Delia Owens

#1 New York Times Bestseller A Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick "I can't even express how much I love this book! I didn't want this story to end!"--Reese Witherspoon "Painfully beautiful."--The New York Times Book Review "Perfect for fans of Barbara Kingsolver."--Bustle 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. Perfect for fans of Barbara Kingsolver and Karen Russell, 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.

Where the Crawdads Sing

Baylea Fancher

“His dad had told him many times that the definition of a real man is one who cries without shame, reads poetry with his heart, feels opera in his soul, and does what’s necessary to defend a woman.”

“Don’t go thinking poetry’s just for sissies. There’s mushy love poems, for sure, but there’s also funny ones, lots about nature, ware even. Whole point of it — they make ya feel something.” 

Alyssa Weaver

"This little piggy stayed home," she said to the waves.  

i never understood why he never took her with like bro

"I hafta go, Kya. Can't live here no longe." She almost turned to him, but didn't. Wanted to beg him not to

cedar winslow

I must let go now. Let you go. Love is too often The answer for staying. Too seldom the reason For going.

Why should the injured, the still bleeding bear the onus of forgiveness?

How much do you trade to defeat lonesomeness?

Once you can read anything you can learn everything.

It didn't fit that anyone who liked birds would be mean.

Kya didn't stop or they would bolt, a lesson she'd learned from watching wild turkeys: if you act like a predator, they act like prey. Just ignore them, keep going slow. 

Rachel Braithwaite

“In Where the Crawdads Sing, Kya teaches us that we can do more than we think we can. That, yes, we may long to be in a group, but we can find unbelievable strength deep inside to survive, even thrive, when we are alone.”

“The bits and bones of a life. The stones of her stream.”

“She was bonded to her planet and its life in a way few people are.”

“Nature had nurtured, tutored, and protected her when no one else would.”

“Oddly, the sweet, freshly turned earth smelled more like a beginning than an end.”

“Sneaking about, stealing love. Never sharing it. You can’t get hurt when you love someone from the other side of an estuary.”

“Finally, after a lifetime, she admitted it was a chance of seeing Tate, the hope of rounding a creek band and watching him through the reeds, that had pulled her into the marsh every day of her life, since she was seven.”

“Curling into a ball, still crying, she wished she could snuggle with the only one who’d ever accepted her as she was. But the cat was back at the jail.”

“Wished he would be quiet and listen to the wilderness within him. Then he might see.”

“A lesser made need to shout to be noticed.”

“Standing in the most fragile place of her life, she turned to the only net she knew—herself.”

“She feels the pulse of life, he thought, because there are no layers between her and her planet.”

“Female fireflies draw in strange males with dishonest signals and eat them; mantis females devour their own mates. Females insects, Kya thought, know how to deal with their lovers.”

Very well written. Plenty of detailed observations of people and the natural environment. Thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Steve Collins

*The multi-million copy bestseller* Soon to be a major film A Number One New York Times Bestseller 'Painfully beautiful' New York Times 'Unforgettable . . . as engrossing as it is moving' Daily Mail 'A rare achievement' The Times 'I can't even express how much I love this book!' Reese Witherspoon ------------------------------------------------- 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. ------------------------------------------------- '[It] will reach a huge audience though the writer's old-fashioned talents for compelling character, plotting and landscape description' The Guardian 'For sheer escapism pick up Where The Crawdads Sing . . . there is writing that takes your breath away' The Times 'All is not as it seems in this heartbreaking coming-of-age bestseller' The i newspaper

Svetlana 

** spoiler alert **
           So inspiring to read about how she was on her own for most of her life and yet she managed to survive. In my mind i’d like to think her other siblings survived and got their happy endings but i doubt that. If they did i’m sure they’d do everything in their power to find her like Jodie did. It’s those small somewhat unimportant details that bug me after i finish books.

** spoiler alert **
           yo wtf the poem!! Im crying and screaming this book is so good!!

Eva Ströberg

What a beautiful book. Only few books have captivated me from start til end like this book does. Beautifully written and exciting.

Majd

** spoiler alert **
           I thought she was gonna get pregnant

Ainsley Jeffery

This book has been highly recommended to me but honestly I felt a little letdown after reading it. I found it to be fairly predictable, and I didn't love the storytelling process of the book. Overall the story was good with a strong message, and I enjoyed the relationships and dynamics between characters. "I have never and will never forget you, Kya" (pp. 291) But, it wasn't an overwhelming 5 stars that it seems to have gained a narrative of.

Patrick Book

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING PHENOMENON More than 10 million copies sold worldwide A Reese’s Book Club Pick A Business Insider Defining Book of the Decade "I can't even express how much I love this book! I didn't want this story to end!"--Reese Witherspoon "Painfully beautiful."--The New York Times Book Review 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.

Gelaine Trinidad

Sohini Roy

I really loved this book. It takes a lot for me to come across a book that is hard to put down- once you got past the initial introduction to the story, the plot was gripping almost immediately. I thought the descriptions and emotions portrayed were beautiful and there were so many characters to hate, but also so many characters to love. The last 100 pages truly had me on the edge of my seat and I was prepared to be disappointed or frustrated by the ending, but I was not at all, I thought it was done perfectly. A perfect demonstration of being able to see beauty in things past a first glance of judgement and of giving everyone a chance.

Abbie Duggan

How do you describe a book so beautiful? This story is exquisite. The writing is like poetry and the characters have such depth, you’re drawn into their lives with a kind of heartwarming eagerness. For a story pegged around abandonment and murder, it reads more like a watercolor painting. At times gentle and tender and at times rough and heartbreaking, I will definitely be putting this down as one of my favorites.

Louisa

Ok -- I think this is definitely an overhyped book, largely because although the idea, the characters and the story are refreshingly heartwarming through the love of nature and how well it blends with the protagonist, everything else is underwhelming. The language (took me 70 pages to get into it, so flowery, so pretentious, so overdone, until you get used to it and stop minding), the issues that have been raised with the dialect and geographical inconsistencies (did she barely research it? did she purposefully resort to old tropes of good vs bad = non dialect vs dialect? who knows), and then there were many weak plot developments that were too convenient to be true (the tie plot points in a bow and call it a day type of scenario). 

Overall I gave it 4 stars because I still was absorbed by the story, emotionally convinced of it, and cared about the characters to feel the melancholy of finishing the last page, but that's because I know nothing about North Carolina or dialects, and because I persevered through the sluggish parts. 

What I would recommend instead of this: Why Fish Don't Exist by Lulu Miller. EXCELLENT

armoni mayes

** spoiler alert **
           I had been in a reading slump for most of this year, even considering a global pandemic that kept me in my house with nothing to do. This book helped guide me out of my reading slump and I finished the book in about a week, reading the last 150 pages in about two hours. So for that, I gave it four stars, even though it truly deserves about 3.5 stars. 

There are two reasons this book should (actually) receive 3.5 stars, the first being the unnatural fast-forwarding that the author did at the end of the book. Kya receives a not guilty verdict, Tate's dad passes away, Kya and Tate get married, Jumpin' dies, and then Kya dies all within 20 pages at the end of the novel. I understand that an author has a duty to tie up loose ends at the completion of the narrative but it seemed extremely rushed and unappealing. 

The second reason, and this may be me simply being petty, but I am in my senior year of undergrad majoring in biology. The explanation of Tate's undergrad studies was so unnecessary and juvenile. I know this is just me knit-picking but every time Owens described DNA in this story bothered me because there was no need for it haha.

Bria

grace

Giving this book one star is being generous.

Lauren R

must read. check trigger warnings. off to watch the movie now.

Hanna Rybchynska

This was such an interesting book. It is about loneliness and being different. Also about the prejudice that people have to someones odd. 
I think you should read this book if you liked Alias Grace by Margareth Atwood.

Madeline Frank

SOOO GOOD! Probably the best book I’ve read I absolutely adored the combination of science, art, love and murder. Kept me on invested until the very last page. A fascinating book where I too learned along with the people in the story. Easy five stars a must read!

envee

had to dnf 2/3 through ugh

describing your (white) mc with words such as "exotic" & making men (the only 'friends' she seems to make throughout the whole thing apparently) swoon over her, while simultaneously including characters' open racism against black characters isn't it

Caroline

I'm glad I read where the crawsdads sing which put me out of my reading slump as it kept me hooked on to every page. 

Where the crawsdads sing is a very well written novel by Delia Owens about a girl name Kya living in the marsh and her love for nature but more over her story to survive & build a livelihood amids her struggle through loneliness, fear, rejection and heartbreak. 

Being a murder mystery book, one completely forgets that a murder is being investigated in the initial chapter of the book. The book does slip in and out of time. But the story of the marsh girl keeps a reader hooked on to the book. The book also has some beautiful written poetry for the poetry lovers. 

As for the mystery part, I think the writer could have done a more better job. But all in all where the crawdads sing is definitely a pages turn. 

I highly recommend it to every book lover.👍🏻

Luke Harkness

Devastatingly powerful

Without a doubt a book that grabs your heart and imagination and pulls on it for over 350 pages. Delia Owens has created a life here that I was fully invested in and had me feeling every emotion possible. Never have I felt so invested in a book to the point where one minute I was nervous and the next I felt I could cry. Her writing style and descriptive writing needs no praise, it's phenomenal. You can visualise the world and almost feel the surrounding through her words. Absolutely outstanding. The second book of the year I'd give six stars if I could.

elle

Isabella 

This book gave me so much things to ponder upon. I was scared to read this at first because of the mixed reviews, and I understand why some wouldn't like it, but I loved it. I couldn't stop reading that I finished it in one sitting. I think the build-up until the ending was actually smart and perfect. I was interested and captivated by the plot and the characters which made me continue reading. This book is great for open discussions because of the events which is something I love. (view spoiler)[ I actually thought that it would be somebody else who killed Chase to prove the prejudice against her wrong, but I also saw saw the end coming. Kya was always interested in insects killing mates, and since she lived in the nature, she mimicked what she saw in the wild which made her do what she did. It actually made sense why she did it, it was her way to feel safe. She felt like she didn't have a choice so she did it. She knew that no one would believe her because of the prejudice surrounding her, so she took matters in her own hands. (hide spoiler)] Definitely one of my favorite reads this year.

Where the Crawdads Sing

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