If we could leave them alone, perhaps they have a greater potential for evolution in the future. Additionally, the author's obsession with seeing octopuses in the wild cuts down the rest of the book-- she knows how magnificent they are and that the deserve to continue living in the wild. Its disingenuous to glorify life in an aquarium when you know its not the ideal.

This is a beautifully written book, with fascinating information presented in a way that will appeal to animal lovers, to lovers of nature related fact; to those with maternal leanings, to those exploring the unconscious; to those interested in the healing relationship between humans and nature; to potential or actual scuba divers (particularly those who have struggled to dive and those who do not fully appreciate what they may have already experienced). It managed to tug on my heart strings, spark my love of fact and reality and delight my love of language and its ability to convey so much more than just information. It also enlightens one to the amount of love and commitment that exists behind the scenes in an aquarium, and can potentially change the differing and controversial attitudes related to such environments. Interesting, inspiring, uplifting and delightful.

Fascinating.
I've recommended this book to several people and loaned it out.
The author is a naturalist who loves her job and has a lovely master of language and communication. Her experiences, up close and personal over several years, opens up a whole new world to me. I'll look for more of her books.

What a wonderful story. I really knew little about octopuses. But I got to know them as wonderful, interesting creatures through the experiences of Sy Montgomery. They are very intelligent and emotionally respond to their care givers. Each one in the book has a very individual personality. I highly recommend this book to those who are interested in nature. This is not a dry book, but very engaging.

"Karma unfolds herself like a silk scarf in the water..." Sy Mongomery's writing is brain candy of the best quality. She offers her enthusiastic observations of these amazing and complicated creatures (octopuses - not octopi!) with a writing style that sucks you in just like their tentacles. Octopuses turn out to be remarkably intelligent, clever, humorous creatures, albeit just as potentially dangerous as portrayed all too often. A splendid read for anyone - young or old - who wants to learn more about the creatures who share the planet with us.

Fascinating book. I knew octopuses were smart, but just not how smart. You meet several of them in this book and you will fall in love with them all. One of those rare books that make you want to keep on reading until the end.

Sy Montgomery has written poetically of octopuses that she's met and grown to love as friends. She's opened up a whole new world of understanding and appreciating these amazing, sentient beings. I loved learning scientific facts about them, at the same time I was learning about their responses and friendships with humans. I'd recommend this book to anyone who is curious about our amazing world.

This is an exceptional book by an exceptional author. Sy Montgomery understands and loves all animals and that comes through in a powerful way in her books. Anyone who likes the ocean and the animals that live there will enjoy this book. Surely the octopus is one of the planets most intelligent creature.

This was incredibly fascinating. It was not quite what I expected, but I loved it. It was a personal memoir with lots of facts and interesting octopus-related anecdotes sprinkled in. There was lots of stuff on other marine life too.

The degree of intelligence and variation in personalities that octopuses have were really surprising and fascinating.

I absolutely loved this book! I realized after reading the first chapter that I knew absolutely nothing about the octopus and proceeded to fall totally in love! Sy Montgomery's writing is not only informative but engaging. I am now reading her book The Good Good Pig and I look forward to reading more of her books in the furture.

Informative about octopuses, aquariums, scuba diving. The author is emotionally attached to the octopuses and sheds light on their different personalities. I went to the Monterey Aquarium shortly after finishing the book, and reading the book made that experience richer.

Fascinating! A wonderful blend of well-written narrative of the Sy's personal experiences and the growing body of science around the intelligence of creatures. The Soul of an Octopus has propelled me down a new rabbit hole of curiosity and learning!

I bought this hesitantly on the recommendation of a friend, but I'm glad I did. It's a fascinating, science-based but entertainingly written look at a topic I'd never thought much about. Highly recommendEd.

This was a wonderful book with lots of information presented in the context of the author's learning about the 4 octopus she met while researching. It is an involved, emotional book of discovery for both the author and the reader, engaging, always interesting, and hugely informative.

Who knew that octopuses were so interesting and well, soulful? This is a fascinating account of scientific studies and personal interactions with wild and aquarium raised octopuses. They have unique characteristics that you might find in a domestic animal, such as playfulness or a preference for one human over another, as well as a complex set of skills and high degree of intelligence. A great read! (However, I'm not sure if I will ever be able to eat octopus again!)

Amazing facts about the intelligence and sensitivity of these highly evolved mollusks. Three hearts and seemingly independent intelligence in each arm. Octopuses learn to know people by their taste. Decidedly other worldly!

I'd heard Sy in radio interviews and was intrigued. Her book left me wanting to visit the aquarium again and find the octopus. Who knew such strange looking animals could have such character. Who knew you could love an octopus. Everyone in my extended family is reading it with the same interest and buying copies for gifts.

Loved this interpretation of how animals like octopus are viewed by the outside and inside of an aquarium. thanks to the Author, I now have a distinct idea of how an octopus may think, feel, etc.Though I prefer to meet them in the wild ocean, rather than in a roped off sea, I learned a lot about how these invertebrates cope with their environments.

This is a wonderful book about an interesting and absorbing topic. The intelligence of Octupus cannot be denied, but then I have always liked them.
Oozy little things with all those arms reaching out to touch and feel....what cleverly designed creatures and yet we know so very little about them.

Extremely well written, weaving factual information with the author's "hands on" study of octopuses both in aquariums and in the ocean. She includes brief details of the many trips around the world she has taken to study a wide variety of animals. The author's broad knowledge and endless curiosity about animals is focused in this book on the intriguing idea gaining traction in the scientific community that animals may posses consciousness. Readers will learn that the intelligent, sensitive, and playful octopus has much to teach us.

New ideas about a water dwelling creature who seems more aware than I would have guessed. An interesting exploration of awareness in the animal kingdom. The author seems careful in connecting octopus reactions to human reactions when it seems to explain changing colors,for example.

This as an amazing book. I knew from experience (I am a long-time scuba diver) that octopuses are extremely intelligent and shy, and that they can change color and texture at will. What I didn't know is that they are also curious and friendly. This book helped me realize that they have individual personalities, likes and dislikes, and different ways of expressing their feelings (yes, they do have them). I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in animals, and in particular to any diver, present or future.

I liked this book, although I felt the author had a bit too much description of certain places and events, rather than just concentrating on the interaction with the octopus. But I guess, considering the circumstances with the star of the book being at least several feet underwater, there wasn't much more she could do! Gave me more understanding of the life of an octopus (which is probably what she was trying to accomplish).

Donna Clark
Florida

I enjoyed this book and wondered at the intelligence and emotions shown by a creature so vastly different from us. The author gives us a rather introspective account of her contact with octopuses, their behaviour and their abilities. It is a story that every fisherman ought to read then perhaps the rape of the sea would lessen!

I've never been particularly interested in animals and don't even have a pet. But I enjoyed this book so much that I bought six or seven extra copies to send to friends and family. It is surprisingly moving and so thought-provoking that now, months later, it stays with me. At the same time, "Octopus" is comforting, a welcome respite from the fraught times we live in.

This is an emotional introduction to the intelligence of cephalopods! I cringe every time I see octopus on the menu when I dine! All of God's creatures have feelings and we should respect that! NEVER eat octopus!!!

If there is reincarnation, I want to come back as Sy Montgomery. She is living her dream, and I must confess to the sin of envy. Not as described by Ann Ulanov in Cinderella and her Sisters: I wish no harm to Sy. I don't even want her to clean my fireplace. But she is living a courageous, serious, playful and mystical quest. And it takes my breath away. Luckily for us, Sy is an engaging author who artfully brings her readers along on her journeys so we can vicariously enjoy some very interesting people, worlds and wonderment. At my first aquarium trip when I was 8 I was stopped in my tracks in front of the octopus exhibit. I was gobsmacked!!! Almost 60 years later I still prefer to spend the majority of my time right there, front and center, with these most fascinating of animals. If you find yourself interested in octopuses, or intrigued by the notion of consciousness and intelligence in animals or wonder what it may be like to taste with your arms, this is your book. Beautifully written, funny at times, always interesting, and sometimes heartbreaking, you will come away from this book deeply enriched and knowing you have been touched by another world.

I bought it for my marine science Honors class. It was only meant to be a research project, but I ended up enjoying every bit of the book. The book is both very informative about octopuses and some sea creatures and sweeps you off your feet with heart warming images.

It's is surprisingly engaging. I think an intelligent mollusk maybe the closest we humans are going to get to experiencing an alien intelligence anytime soon. I found the concept of a short-lived gastropod being interested in making contact with a mammal (human) mind boggling!!

Get all the science on this amazing animal and many other acquarium dwellers; get the love stories between intelligent animals and the incredible humans that care for them. Brilliant, fun, compassionate and enlightening. A treat for the mind and the heart.

Thoroughly enjoyed exploring what we know (and don't) about the secret lives of octopuses. The way the author writes of every interaction is touching and tender. Lovely read and really informative too, in case you were interested about octopuses.