#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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This is my 2nd favorite book of all time – 1st is To Kill a Mockingbird!
Delicious food for the mind in the descriptive passages. What a picture she paints. You will love Jumper and his wife. Could not stop reading this novel.
One of the best books I have read.
This book truly brings you into the environment. I feel like I know my way around the swamp and its beautiful. A beautiful coming of age story with a twist. I enjoyed every moment and the ending didnt disappoint either.
I don’t know why it took me so long to read this book, but I am so glad that I finally got to it. Such a heartbreaking tale that has you connecting so quickly and your heart breaking with Kya and hoping that she would finally find her peace. The twist at the end was bittersweet but really I don’t see any other way it could have went. This is the first time I have read anything from Delia Owens and have to say I am very happy my friends pushed me to listen to it.
Interesting story with an expected ending that wasn’t what I expected! Highly recommend this book.
I really enjoyed this book. It isn’t something I would normally choose, but i read it with my book club. We all enjoyed it and had a great time discussing it. There are definitely good discussion points
From the first page until the last, you are
Enthralled with Delia Owens “Where the Crawdads Sing”. We all live happily ever-after – which this is not! In the age of bullying, parental abuse and mental illness, it is all dealt with realistically. I loved it
Had me gripped all the way to the end.
It’s already been 3 days since I finished “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens and still can’t think of anything else.
I want to lift my head up and shout: “God! Thank you for giving us talents and people who write SUCH BOOKS !!! ”
This book is not quite what they say in the blurb, I mean, they never mentioned the detective line and the trial. And they did it right, because the detective line here isn`t the main idea. This story is primarily about love and its importance for everyone’s happiness; it is about spiritual beauty and ugliness, about the weaknesses of strong people, about struggle, about faith in people, about the growth that a person is capable of, even in extreme conditions.
In this story you will find:
– Absolutely unpredictable and fascinating plot,
– Overcoming a series of difficulties,
– An unprecedented main character – a very young girl who comes of age and outgrows “normal” people being absolutely lonely;
– Lots of heart wrenching, sentimental moments;
– Filigree description of the sexual intimacy,
– A uniquely frank and beautiful disclosure of the physical and mental maturation of a woman;
– Ravishing triumph of justice;
– “Happy end”.
Kaya is only seven years old when she remains completely alone. She has to survive, although the whole city is aware that a child lives in the swamps all by herself. Instead of help and concern, society supplies Kaya with nickname “Marsh Girl” as well as with contempt and complete lack of interest in her fate. But Kaya is not just a girl – she is a daughter to mother earth, and this mother will never leave her child in trouble: she will raise her and teach a lot.
Ahead of her, Kaya has a long, sometimes calm and generous, sometimes painful life. And, of course, she will learn LOVE, the magic of its birth from the very first and almost unique connection, human warmth in Kaya’s life.
Tate, in fact, was still a child himself, and, of course, he made a mistake. But this is exactly what I value in books: ambiguity, imperfections of created characters and their actions, but most importantly, their willingness to admit mistakes and grow spiritually.
It is such books that gently immerse us in a state of deep thinking and make us grow with the heroes. It is these books that provoke the desire to embrace loved ones and not skimp on declarations of love.
A wonderful read! Can be slow at times but the ending is well worth it! The imagery is stunning and it feels like I’m on the coast!
A wonderful read, but a little unrealistic to think a little girl could survive on her own.
Imagine being abandoned at an age when you need your parents the most. Could you fend for yourself? Would you know how to scavenge for food or protect yourself? Kya knows the loss of watching her mother walk out the front door…..both figuratively and literally. Then one by one, each person left Kya to her own defenses. What Kya did next will set a precedence of what her life would become.
Living in swampland is no easy feat. Now imagine a young child left to their own defenses making the most of all the marsh has to offer. Kya had to learn to be creative just to survive. Nothing could rival the isolation that Kya felt. When Kya crosses paths with her childhood friend Tate, she soon discovers that happiness can stretch far beyond your imagination. Things that once seemed too far away – love, acceptance, kindness, sincerity – were now the shining part of having Tate in Kya’s life. Life was good, until the moment when Tate changed Kya’s bubble of happiness.
Ridicule and torment were the only things waiting for Kya in town. After all, Marsh Girl couldn’t be accepted as a productive member of society. Or could she? Kya’s life will change in more ways than one when Tate looks towards the future. The good and the bad will find their way into the soft grasses of the marsh. Can Kya stand the trials and turmoil that find their way into her life?
Where the Crawdads Sing worked its way onto my radar when I saw that Reese Witherspoon has chosen it for her book club. Then another favorite – Jenna Bush Hager – placed the book as a book club pick. So – how could I not become intrigued about a book that TWO of my favorite celebrities has endorsed?? I’ll admit, once I started the novel, I could not put it down.
In spite of the book club recommendations, I went into this book ‘blind’. I did not read the blurb or any reviews prior to diving in. I am so glad that I took that approach. Where the Crawdads Sing is definitely a coming of age story that also touches on the hardships of growing up in a different time than that of today. Race issues, social classes, and a woman’s place in a man’s world are just a few of the nuances that are scattered throughout this story. I found the depth of Kya’s will to preserve both humbling and inspiring. A truly inspirational story that kept me enthralled from cover to cover.
The beauty in Kya’s surrounding wasn’t lost in the story. I could imagine the water, birds, shells, and smells of the marsh. The vivid way the author portrayed the surroundings of this other place in time was captivating. As I imagined the scenes depicted in this story, my heart ached for the little girl that seemed to lose everyone in her life. With an ending that was a tad predictable, I still found myself smiling at the strength that Kya put out in the universe. A wonderful story from beginning to end. Where the Crawdads Sing was definitely worth the wait!!
Great book
This was one of those books you wanted to keep reading to find out what happens next.
It was a page turner for sure.
Quite possibly my favorite book of all time!
Fabulous read. Very descriptive. Felt I was there.
An excellent book and hard to put down. Memorable characters. I highly recommend it.
This is a must read! Loved every aspect of this book.
Wonderful debut! Delia Owens needs to write more!