Reviews with content warning for Hate crime - Where the Crawdads Sing

Delia Owens delivered the well-dimensioned strong female protagonist we’ve been asking for in a coming-of-age murder mystery that celebrates nature and women in STEM.
[Reasons it might not be for you: abuse, neglect, abandonment, death/murder, sexual assault scene (and referenced in a few chapters following), shitty sex (very little), race issues of the 1950s]
WTCS in a few words: Intricate, strong woman, To Kill A Mockingbird-like, Nature-Celebration, murder-mystery, overcoming
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I’m in awe of Owens’ debut novel! Every detail is so well thought out and executed with such intention even to the last page. It makes me excited for any future works Owens might deliver.
Kya is a strong independent female in 1950s North Carolina, whose life brought on extreme hardship at a young age. She finds very little support from the town she resides in save for a black couple and a single friend a few years her senior. As a result, she finds refuge in nature and the animals of the marshlands.
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I appreciated Owens’ attention to detail concerning nature as well as the interpersonal challenges of Kya and other characters. Because of the complexity of the characters and setting of WTCS becomes a believable tale of overcoming hardship as Kya, the protagonist, ages, loves, loses, creates, discovers, and builds bonds with what’s around her.
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Having had my own challenges of growing up, I found Kya a very relatable and empowering character, despite the differences in our stories. The complexity of her emotions and personality I believe sets WTCS apart from most novels and it’s a refreshing change in literature.
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As a white woman, a lot of the racial issues, albeit not a main focus of the novel rather more a point of setting, seems reminiscent of To Kill A Mockingbird, but in some aspects may be in better taste for our current day and age. Although the writing style and plot seems to lend itself to that comparison as well. I would love to here a BIPOC individual’s take on the portrayal of race as mine will be inadequate. However, I do appreciate how one of the main supporting characters Jumpin’ and his wife Mabel are black in the 1950s, but are still business owners and are portrayed a kind, capable human beings with the same complexity that the other supporting characters have. But their experience doesn’t seem to whitewashed or diminished from what I can tell, although I am happy to be corrected as my knowledge and perspective is limited in comparison to others who have lived it.
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I would love to read more novels similar to Where The Crawdads Sing not only in manner of writing but also with regards to nature and character complexity.
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I’m dyslexic and chose to read the physical book of WTCS and I was pleased with the ease that I was able to read this book and enjoy the well written imagery by Owens. My experience with dyslexia will never be universal because each person’s experience is unique.

Content Warnings

jmf27's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.25

the resiliency is inspiring & I found myself rooting for Kya the whole time

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