Genre: Historical Fiction
Published: August 14, 2018
Pages: 379
For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life—until the unthinkable happens.
Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.
I initially won a copy of this book through the Goodreads First Reads giveaway program, but ultimately bought a copy to read for book club when I couldn't find the copy I'd won. This is my honest review.
I regret waiting so long to read this book. The story started with a bit of a Fried Green Tomatoes vibe to it, but it also reminded me a lot of A Girl of the Limberlost. I felt so invested in Kya's life and survival in the marsh and I couldn't help but feel sympathy for her when her whole family left her behind with her horrible father. I really felt like I was experiencing everything in her shoes.
That's why I was really hoping that Kya had offed Chase after what he did to her. It was so clear she should stay away from him, but teenagers aren't known for being smart, and she had so little experience socially, that it's understandable she'd fall for his shit.
Overall I give Where the Crawdads Sing 4.5632 out of 5 stars. - Katie
Delia Owens is the co-author of three internationally bestselling nonfiction books about her life as a wildlife scientist in Africa including Cry of the Kalahari.
She has won the John Burroughs Award for Nature Writing and has been published in Nature, The African Journal of Ecology, and many others.
She currently lives in Idaho. Where the Crawdads Sing is her first novel.
