Where the Crawdads Sing Book Review

Book Details

Spoiler Free Background Information

Where the Crawdads Sing is written by conservationist and zoologist Delia Owens. You can tell that the book has an expert analysis of the animals who live in the swamps of the Carolinas. Another big theme of the book is conservation which makes sense when you know who Delia Owens is. 

The book is a murder mystery but with a fun spin. The book is written from the perspective of Kya Clark. The book is written from two converging timelines both having Kya as the main character. It’s a fun idea that Delia Owens pulled off very well. 

Chase Andrews, the town hotshot and former quarterback is found dead, and the sheriff is pretty sure that it wasn’t an accident. Sherriff Jackson and his Deputy are tasked with finding his killer. 

Kya known to those in town as the marsh girl, has been shunned by the townsfolk because she is different. The townspeople look down on those who live in the marsh so naturally they also look down on Kya. To the women in town she was a dirty marsh girl, to the boys in town she was wild, ready to be tamed. 

Kya was young when her family left one by one. Leaving because of their abusive, alcoholic father until eventually Kya was the only one left. Her father softened for a time when it was just the two of them. He taught her how to fish and told her stories from before she was born. 

It wasn’t uncommon for him to leave for multiple days at a time. One day he didn’t come back. From this point on it was just Kya alone in the marsh left to survive.

She pulled herself up by her bootstraps and learned to survive. She had some help along the way from friends like Jumpin, who ran what might be considered a 1950s equivalent to a convenience store, and his wife Mable. 

It’s not only a story of abuse and despair but also one of love. With this love comes plenty of mistakes. Kya comes to the point where she truly trusts nobody, and for good reason. Everybody that she loved has left her or betrayed her in some way or another. This story isn’t only a classic who done it, but also one of forgiveness and redemption. 

My Thoughts on Where the Crawdads Sing

This book spoke to me in many ways. I was very impressed with the writing as well as the storyline in the book. I found it an amazing idea to have two different timelines following the same story converging and then have the last bit of the book take place after the convergence of the timelines. Not only was it a brilliant idea, but it was also executed very well. 

The storyline had me swinging with emotion. At some points I was happy, and at others I was mad. There were other points where I was sad about what Kya had to go through. Kya went through more than imaginable and definitely more than was fair. But she handled it with far more grace than most people would have. 

The storyline left nothing to be desired except for one small detail. After having watched the movie, I felt that the movie did a better job of portraying actual feelings from Kya for Chase Andrews. Whereas the book made it clearer that her feelings for Chase were born out of loneliness and lust. 

I wish the feelings had stemmed from somewhere in between what the book had portrayed and what the movie had portrayed. It’s obvious to me that the book’s portrayal is more accurate but the movie’s portrayal made the ending far more satisfying for me. In the movie, she grows to realize her feelings for Chase aren’t love. In the book Kya seems to know that her feelings for Chase aren’t of love but rather loneliness and lust. This character growth in the movie was very satisfying for me.

Something very satisfying for me though, were the complex characters that Delia brought to life. From characters like Tate and Chase to Jumpin and Mable, the book is packed with character development from all the characters. She did a great job of making each character feel as complicated as a real person. Not all authors are good at that, and it was something I appreciated. 

Overall, I think this is an excellent book. It’s well-written and the storyline is excellent. When you add that with not only the excellent idea of having two different timelines but the fantastic execution of the idea. I couldn’t possibly give this book less than a five-star rating. 

Recommendation

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

GLF Books Recommends this book with five stars based on five different reasons. 

The book was well written. Everything was smooth and flowed nicely. There weren’t very many words that felt out of place in a sentence which made the book easy to read. 

1. The characters were excellently thought out and reminded me of some real people in my life. They weren’t straightforward and put into a box. Each character was complex, just like real people.
2. The emotions that this book stirred up in me were something else. It was fantastic to be pulled back in forth between happy, sad, angry, and sometimes even heartbroken. Where the Crawdads Sing does a perfect job of throwing you into a pool of emotion. 
3. The creative timeline usage really did it for me. I think Delia did an excellent job executing this timeline which truly is a tough thing to do well. 
4. The mystery was also great. I think Delia wrote something good here that had you waiting till the very end. 
5. The book was well written. Everything was smooth and flowed nicely which made the book extremely easy to read. 

I truly enjoyed reading Where the Crawdads Sing and I know that you will too. It’s a great read and a great piece for your bookshelf. 

Posted By: glfbooks.com · In: Book Reviews, Fiction