#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING PHENOMENONMore than 6 million copies soldA Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club PickA 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 ReviewFor years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet … 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.
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A lovely, haunting read.
I read Delia Owens fabulous literary suspense historical novel for my book club. I loved the skillful and lyrical prose, first of all. Owens paints with words in exquisite scenes that remind me of Japanese calligraphy, so clear, precise and beautiful were they. But this book wasn’t just a haunting portrait of a unique and resilient young woman who raises herself and lives wild in the marsh…from the beginning, a tension draws the narrative forward as we discover a body, and an advancing timeline that’s slowly but surely, escalating events of the story to a climax. This keeps the pressure on and sets this book apart from a more prosaic historical fiction novel. Thematically, I loved that the story exalted art, self-sufficiency and self-education and a passion for nature, all values I personally share. I experienced “the path less traveled” in a unique place the likes of which I’ve never seen or experienced…but feel I know, now. Where the Crawdads Sing is an extraordinary work that holds up to the hype.
A slow lyrical read that also is incredibly hard to put down. I loved this story about the ‘Marsh Girl’, and how she grew up alone for years in the marsh. The author brings the setting to life and this story is in parts beautiful, tragic and deadly. Yes, deadly…there is a murder to be solved! And that is just icing on the cake for this wonderful story. Read it. It will take you away.
There’s a reason this book has been burning up the bestseller lists. It’s lovely. So atmospheric, so gorgeously written. An environmental mysterious love story that will break your heart and keep you guessing, it has all the lushness of the marsh at its center. Go forth and read it now, because the movie is sure to be a massive hit.
I highly recommend this unusual novel.
So pumped my book club chose this one for April – I flew through it! The lush descriptions of the North Carolina coast drew me in and held onto me chapter after chapter… as did our heroine Kya. It’s a lovely, unique read.
Part The Little Friend, part My Absolute Darling, part The Great Alone, Where the Crawdads Sing is a beautiful book that has all the best elements: romance, mystery, murder, gasp-worthy plot twist, female empowerment, and a striking setting.
Kya Clark is introduced as a young, precocious, observant child who loves her mother, her older siblings, and her marsh home. As the novel progresses, she grows into a fiercely independent woman who — after being let down by her siblings, her parents, and two men she loved deeply — is determined to rely on no one but herself.
When one of the men who broke Kya’s heart is found dead, her quiet life in the marsh is thrown into chaos and she’s forced to leave the only home she’s ever known to sit in a prison cell while the murder is investigated.
The various plot elements coupled with the stunning setting — Owens is on par with Kristin Hannah’s captivating descriptions of remote Alaska in The Great Alone — make for a wonderful read that I could hardly put down.
Kya is everything I could want in a protagonist, and I was desperate to know more of her story with each page. This one lives up to the hype, without a doubt, and is a must-read for those who appreciate the setting as a living, breathing character with a storyline in their books.
I absolutely loved this book. It touched my soul.
I read across a wide variety of genres and most are purely for entertainment. I don’t expect them to move me to my core. So when one does, I’m awed. This is just such a book. I feel in love with Kya and will keep her in heart for long to come.
The work was so beautifully I was able to suspend natural disbelief and simply didn’t care whether it was possible or not. I highly recommend reading this and when you do, just enjoy the beauty and allow yourself to be swept away.
This book took me to the marsh, the home of young Kya, living alone and on her own as just a child. It was inspiring, hearbreaking and revealing, but most of all the sense of place was always at the fore. I could not put it down.
I loved this book! It was one of the best I have read in a long time and had a fresh storyline. Actually, I listened to the audio but believe I would have felt the same if I’d read it. I loved the well developed characters. And the setting details were over the top . Many lines read like poetry, but they didn’t slow down the nice even pace. It was so easy for me to imagine myself in the North Carolina swamp with Kaya and Tate and Jumpin and all of the other characters. It could have been a sad story about a little girl who was abandoned by her parents to live alone and who became known as “The Marsh Girl” (an insult) by the townspeople. But instead, Kaya was resilient and became a unique, strong person educated by the nature of the swamp. When I finished, I was sad to be done with the story.
I particularly liked how the author compared the nature creatures in the swamp to human nature. The good and the ugly. It made me want to take the time to study nature the way Kaya did.
The narrator did a terrific job in my opinion with the voices, giving them a slight southern accent. It was a very easy listen and I found myself slowing my mind to the pace of Kaya’s world.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens deserves all the attention and accolades the novel is receiving. This is a beautiful, if not haunting, story about how life situations and circumstances often mold us into the people we become. Beginning through the eyes of a child, Owens takes us on one woman’s life journey. My heart ached for Kya as she faced challenges no child, or even young adult, should have to go through. It’s a love story in so many ways. Love of nature and the beauty within us all when we embrace it. The love between a parent and child (or the lack thereof). The bond between siblings. And a lifelong romantic love as well. Deeply emotional, Owens weaves in details so vividly that when I closed the book, a part of me stayed at Kya’s marsh, my toes dipped in the cool water, the gulls perched nearby. As an author, I’m rarely surprised by the ending of a book, but I never saw this finale coming. Highly recommended.
What a beautiful, magnificent journey this book took me on! The mastery of language, imagery, and storytelling all melded into the socio-political tensions of the time and place.
I’m going to jump on the bandwagon here and say this is one of the best books I’ve read in years. (The other was A Gentleman in Moscow.) The characters are wonderful…if you liked Scout in To Kill A Mockingbird, you’ll love Kya. I highly recommend this book!
Wow! Where the Crawdads Sing has earned a place on my all-time favorite’s list. Aspects of the novel—the small town prejudice and the trial—remind me of To Kill a Mockingbird. Owens is a nature expert and I found her description of the marsh fascinating. I can not recommend this novel enough. A little bit of a slow start, but once I was hooked, I couldn’t put it down.
The main character jumps right off the page, and it’s impossible not to care what happens to her. Haunting and hard-to-put-down. Beautifully written.
I loved Where the Crawdads Sing. It is billed as “a murder mystery, a coming-of-age narrative, and a celebration of nature,” and it is all of those things. It also happens to be beautifully written.
Since I’m a writer myself, please let me focus on Delia Owens. This is her first novel. Prior to writing it, she authored three highly-acclaimed books about her life as a wildlife scientist in Africa. Love of nature is, well, a natural to her. Growing up in southern Georgia, she was taught love of everything wild by her mother, who sent her out to explore the forests, saying, “Go way out yonder where the crawdads sing.” Where the Crawdads Sing is set in the marshland of the North Caroline coast, but it captures that same love of things wild.
Not the least of those things wild is Ms. Owens protagonist, Kya Clark, the fabled “Marsh Girl,” whose family members leave their marsh home, one by one, to escape an abusive father. When he leaves also, Kya raises herself. Her family is the creatures of the marsh, who know her well. Unschooled, she is extraordinarily bright, and while she does make makes human friends with great care, she remains always that little bit different and apart.
A murder mystery keeps the plot moving, but it is the beauty of the writing, the portrayal of Kya and the marsh she loves, that gives this book breathtaking life
Wow. This book deserves all the hype it’s been getting. Beautiful writing. Seamless storytelling. Fantastic ending. I will think about Kya for years to come. I especially loved the way nature was woven into the plot, elevating the marsh to its own character.
I’ve just finished WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING, and guys, It deserves all the buzz it is getting. This one is a big winner. Delia Owen’s can sure deliver a story! It truly had something for everyone, it was a coming-of-age story, a little mystery, adventure and a little romance all wrapped up in one little book. All the 5 star reviews are for good reason, it is an exceptional read.
This book captured my imagination and drew me in. Kya was an absorbing character, and the tragedy of her childhood was believable while also heart-wrenching. The prose and imagery are beautiful and haunting. You can smell the salty marsh air, hear the birds calling and see the Marsh Girl as she powers her little boat through the water. Add a dash romance and a murder mystery, and the story takes the reader to a new and even more enthralling place. I was confused by the poetry placed throughout the book, but it came together in the end to provide an unexpected twist. In all, I highly recommend this book as a wonderful and absorbing read by a masterful storyteller.
This book is all the rage right now, and I can see why. I’m not a big murder mystery fan and this book is that…but it’s so very much more. Kya is a thoroughly unique protagonist, and the gorgeous prose brings to life the marshes every bit as beautifully as Pat Conroy. The setting is as much a character as Kya, and if I’ve ever read a character who broke my heart yet filled me with admiration more than she did, I can’t recall it. She’s as memorable as Scout, as much larger than life as Scarlett (if her diametric opposite, except in being a survivor)…I shouldn’t even be trying to compare her to anyone else because she is so poignantly, beautifully original. Literary fiction meets mystery meets travelogue…all with a twist that will make your heart ache and your admiration soar. Kudos, Ms. Owens!