Lily and the Octopus (Rowley) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
If you’re a dog lover, or better yet a Dachshund owner, you will instantly recognize the staccato language of Lily’s yips: “LOOK!  AT!  THIS!  IT!  IS!  THE!  MOST!  AMAZING!  THING!  I’VE!  EVER!  SEEN!  IT’S!  A!  GREAT!  TIME!  TO!  BE!  ALIVE!” A promising start: we hope Lily is right, that it is indeed a "great time to be alive." But then again, we also know where animal stories usually end up—and in Steven Rowley’s book, the end, embodied by an ever-growing octopus, shows up on page 2. So how, we wonder, is this possibly a great time to be alive?  READ MORE.
Fiona Lawrence - LitLovers


Lily and the Octopus is the dog book you must read this summer…. Reading this heart-wrenching but ultimately breathtaking novel was a very profound experience…. As Lily might say, ‘YOU! MUST! READ! THIS! BOOK!"
Washington Post


Startlingly imaginative… Lily and the Octopus is a love story sure to assert its place in the canine lit pack...Be prepared for outright laughs and searing or silly moments of canine and human recognition. And grab a tissue: THERE! WILL! BE! EYE! RAIN!
Newsday.


The connection between man and dog is loud and clear in this sweet novel.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram


Author Steven Rowley uses humor and pop-culture references to tell a whimsical story of courage in the face of heartbreaking reality. Philosophical and introspective, "Lily and the Octopus" also looks at the transformative power of love, the importance of forgiveness and the beauty of really living, letting ourselves be seen instead of hiding in plain sight…I laughed, I sobbed, and at the end, I felt as if I’d caught up with a friend over coffee.
Free Lance-Star


You don’t need to be a dog lover to enjoy Steven Rowley’s new book, ‘Lily and the Octopus,’ but if you’ve realized you like your dog more than most humans you encounter, this is one you won’t want to miss."
Newport Beach Independent


A whimsical, touching tale.
People


[A] sensitive, hilarious, and emotionally rewarding debut novel explores the effect that pets can have on human lives.... In generous helpings of bittersweet humanity, Rowley has written an immensely poignant and touchingly relatable tale that readers (particularly animal lovers) will love.
Publishers Weekly


This funny and heartbreaking first novel will appeal to dog lovers, especially those who have had to face the harder aspects of giving their love to a creature who will return that adoration perfectly but for a far too brief time. —Dan Forrest, Western Kentucky Univ. Libs., Bowling Green
Library Journal


(Starred review.) An exceedingly authentic, keenly insightful, and heartbreakingly poignant tribute to the purity of love between a pet and its human.
Booklist


A lonely writer and his aging dachshund confront a mythic enemy.... In his funny, ardent, and staunchly kooky way, Rowley expresses exactly what it's like to love a dog.
Kirkus Reviews