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A review by kba76
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I feel I must be one of the few people not to have read this much hyped book…and now I’ve finished it, I wonder what took me so long to get round to it!
Where the Crawdads Sing is an understated story that focuses on the story of young Kya, a girl abandoned by her family and learning to survive in the marsh that is her home, and the investigation into the murder of local hero Chase Andrews. The two stories are inextricably linked, and the way the writer develops these stories draws us in.
From the outset I was struck by the understated beauty of the description of the natural world. Though Kya is an abandoned child, left to her own devices from the age of fourteen, she finds solace in her environment. Never having been to school - apart from the one day the truancy officer forces her in - Kya is an expert in her surroundings. Her love of nature, knowledge of the environment she inhabits and her ability to record this in painting does, eventually, offer her a living.
The depiction of Kya’s life makes it hard not to sympathise with her and hope for a positive outcome for her story. Tied into her story is that of two young men, very different characters, but who play their part in Kya’s story.
There were parts of this that reminded me of To Kill a Mockingbird, and it was hard not to fall under the spell of this story. The ending did not exactly surprise me, and yet I found myself pleased for Kya that she’d had that opportunity. Unsettling, but a memorable read.
Where the Crawdads Sing is an understated story that focuses on the story of young Kya, a girl abandoned by her family and learning to survive in the marsh that is her home, and the investigation into the murder of local hero Chase Andrews. The two stories are inextricably linked, and the way the writer develops these stories draws us in.
From the outset I was struck by the understated beauty of the description of the natural world. Though Kya is an abandoned child, left to her own devices from the age of fourteen, she finds solace in her environment. Never having been to school - apart from the one day the truancy officer forces her in - Kya is an expert in her surroundings. Her love of nature, knowledge of the environment she inhabits and her ability to record this in painting does, eventually, offer her a living.
The depiction of Kya’s life makes it hard not to sympathise with her and hope for a positive outcome for her story. Tied into her story is that of two young men, very different characters, but who play their part in Kya’s story.
There were parts of this that reminded me of To Kill a Mockingbird, and it was hard not to fall under the spell of this story. The ending did not exactly surprise me, and yet I found myself pleased for Kya that she’d had that opportunity. Unsettling, but a memorable read.