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I jumped on the bandwagon. When it comes to books that have a buzz all over, whether it be social media or word of mouth I have to see for myself. I’m also a sucker for any book based in the Carolinas. That is the exact reason why I had to read Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.
Goodreads Description
For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet fishing village. Kya Clark is barefoot and wild; unfit for polite society. So in late 1969, when the popular Chase Andrews is found dead, locals immediately suspect her. But Kya is not what they say. A born naturalist with just one day of school, she takes life’s lessons from the land, learning the real ways of the world from the false signals of fireflies. But while she has the skills to live in solitude forever, the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. Drawn to two young men from town, who are each intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world—until the unthinkable happens.
In Where the Crawdads Sing, Owens juxtaposes an exquisite ode to the natural world against a profound coming-of-age story and haunting mystery. Thought-provoking, wise, and deeply moving, Owens’s debut novel reminds us that the child forever shapes us within us, while also subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps. The story asks how isolation influences the behavior of a young woman, who like all of us, has the genetic propensity to belong to a group. The clues to the mystery are brushed into the lush habitat and natural histories of its wild creatures.
Where the Crawdads Sing
**SPOILERS AHEAD**
I was very hesitant at first. The first couple of chapters is different. The way the characters talk, the falling back and forth in past and present time. It takes some getting used to. Once I got used to the style of writing and format I could not keep the book down.
I agree that the book is an interesting coming-of-age story. Even though this time in history has passed I believe we can all take some of the lessons into our own lives today. The character development throughout the story is excellent. The story spans over years of Kya’s life and what she made out of nothing. It’s truly inspiring and heartbreaking at the same time. I know I could not have done what she did, raising herself and living off the marsh. She didn’t do it all herself for long she leaned on those few she trusted for help. Her relationship with Tate, Jumpin, and his wife was my favorite. I’m team Tate all the way!
The mystery aspect of the story has me wanting more. I was not expecting that at all. I want an explanation, of how. Throughout the trial, I thought there was no way she did it. She had to have planned it all out and I want to know how she did it. We see the foreshadowing of how smart she is with her knowledge of the land, quick learning from Tate, and later her publishing of poetry under a pseudonym. But how did she get the knowledge to commit a murder and get away with it? That takes her character and her development to a whole new level. In other words, I need to see Kya’s journal of how she did it and got away with it.
Overall this book had me on the edge of my seat for every twist, turn, romance, and hardship along the way. Five stars for Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.
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