Book Review: WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING BY Owens Delia

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“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

Faces change with life’s toll, but eyes remain a window to what was, and she could see him there.

Book Summary

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.

Review

Anonymous:

This genuinely a novel that I could not put down for a number of reasons. The author’s unsurpassed knowledge and understanding of ‘nature’ and the natural world is more than matched by her beautiful descriptive poetic prose. Her keen and insightful observations on our society, on relationships,love, prejudice, racism and sexism are intermingled with a fast paced and gripping story which takes us on an emotional journey that, although set in the 30’s through to the 70’s, is even more relevant today than it was then. In the era of ‘me too’ - we should take heed and learn from this incredible, vivid and at times disturbing reflection on humanity (or inhumanity) as seen through the eyes of nature itself. We have a lot to learn from this book about our natural world and our relationship with it. I place this novel amongst the classics of all time - an easy match for any of the greats - Thomas Hardy, DH Lawrence JD Salinger. Delia Owens is up there with the very best. This book brought me to tears many times and pulled at every emotion you can possible think of. Congratulations on an epic first novel. Thank you for the experience- I will carry it with me for the rest of my life.

287 people found this helpful

Chocolateg:

TAfter all the rave reviews I was expecting something exceptional but was completely underwhelmed. I felt the the characters were underdeveloped and the plot rushed and implausible. Wish I’d saved my money and waited until i could pick up a cheaper secondhand copy.

Stoaty1:

A tale of a poor, uneducated yet strangely beautiful girl who grows up alone in a swamp while writing poetry and studying quantum physics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY3808Iq0Tg

Praise for Where The Crawdads Sing

“A lush debut novel, Owens delivers her mystery wrapped in gorgeous, lyrical prose. It’s clear she’s from this place—the land of the southern coasts, but also the emotional terrain—you can feel it in the pages. A magnificent achievement, ambitious, credible and very timely.”—Alexandra Fuller, New York Times bestselling author of Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight

“Heart-wrenching...A fresh exploration of isolation and nature from a female perspective along with a compelling love story.”—Entertainment Weekl

“This wonderful novel has a bit of everything—mstery, romance, and fascinating characters, all told in a story that takes place in North Carolina.”—Nicholas Sparks, New York Times bestselling author of Every Breath

“Delia Owen’s gorgeous novel is both a coming-of-age tale and an engrossing whodunit.”—Real Simpl

“Evocative...Kya makes for an unforgettable heroine.”—Publishers Weekly

“The New Southern novel...A lyrical debut.”—Southern Living

“A nature-infused romance with a killer twist.”—Refinery29

“Anyone who liked The Great Alone will want to read Where the Crawdads Sing....This astonishing debut is a beautiful and haunting novel that packs a powerful punch. It’s the first novel in a long time that made me cry.”—Kristin Hannah, author ofThe Great AloneandThe Nightingale

“Both a coming-of-age story and a mysterious account of a murder investigation told from the perspective of a young girl...Through Kya’s story, Owens explores how isolation affects human behavior, and the deep effect that rejection can have on our lives.”—Vanity Fair

“Lyrical...Its appeal ris[es] from Kya’s deep connection to the place where makes her home, and to all of its creatures.”—Booklist

“This beautiful, evocative novel is likely to stay with you for many days afterward....absorbing.”—AARP

“This haunting tale captivates every bit as much for its crime drama elements as for the humanity at its core.” —Mystery & Suspense Magazine

About the Author

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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 North Carolina. Where the Crawdads Sing is her first novel.

The Africa Years The Kalahari Lions and Brown Hyenas In an old, rattle-trap Land Rover, Delia and Mark Owens drove overland into the Central Kalahari of Botswana in early 1974. They set up a basic campsite in an area so remote they were the only two people, except for a few bands of roving Bushmen, in an area the size of Ireland. Very soon the first pride of lions moseyed up to Delia and Mark’s camp, and lay just beyond the trees. The Owens radio collared and studied six lion prides for more than seven years. The Blue Pride's territory included the Owens' camp, and Sassy, Chary, and Blue often romped near the Owens' tents or ransacked the outdoor kitchen. Delia and Mark also studied the elusive brown hyenas, who came into camp almost every night. During these years, Delia became fascinated with the social groups of mammals which are almost always made up of females. The males come and go for mating or meals, but the females stay in their birth groups and maintain strong bonds with their pride or pack mates for life. These observations reminded Delia of the close bonds she had with her life-time girl friends, and how strong the genetic propensity for female groups must be in our own species. Based on their research and life in the Kalahari, she co-authored the bestselling, award-winning book, Cry of the Kalahari. Her research on the evolution of social denning in brown hyenas earned her a Ph. D. at the University of California, Davis.

The Luangwa Elephants From the Kalahari, the Owens ventured to the North Luangwa Valley of Zambia to continue wildlife research. Besides studying elephants, Delia and Mark established a program that offered jobs, loans, and other assistance to local villagers so they would not have to poach wildlife for a living. Soon the elephants felt safe in the Owens’ camp and would stroll between their cottages feeding on marula fruits. An orphaned elephant, the Owens named Gift, wandered into their camp one day and took up residence among the bungalows. Several years later she had her first calf, Georgia, and eventually a grand-calf. Once again Delia was fascinated by the fact that the herds were made up only of closely bonded females and their offspring. Delia set up her own camp on the banks of the Luangwa River, and studied the social behavior of the elephants. Every year, she hiked the five major rivers of North Luangwa, observing the herds. In all, Delia conducted research on endangered species in Africa for twenty-three years. She published her research results in the scientific journals Nature, Animal Behavior, Journal of Mammalogy, Natural History, and others. Her research and conservation work in Africa earned her the Golden Ark award from Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands and the University of California Award for Excellence. The project they began in Zambia continues to this day, funded in part by the Owens Foundation for Wildlife Conservation. Delia's research on the importance of female grouping in social mammals influenced her fictional writing. Where the Crawdads Sing explores the behavioral impact on a young woman who is forced to live much of her young life without a group.

Books Updates Reviews

The bestselling book of 2019 Where The Crawdads Sing presents a fantasy of grit and purity: a young white girl who is abandoned by her family in the 1950s learns to survive on her own in a North Carolina marsh, transforms from illiterate to acclaimed scientific author without ever giving up her communion with the land, and finds love with an outcast who is so suspicious the town assumes she murdered her former lover. The harshness and purity of the book are authentically preserved for the big screen in the Reese Witherspoon-produced and Olivia Newman-directed cinematic adaptation. A former scientist in her mid-70s known for years of contentious (and probably violent) conservation work in Africa, Delia Owens' debut book presented a captivating fusion of romance, murder mystery, and wild coming-of-age that, coupled with

Over 12 million copies have been sold as a result of Reese Witherspoon's book club's endorsement. Review of Persuasion: Dakota Johnson portrays Jane Austen being fleabagged with style The way the movie depicts her poverty is more artistic than realistic. Kya gets covered in mud as a child, however she is never described as smelly or untrained when walking barefoot.

Tate (Taylor John Smith), a charming childhood buddy, helps Kya learn to read, express her love of the marsh in terms of science, and fall in love. The movie Where the Crawdads Sing debuts in US theaters on July 15 and in the UK on July 22. It never truly cared about difficulties, suffering, or bigotry as anything other than wall coverings.