Where the Crawdads Sing: Reese's Book Club (A Novel)

The Australian media broadcaster ABC through ABC Radio National, is currently asking readers for their choices for the top 100 Books of the 21st Century. Hundreds if not thousands of votes have already been received and avid readers are sharing their picks on The ABC Book Club facebook page. Having seen countless numbers of readers selecting Wherer the Crawdads Sing, I decided to buy it and am so very, very glad I did. It is beautifully written and a fabulous story about a young girl's unfortunate, dysfunctional family and her strength and perseverance in overcoming immense odds to not only reach adulthood, but become a shining example of never giving up. With a strong emphasis on preserving and appreciating the beautiful harmony of the environment, it gives an insight into the balance required for all lifeforms - humans included - in marsh/swamp/sea environments. The main characters are wonderfully crafted and they come to life throughout the book - which really was a page turner and hard to put down! I am feeling quite bereft since finishing it - it was such a thoroughly enjoyable, engaging book. It will be a very hard act to follow. Am hoping that Delia Owens writes more novels - I am very tempted to read her non-fiction books about her life as a wildlife scientist Can highly recommend it - would love to add it to my list of best 100 books of the 21st century - in fact I reckon I'd place it in the top 20!

Count me among the thousands of readers who think ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’ is a wonderful tale and a joy to read. Kya is such a delightful character. Abandoned by her mother at the age of six, she is both sweet and resourceful. Her father is the impetus for the abandonment, a wounded veteran of WW2, he tries to drown his problems in drunken rages. Kya’s Ma can’t take the abuse he dishes out anymore, and she leaves their home, a shack in coastal Carolina, behind. Eventually all the siblings also take off, one by one, for parts unknown and Kya must deal with her drunken Pa in the wild marshland. Basically, the little girl learns to fend for herself, growing up with the animals and birds as her tutors and playmates. She becomes known around town as the Marsh Girl. I enjoyed Part 1, where Kya slowly matures into a teenage woman. This is a little better than Part 2, where Kya has to endure the cruel prejudices and indifference of the townspeople. Both parts contain excellent writing, painting pictures of the environment with remarkable prose. But this book is much more than pretty words. The plot is captivating, drawing me in and pushing me forward to chapter after chapter with a curiosity for what will happen next. Kya finds love with Tate, only to be deserted by another that she cares for. She later finds love again, this time with Chase. But this time she is rejected in a different way, and she endures an atrocity that is both confusing and heartbreaking to her innocent mind. One of the best characters is Jumpin, proprietor of the wharf boat dock and friend to Kya when she was rejected by everyone else. Later, Kya tells Jumpin some of what Chase had done to her, and I thought he would come to her aid in Part 2. Perplexing. But the small holes in this story are easily overlooked. A solid five star read should induce emotions from the reader and in the best books the characters should make a real connection. ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’ is populated by some of the most endearing characters that I have known.

This is a really great debut novel by Delia Owens. What I liked most about this fine novel is the writing style. The author's style is picturesque and has a flow to it. It is clearly written, but is not a light read. It is the kind of book I needed to give my full attention. The story involves two separate time lines that slowly weave together. The protagonist is a young lady who has a difficult childhood and who learns to cope with life on her own terms. As I stated above the writing is often exquisite. Although very good, the story itself is not quite as good as the writing. But the writing is so great that for the story to be as great as the writing would make this one of the greatest novels ever written. I would not go that far. But the book overall is excellent. As is often the case I listened to the audiobook while simultaneously reading the book on Kindle. The narrator is Cassandra Campbell. The audiobook is as excellent, and is worthy of the writing. I have what I refer to as a "flawed inner narrator". As such the audiobook was really worth the extra expense to me. **** Above, I have tried to avoid references to the story, one may wish to skip the below until after reading the book. **** If one has already decided to read the book, one may wish to skip this part. I will try to remain vague. There were parts of this story the seemed unlikely to me. When one parent departs and goes to her family, they seem to make no attempt to find her children. As a grandfather, this is unthinkable to me. Supposedly there were some threats. That would mean nothing to me. There is also a violent felony mystery within the story. As a retired detective, there were parts of that episode that I found completely outside my personal experience. I am not saying the matter could not be resolved, but they did not even come close. It is not that really amateur hour police work never occurs, it does. But a case that weak does not go to trial, especially with the potential penalty involved. It was more like a civil trial than a criminal trial. I suppose those were the parts of the story that were most unrealistic to me and bothered me the most. It is the WRITING that I found most compelling. And most of the story is really quite good. ***** End of discussion of the story itself. ***** In summary, I felt this is a really great reading experience. I am so glad that I had a chance to read this book. I absolutely intend to read her next novel should there be one. As I compose this review there is no second novel of which I am aware. Should there be one, I will seek a copy immediately. Thank You...

WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING REVIEW Delia Owens has written an extraordinary story of nature, both human and feral, that explores the coming of age of a Southern wild child. In “Where the Crawdads Sing,” she tells of an abandoned six-year old girl, Kya Clark, who uses her wiles and inventiveness to survive, as she grows up alone in the remote marshes of the North Carolina coast. She is known as the “Marsh Girl” who hides in the backwaters with the creatures of the swamp, shunning interlopers and eking out an existence of hardship and hunger. Her entire young life is a struggle, carefully delineated by an author who is sensitive to the emotions of her protagonist, the natural beauty of her surroundings, and the readers who travel with her through years of a lonely existence. Two boys interact with Kia. One is sensitive to her solitary condition, teaches her to read, and kindles the first hints of love she will experience. He suddenly disappears, along with her family members. turning her into a distrustful earth creature. The other, the nearby swamp town’s charismatic idol, becomes her second lover, less caring about her personally, who drags the girl into the public eye as a suspect in his death. He also breaks her heart before he is killed. The story becomes more predictable at this point, and somewhat implausible, but a unique twist at the end saves the day. Owens, with a PhD in Animal Behavior, co-wrote three other books, about her experiences in Africa. Crawdads is her first novel and, while occurring in a far different environment, it contains some amazing nature writing and descriptions of wildlife behavior. Some have criticized her for leaning towards flowery writing about the natural world but I found it spellbinding. I was less impressed with some other sections that tended to drag but, overall, it was a great reading experience. “Where the Crawdads Sing” is a beautiful and wistful title, bringing to mind the plaintive song “Somewhere Out There,” a tearjerker for sure. Although this story did not wrench tears from me as a reader, I could never erase the image of longing and anticipation found in that song. Kia’s mindset paralleled those emotions. My appreciation for this book was certainly enhanced by having that concept in my mind. It was an earworm that stayed with me throughout the book. Marshy land, the swamp, green water, mysterious creatures, and black shadows are brought alive by Owens’s writing. It’s an enjoyable read. Schuyler T Wallace Author of TIN LIZARD TALES

Great book. Good story. I enjoyed it a lot. I passed it on.

Where the Crawdads Sing is well worth staying up all night to read. The midnight fireworks marked a significant moment in the book which definitely would be a spoiler! Kya is abandoned by her mother and siblings who leave her at age six with an abusive drunk. As marsh-dwellers, she and her family live as total outsiders from the world of small-town Bible Belt North Carolina in the mid-1950s. Once her protectors leave her, Kya's world becomes darker and more dangerous. She stays on the good side of her father long enough to learn to fish before he goes off the wagon and disappears for good. Kya learns to feed and clothe herself with the loving help of a Black swamp storekeeper and his wife. She avoids the truant officers until she is 8 when she is put into a class far above her skills with students who bully and disdain. It is her first and last day of school. She prevents authorities from learning she is alone because she is terrified she will be removed from the marshland that is her entire world. She is alone but she learns how to avoid loneliness. Yet she yearns for a family again, for her mother's songs and art and gaiety—when it was safe to laugh and play. She misses the last brother she remembers well, who abandoned her with her sullen and explosive father. When not struggling to feed herself and to earn money for gas for the boat and staples for the household, Kya builds her collections: exotic feathers, shells, nests, butterflies. She draws and paints and studies the habits of insects, of birds, of marsh animals. She learns the tides, the currents outside the lagoon, the weather. But she knows little of people except that they are unkind if not cruel, often dangerous—never trustworthy. After all, if her own family has abandoned her, who can she trust? Then she meets Tate, who also loves the marshland, who appreciates her flock of gulls, who is a collector of marsh artifacts and creatures. Slowly she learns to trust him, allows him to teach her what he knows, accepts the books that he uses to teach her to read. Kya grows into the world Tate offers, a world of knowledge and art and possibilities. Kya is just beginning to realize what love might be—could be—when Tate leaves for college. And like all the others, he does not return. It is when she is most financially and physically secure that Kya becomes the most vulnerable. She meets Chase and the life and career she has built as an author and naturalist fall apart, to the cruel delight of the town who have been waiting for years to see the Marsh Girl finally get her comeuppance. I recommend Where the Crawdads Sing to readers who enjoy solid character development, rich description, and learning of new places and information without feeling "taught." Delia Owens imparts knowledge lovingly—no didactics. Kya's observations widen your world as they widen hers. Kya's growth as a whole person is gradual as she learns to trust, learns to love, learns to widen her circle. Her journey is long and hazardous, but those who travel the road with her are enriched and enlightened by Kya's losses, her gains, and her redemption as a human experiencing a wider and highly challenging world. This is not a book a reader will regret choosing. You will be willing to read away the night, even on New Year's Eve.

I enjoyed this book so much, I couldn't put it down. I absolutely loved it from beginning to end! Amazing!

Loved the book! Quality and durability was good. Took it on a beach trip!