Lily and the Octopus

By: Steven Rowley

Narrated by: Michael Urie

Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

Named to the American Library Association’s Reference & User Services (RUSA) Listen List!

Combining the emotional depth of The Art of Racing in the Rain with the magical spirit of The Life of Pi, Lily and the Octopus is an epic adventure of the heart.

When you listen to Lily and the Octopus, you will be taken on an unforgettable ride. The magic of this novel is in the listening, and we don't want to spoil it by giving away too many details. We can tell you that this is a story about that special someone: the one you trust, the one you can't live without. For Ted Flask, that someone special is his aging companion, Lily, who happens to be a dog.

Lily and the Octopus reminds us how it feels to love fiercely, how difficult it can be to let go, and how the fight for those we love is the greatest fight of all.

Remember the last book you told someone they had to listen to? Lily and the Octopus is the next one.

©2016 Steven Rowley (P)2016 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

"Michael Urie narrates with a heartfelt passion that makes one giggle and laugh, nod in understanding and sob with sorrow. Urie's authentic emotion comes out in every character, whether it's Lily the dog's excitement, Ted the human's frustration, or the nameless octopus's apathy." ( AudioFile)

OMG WHY!!???!??? last hour redeemed the first 7

wow.. how does this book have such great reviews? ok.. it isn't terrible, but it sure does get pretty close, especially in the first 2/3rds.

And it isn't like I have issues with the 'dog voice'. LOVE Chet n Bernie mysteries, absolutely adored "A Dogs Purpose" even if it is a tear jerker.

From the reviews, I thought this book would be a similar feel good/feel sad, doggie love adventure. Oh so wrong..so very very wrong.
While on the outside, it is a doggie love adventure, on the inside is is an Andy Warhol skewed view. Almost like all Maple trees are trees, but not all trees are Maples. Who wants pine tree syrup on their pancakes? this books fits there.
I loved Lily, and liked Ted, but their adventure down the Octopus Rabbit hole, was waaaaaaayyyyy toooooooo weird for me.

I know.. my personal taste.

At about 5 hours in.. I was thinking.. OMG, is this one of the worst books I have ever read????? Put the speed at 2x, and zoomed towards the conclusion, and "hopefully' the reward for sticking it out to the end.

so.. either don't even buy this book.. or if you do, or already have.

STICK IT OUT!!

the reward comes about an hour before the end, and definitely pulls at all the heart strings, and is what all the reviews are about.

And as many other reviewers mention.. have tissues at hand.

I found myself almost sobbing, tears streaming down my cheeks, and feeling..
ah..so this is it..

ie.. the end MAKES SENSE>> and validates the trip to get there!!! but man o man, it was a long windy road to get there.

Be prepared for tears

Any additional comments?

As a person with an eleven year old dachshund I found this store extremely difficult to listen to, yet I could not stop. I totally understand the love and devotion Ted had for his dear Lily. Letting go is so painful. One of at the cruelest things is in life is the fact that a dog’s life is just way to short.

Dog sighs....

This book is amazing. Maybe because I am a singleton and doggy parent - but this book made me FEEL. I had some laugh out loud moments and some sobbing - but I will definitely be putting this in my top 10 Audible books!

No "Art of Racing in the Rain"!

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Not particularly. While it had moments of real beauty and insight and was conceptually intriguing, overall it was an average story catering to the self involved. To compare it to the soaring heights of "The Art of Racing in the Rain" is a real disservice. This story never even comes close to the artistry displayed in Garth Stein's transcendent novel. The main character is whiny, self involved and a real symbol of our current "eveyone gets a trophy" society. Its overly long and gets a bit lost in the transitions between the main characters reality and fantasy worlds.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The ending was ok.

What does Michael Urie bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His narration was good, especially when he is voicing "Lilly"

Did Lily and the Octopus inspire you to do anything?

No

Any additional comments?

The over hyping of new books that come on the market is a real shame. Everything is not a real work of art and the reading of a great book will always tell the tale.

Don't miss this book!

If you love a dog, or have ever loved a dog, you must read this book. I laughed, cried, laughed some more and shed much eye rain. Now I need to go hug my dog and never let her go.

My heart ached... filled to overflow with love

What did you love best about Lily and the Octopus?

I loved Ted's metaphoric journey through Lilly's last days. I just lost my own loving pet a few months ago {when Lilly told Ted '30 days is enough' I had to sob aloud because I'm still grieving months beyond that}. I can commiserate with his battle to save her, and loved that he had a protagonist in the octopus to fight against... I had no such villian in my own story. But I had no less heartache even when my girl left on her own before I was forced to 'help' her on to a better path than the one she was struggling upon

What other book might you compare Lily and the Octopus to and why?

I think this one stands alone; I really had no idea what I was getting into when I started listening to the story & as it was developing, I think I really BELIEVED that Ted's battle was real

What about Michael Urie’s performance did you like?

I believed he was Ted... and Lily. And feeling the love and the ache from both sides of the story. He was beautiful.

Who was the most memorable character of Lily and the Octopus and why?

The cantankerous octopus & his non-nonchalance attitude while taking Lily's live away in thin slices. I think it gave Ted hope to personify death in an effort to save Lily. It gave him something to attempt to fend off, something to direct his fear towards. The sea battle was amazing; I actually had to stop walking and re-wind so as not to miss a beat: the more Ted's hopes tried to push away his fears, the more Lily tried to reel him back to reality. She wanted/needed to be released by Ted. And for her to 're-appear' in the form of Ted's blind date was just a marvelous circle of love.

Any additional comments?

Anyone who has ever loved and lost a four footed son/daughter/brother/sister needs to listen to this to understand you are not strange in what you feel. They are not just pets, they are our better souls.

Wonderful and emotional book

If you are a dog owner this will absolutely pull at your heartstrings. It's an easy to listen book that you won't want to finish. I loved the narrator's interpretation of Lily's voice and found myself spontaneously smiling and laughing as I listened to the story. A great summer book.

I! LOVE! THIS! BOOK! SO! MUCH!

Where does Lily and the Octopus rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Out of all-time audiobooks....in the top ten. Out of audiobooks I've listened to this year, in the top five.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Lily and the Octopus?

I can't say, because it would give away part of the ending. You'll know it when you get to it, and actually could probably guess it's going to be the outcome all along. I'll admit I shed a real tear or two.

What about Michael Urie’s performance did you like?

His performance is excellent! He had just the right sarcastic, detached tone for Ted's narration, though as we learn as the story progresses, that detachedness is hiding some very deep emotions, which Urie also conveys perfectly. I thought in the beginning that his narration style might be a little too...aloof. But then I realized, that is actually Ted's voice. He tries hard to be unemotional, to deny how he really feels so as to avoid facing truly painful situations in his life, and Urie's narration really does convey that very well.And his Lily voice is THE! BEST! Exactly how a small, excited-about-everything dog would sound. I often found myself replaying her lines and even shared one with my FB friends, it was so funny. (Thanks, Audible Clips!)

If you could rename Lily and the Octopus, what would you call it?

Oh, I'm bad with titles. I used to work as a ghostwriter--writing entire books--and could never come up with titles on my own. And I think Lily and the Octopus is such a great title! It conveys not just an important part of the plot but Ted's refusal to focus on his own feelings, instead projecting them onto Lily and her octopus; though the story is really about him, he makes it all about them instead. Do I have to change the title? :)

Any additional comments?

Listen to this book! You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll feel very satisfied at the end. What more can you ask for?

Not the book for me!

What disappointed you about Lily and the Octopus?

If you want to re- live the agony of dealing with a sick dog, pet or loved one. The painful decision of euthanasia ,then this book is for you. If you're looking for life lessons on how to move forward after such an experience, I would suggest another book. I should have stopped listening after the 2nd chapter. Hoping for some redeeming quality in the story I kept listening. The narration was horrible. The voice of Lilly was painful and irritating. I always hope I come away learning something new from a book. This book left me feeling sad and dismayed.

Would you ever listen to anything by Steven Rowley again?

I'm not sure.

Would you be willing to try another one of Michael Urie’s performances?

Never!!!!!!! I found his narration irritating!

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Not for me.

Any additional comments?

I think I've said it all.

Cute but maybe not for me

This was a cute and endearing story, but was hard for me to really get invested. The main character seemed immature and whiny at times. Maybe that was the point of the story, but I found it off putting. The main character also seems kind of crazy and emotionally underdeveloped. People who have very close relationships with their dogs might appreciate this story and be more invested than I was. OK for light reading/listening but not my favorite.

To die will be an awfully big adventure.

J.M. Barrie

I loved this book, it felt personal and real, made of true love for someone that is not consider a someone but an it, it expressed the love some of us have for our pets and how much they affect our lives with theirs.
Beautifully written this was a real find that made me happy and sad but left me a big lump of love.
An awfully big adventure.

sweet story

3 stars because too much about the octopus, dog and man were sufficient by themselves

Lily and the Octopus

This book is strange but enjoyable. It tells the story of Ted, a gay guy from Los Angeles and his one true love, his dog, Lily!

Very silly book

Just silly - would be enough to just be about a dog and his dog. No need to bring the “octopus” alive.

Such a beautiful book

The story of Lily is one everyone should hear! I sobbed and ugly cried so hard and held my pugs whilst listening to this beautiful story. It reminds us that every day is a blessing when we have dogs in our lives and we would go to the ends of the earth to keep them safe. The book works through grief and love and all the other red balls life throws at us!

This story has a new place in my heart and I will recommend it to everyone.

The performance was also immaculate and I actually found this book from the voice actors other book “Remarkably bright creatures” where he voices an octopus.

Much 'bigger' book than I'd expected -brilliant!

This book was not what I thought it would be. Rather than being a cutesie bootsk about a man with his dog, it tells A much more emotional and deep story with real humour and laugh-out-loud bits. The pace of the book kept going right the way to the end and the narration was well-paced and exceptional.

Just beautiful!

The amazing story of Lily and Stevens journey together. The highs and the lows had me laughing hard and crying hard! Just lovely!