Reviews tagging 'War'

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

57 reviews

courtneyg1999's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Very slow start feels like the books you were forced to read in high school then at the end it got better. Definitely a page Turner towards the end. By the third chapter I was jealous of Ma for leaving.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racism, Rape, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and War

jg34's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I loved this book!! It drew me in pretty quickly and I was curious the whole time through wondering what would happen.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Murder, and Abandonment

Moderate: Racism, Sexual assault, Grief, Death of parent, War, and Classism

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Infertility, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail

eleni_erato's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Infidelity, Sexism, and War

Minor: Infertility and Suicidal thoughts

creationwing's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The story was fine, and the descriptions of nature were quiet good. I found it could be verbose at times, and, as others have pointed out, the dialogue was wasn't the strongest. While I liked the characters like Jumpin and such, the author builds tension only to accidentally deflate it too quickly and too soon. I have mixed feelings about this book. I got emotional at times, but it was lacking something that made the transition between the two (eventually coinciding) timelines choppy. The time jump in the last few chapters felt especially abrupt.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Toxic relationship, and Blood

Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Chronic illness, Drug use, Infertility, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Stalking, Car accident, Sexual harassment, and War

Graphic depictions of domestic violence, including against children.

A (frankly unnecessary) scene involving racist hate crime and slurs.

First period Coercion of sex / dubious consent / wear her down Some injuries are described quite graphically, more than expected, at least Implied painful sexual experiences. Attempted sexual assault.

knunderb's review

challenging emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Slightly slow to start, but enthralling and with an ending I wasn't totally expected. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and War

Moderate: Racism

clemrain's review

emotional mysterious reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

This book is basically to kill a mockingbird? 

When setting foot in a novel that is sung to high praises, it’s rare to come out agreeing. Where the Crawdads Sing lives up to its praise. 

I always find myself back to mystery as a genre. Though I wouldn’t say I have a huge library of them digested, I have read a fair few. This novel is nothing I’ve read before and maybe that’s why it’s so brilliant.

The writing is a bit slow in the beginning. I think the author really tried to ramp up the suspense by giving us a past and a present simultaneously. Though I enjoyed the slowness of Kya’s life, it was a difficult read because it was just so sad.

I liked that this story follow Kya’s life. It felt like a story about Kya’s life and her loneliness. The way she resonated with nature and flourished in it. She’s a trooper. Trampled over and resilient for it. Like the ground she walked barefoot on. The murder trial is something that she experienced and then we followed her life after it too. Good, interesting approach to a murder mystery.

We read the shaping of Kya and it felt so satisfying to have an in on her reason to kill. The perfect crime in the nature by the girl of nature. Satisfying.

All the side characters were entertaining and added so much to the plot. None of them felt out of place, unnecessary or boring.

Great writing. I like the pacing. The intertwining of poetry. I don’t think the past and present of Kya and the murder melded super efficiently. I think the chapters could’ve transitioned  smoother. 

The court scenes were intense. I felt like a ping pong ball following each and every evidence and rebuttal. I didn’t know who to believe. The tension building kept me on edge. I couldn’t put the book down to sleep. 

I was convinced it was Tate. And I think the author knew readers would find themselves there after Tate gave Kya the hat. And to sneakily put in the police getting Tate was a good way to pull the readers leg. Though the scene of Tate’s father dying and it resulting in Tate and Kya getting back together was disappointing. It read like killing off a character to progress the story.

Amazing ending.

I really thought it was an accident by the end of it, but to discover the truth through a poem was excellent.

Edit: I was shocked to find out after finishing this book there are accusations of the author being racist. Which was shocking considering the contents of this book. What a world. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Hate crime, Sexual violence, Grief, and Abandonment

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Grief, Death of parent, and Classism

Minor: Bullying, Cancer, Infertility, Infidelity, War, and Injury/Injury detail

its_erin's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

You won't want for descriptive imagery in this novel, as chapters are dedicated to the detailed depictions of "the marsh girl's" world. Meandering like a river, this book slowly weaves together the past and present from different perspectives to ultimately produce a story of love, loss, and the futility of going against the forces of nature.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Minor: Infertility, Infidelity, Death of parent, and War

linskireads's review against another edition

emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Physical abuse, and Abandonment

Moderate: Racism and Sexual assault

Minor: Self harm and War

ssummer_readss's review

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Beautifully written. The plot is amazing and I love how it is a mystery, coming-of-age, and a celebration for the wonders of nature all in one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs and Abandonment

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Rape, and Sexual content

Minor: Bullying and War

christine7499's review

emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

To be honest I predicted a lot of what would happen by the end of the book, but it was still enjoyable nonetheless

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

Moderate: Child abuse, Rape, Murder, and Abandonment

Minor: War