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isabellarob73's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I see why this book is so popular. Rich with imagery, page-turning chapters, and a fascinating main character. I loved part 1, especially because it was based so heavily in the nature / survival aspect of the book. Part two was less enjoyable, but I’m also not someone super into law/court stuff. The ending is very interesting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Infertility
jessicaludden's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Going into this I didn’t have a lot of trust in the author. This book was entertaining enough. There were definitely times I got bored and just wanted to get to the point. There were lots of drawn out descriptions of mundane things like what Kya was making for breakfast and just every day things that I didn’t think we needed to know. Going back and forth between the present murder investigation and Kya’s childhood in the past was a nice contrast, although at times I felt like we were in the past for a little too long, just to catch up with the present and have every single detail of the court case told to us. What is with authors and their need to put weird age gaps in relationships. Like, I get Kya and Tate kinda grew up knowing each other, but 14 and 18? Seriously? Also it’s always going to be weird to me when a white author uses the N word in their writing. I get it’s set in the 60s, but you can show racism without doing all that and I definitely didn’t trust her to do that justice. I will say the best part of this book was the ending. It definitely took me by surprise and I guess the whole point of seeing so much of Kya’s childhood was so that we viewed her as this innocent Marsh Girl. The ending definitely left me thinking and I think it was a good decision to imply that Kya actually did kill Chase. She would’ve been living in fear for the rest of her life and, like she said, it’s one thing to live in isolation, but fear too? Overall, I enjoyed reading this most of the time even though I have my problems with it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Sexual content, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Blood, Death of parent, and Classism
samflowerv6's review against another edition
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.0
An amazing read. I’ll never forget these beautiful words.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
witchleaves's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Blood
camoo3032's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The imagery is incredibly beautiful and worth reading for that alone
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
Minor: Infertility, Mental illness, Misogyny, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , War, and Injury/Injury detail
purplehulk713's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
In elegant and eloquent prose, Delia Owens tells a story so lush and complex, she might have pulled it out of the marsh itself. You follow cute little Kya, subjected to the horrors of the home that no child should have to face, watch her mother walk down the lane without waving goodbye, the first time in Kya's life that she would be abandoned. The book sings a love song to the marsh, one of the most diverse sources of life and where one's true nature cannot be denied, as you see with her father, Chase, and Tate. Kya grows, loves, and loses, but always comes back to the marsh, to the sand and sea which have been her family far more than any blood. The greater setting of Barkley Cove is likewise fascinating, especially with the dynamics between Jumpin', Mabel, and Kya, and Kya and the rest of Barkley Cove. The trial sequence is incredible, flowing back and forth through time as naturally as the tides. Kya seeks for life that will remain with her, in the waters of the marsh, feeding gulls and herons, collecting shells and other samples, and eventually opening her heart up to find the raw, intense, and sometimes shattering experiences of human connection, which lurk just beyond her marsh. What does it take to earn someone's trust? What would make you abandon your love? Can anyone protect themself from heartbreak? Follow me way out yonder, where the crawdads sing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Abandonment
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
saurahsaurus's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Updated 7/20/22. I am not one of those who believes that an artist’s works should be separated from their personal life. If I am going to spend my money and time on something, I want it align with my values—or at least not blatantly violate my conscience. Shortly after finishing this book, I discovered that the author, her husband, and her stepson were wanted for questioning related to their potential involvement in the murder of an alleged poacher in Zambia. The White Savior tropes and approval of the main character getting away with murder all make sense now. Even without the knowledge that the author’s stepson was potentially involved in the murder of a Zambian man in a formerly colonized country and that the author and her then-family fled the country instead of cooperating with investigators, this book made me uneasy. It was exasperatingly self-indulgent in the way it dealt with race and racism, to the point that the Black characters seemed almost cartoonish in their irreality. (Read: an entire community of Black people, who had never met Kya—a White outsider—parted like the Red Sea when Kya came to their segregated neighborhood for Jumpin’s funeral. )
I think that this type of racism (White Savior and ever-so-grateful Black people who cannot be the architects of their own salvation) is inherently harmful, but bearing the author’s personal history in mind, it takes on a new level of sinisterness. It reeks of White guilt and fragility, and bears entirely too much resemblance to the author’s life to be coincidence.
I previously gave this book a 2.75, but it truly deserves a zero for the author’s real life sins.
Original review: The author has such a distinct style of writing, and her prose can be strikingly beautiful—intermittently simple and abstruse. However, I have two main issues with this book. Chiefly, I felt like certain aspects of this book weren’t consistent in conveying the social mores of the time, or their severity. I understand that racial inequality is difficult to convey and a sensitive topic, but I always have to wonder why an author chooses a time period in which this is a salient issue, only to not effectively capture its essence. It very much felt like a White person trying to portray the experience of Black Americans at the time. For instance, despite being a small and deeply segregated town,the judge decided on the spot that a trial that occurred in his court would be integrated, and that anyone who disagreed would not be welcome. It just didn’t seem realistic. As another example, when Jumpin’, a Black supporting character and a close friend of Kya’s, was being threatened by some White boys, Kya just happened to be in the right place at the right time. She defended Jumpin’ by incapacitating the two boys. It felt very much like a “White Savior” moment to me. Furthermore, when one of the Black characters dies in the book, the whole town comes out to attend his funeral and every Black person that attended stepped aside for Kya…despite none of them knowing her. It was all very weird and didn’t feel realistic or consistent with the racism depicted—either implicitly or explicitly. As yet another example,at one point, Kya even compares her situation to situations that have befallen Black women and says it’s the exact same. Seriously? Even as an outcast, Kya was a WHITE WOMAN. I don’t think I need to explain why Kya’s life experiences would have been drastically different from a Black woman in the same position. Kya may have been discouraged from visiting certain places, but she had a legal right to do so. Black people at the time were legally barred from many establishments. Furthermore and most importantly, (massive spoiler ahead) if a Black person had been accused of murdering a White man in 1970, in a small and segregated town, I cannot see how they would’ve possibly been acquitted or had any semblance of a fair trial. How is that the same? Ugh.
My second main issue was the ending. Massive spoiler ahead.I don’t even know what to say, really. I mean, sure I get why Kya would do what she did, but then I feel like it completely nullifies all of the lessons the book is supposed to be teaching and preaching about. Kya was ostracized, which was horribly wrong, but then the towns people were actually right about her committing murder? And I felt like the book implied that they were wrong for being prejudiced and jumping to conclusions. Sure, their reasoning was prejudiced but they ended up being right. If you’re gonna have Kya, this person who’s supposed to be innocent and wild and free and a bit weird but harmless, be the killer…then lean into that. There was not really a whole lot of duality to her (eg a dark side) that would have made that plot twist make sense. So why do it, if not for shock value? It just felt really inconsistent with her character. I would have actually rooted for Kya to get away with murder (in fiction only!) if that dark side had been established earlier on and not just out of nowhere.
Anyway, I enjoyed parts of this book but I don’t see myself re-reading it. There are so many books out there, and I’m almost frustrated that I spent time reading this one.
I think that this type of racism (White Savior and ever-so-grateful Black people who cannot be the architects of their own salvation) is inherently harmful, but bearing the author’s personal history in mind, it takes on a new level of sinisterness. It reeks of White guilt and fragility, and bears entirely too much resemblance to the author’s life to be coincidence.
I previously gave this book a 2.75, but it truly deserves a zero for the author’s real life sins.
Original review: The author has such a distinct style of writing, and her prose can be strikingly beautiful—intermittently simple and abstruse. However, I have two main issues with this book. Chiefly, I felt like certain aspects of this book weren’t consistent in conveying the social mores of the time, or their severity. I understand that racial inequality is difficult to convey and a sensitive topic, but I always have to wonder why an author chooses a time period in which this is a salient issue, only to not effectively capture its essence. It very much felt like a White person trying to portray the experience of Black Americans at the time. For instance, despite being a small and deeply segregated town,
My second main issue was the ending. Massive spoiler ahead.
Anyway, I enjoyed parts of this book but I don’t see myself re-reading it. There are so many books out there, and I’m almost frustrated that I spent time reading this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infertility, Slavery, and Suicidal thoughts
A note on the sexual violence and harassment tags, which contains a significant spoiler but is not detailed:evax89's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
tbh i only read this book to be prepared for the movie that is coming out in July:/ idk why but i didn’t really feel connected to the protagonist for some reason?? the plot was quite slow and i didn’t really like how it switched between years!! other than that, the writing was phenomenal!!
Also, the plot twist at the end was absolutely jaw-dropping!!
Also, the plot twist at the end was absolutely jaw-dropping!!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Abandonment
thatswhatshanread's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-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
5.0
Wow. This book is such an incredible journey led by perseverance, love, and survival. While it was slow to start, I felt entirely taken in by the story and held in its palms as if I, too, were finding my way through life amongst the marshes of 1960s South Carolina.
Owens’ writing is poetic and strong, beautiful and sad, honest and rhythmic in a way not often associated with works published in the last ten years. I felt the nuances of Harper Lee coming back to me while reading this one, as Kya’s story of resilience, prejudice, loss, and heartbreak reminded me in ways of “To Kill A Mockingbird”. In both acclaimed novels, there is a clear distinction and cowardice in regards to class and upbringing especially, but also race and education.
“Where The Crawdads Sing” is first a celebration and clarification of nature and its constants, every little piece of the earth that gives and takes, ebbs and flows. I’ve never before read such lyrical accounts of nature and its secrets.
But this is also a book about love, how it flourishes and wants and haunts and disappoints and endures. The emotion over rare feathers easily coincides with the years of affection between friends, lovers, family.
The heavy weight of murder and death hangs over all elements throughout the story, though it never takes away from the poignant, beautiful account of life.
Owens’ writing is poetic and strong, beautiful and sad, honest and rhythmic in a way not often associated with works published in the last ten years. I felt the nuances of Harper Lee coming back to me while reading this one, as Kya’s story of resilience, prejudice, loss, and heartbreak reminded me in ways of “To Kill A Mockingbird”. In both acclaimed novels, there is a clear distinction and cowardice in regards to class and upbringing especially, but also race and education.
“Where The Crawdads Sing” is first a celebration and clarification of nature and its constants, every little piece of the earth that gives and takes, ebbs and flows. I’ve never before read such lyrical accounts of nature and its secrets.
But this is also a book about love, how it flourishes and wants and haunts and disappoints and endures. The emotion over rare feathers easily coincides with the years of affection between friends, lovers, family.
The heavy weight of murder and death hangs over all elements throughout the story, though it never takes away from the poignant, beautiful account of life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Confinement, Cursing, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Mental illness and War
sauvageloup's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-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
5.0
a beautiful and thought-provoking book with a great plot and writing, the whole package
(spoilers throughout this review)
pros:
- the writing is just stunning, so visual it's like seeing a misty video in your mind, but with all the emotions attached. I'm not sure I even appreciated it all properly, only stopping to really linger on phrases a couple of times because I was so into the story
- the plot was great too, totally gripping and keeps you guessing till the last page and I was so hooked at the trial, literally couldn't put it down
- part of that was the characters, which were beautiful. I desperately wanted to meet kya in real life, to have someone love me like Tate does her. their relationship and characters were so starkly beautiful. even when they do wrong, you can't stop loving them
- I think Kya's upbringing was respected too. even when she was an adult, she still had that lingering, abandoned girl in her. she thrived despite or because of it, but it still was visibly part of her, not pushed to the side or grown out of. her trauma was still there in her wariness and defiance and silence
- I loved that Mabel and Jumpin were the ones to step up for Kya when she was little. your heart just aches for that little girl, all alone until she's not. the tiny kindnesses of people that should've been so much more
- i loved the ending. it felt almost inevitable, in a perfectly plotted way. it seemed like it couldn't have been her during he trial, but it feels like it must have been at the same time. she knows that Chase won't leave her alone, and she talks about the female insects. that she buried her secret for so long is not unsurprisingly, though I hope she knew Tate would've forgave her. maybe he already guessed.
- also it was just very well done all around. I can't quite say it felt wholly original in all its parts, but it came together in an original and impressive whole. I loved the descriptions of the South that bled through in the food, writing and nature. there was such love there despite the injustice.
- oh I did appreciate that Kya's period and her sexual desire wasn't tip-toed around, though I thought we might get a masturbation scene - Kya is so independent, the idea that she'd let Chase leave her wanting and not fix it or explore herself felt not right. I was glad however that Kya and Tate had a complete life even without children, that's often the heterosexual happy ending and I'm glad they still were happy without that. I wonder if Kya's early malnutrition might've damaged her fertility, since she never conceived with Chase and there was no mention of contraception
- OH and I just loved the nature info, and the poetry quotes. anything chance to learn, I enjoy, but particularly about nature and it was woven so well into the story. I love characters with strong interests.
cons:
- perhaps at the start, the time jumping confused me a bit, but not too bad
- I did find it a bit sad that her growing up was defined a lot by sex and her period. there's other defining features of adulthood than that, more subtle, but there's a lot of focus on those bits
- while I loved Jumpin's character hugely and I know the times in which it was set, if reality was bent enough for Kya to get a perfect love, I wish Jumpin and the other POCs on the story had gotten more justice, more of a plot line somehow. but I guess that would've made the book too big
overall, loved it, would read again. and somebody pls get Kya a cat!!
(spoilers throughout this review)
pros:
- the writing is just stunning, so visual it's like seeing a misty video in your mind, but with all the emotions attached. I'm not sure I even appreciated it all properly, only stopping to really linger on phrases a couple of times because I was so into the story
- the plot was great too, totally gripping and keeps you guessing till the last page and I was so hooked at the trial, literally couldn't put it down
- part of that was the characters, which were beautiful. I desperately wanted to meet kya in real life, to have someone love me like Tate does her. their relationship and characters were so starkly beautiful. even when they do wrong, you can't stop loving them
- I think Kya's upbringing was respected too. even when she was an adult, she still had that lingering, abandoned girl in her. she thrived despite or because of it, but it still was visibly part of her, not pushed to the side or grown out of. her trauma was still there in her wariness and defiance and silence
- I loved that Mabel and Jumpin were the ones to step up for Kya when she was little. your heart just aches for that little girl, all alone until she's not. the tiny kindnesses of people that should've been so much more
- i loved the ending. it felt almost inevitable, in a perfectly plotted way. it seemed like it couldn't have been her during he trial, but it feels like it must have been at the same time. she knows that Chase won't leave her alone, and she talks about the female insects. that she buried her secret for so long is not unsurprisingly, though I hope she knew Tate would've forgave her. maybe he already guessed.
- also it was just very well done all around. I can't quite say it felt wholly original in all its parts, but it came together in an original and impressive whole. I loved the descriptions of the South that bled through in the food, writing and nature. there was such love there despite the injustice.
- oh I did appreciate that Kya's period and her sexual desire wasn't tip-toed around, though I thought we might get a masturbation scene - Kya is so independent, the idea that she'd let Chase leave her wanting and not fix it or explore herself felt not right. I was glad however that Kya and Tate had a complete life even without children, that's often the heterosexual happy ending and I'm glad they still were happy without that. I wonder if Kya's early malnutrition might've damaged her fertility, since she never conceived with Chase and there was no mention of contraception
- OH and I just loved the nature info, and the poetry quotes. anything chance to learn, I enjoy, but particularly about nature and it was woven so well into the story. I love characters with strong interests.
cons:
- perhaps at the start, the time jumping confused me a bit, but not too bad
- I did find it a bit sad that her growing up was defined a lot by sex and her period. there's other defining features of adulthood than that, more subtle, but there's a lot of focus on those bits
- while I loved Jumpin's character hugely and I know the times in which it was set, if reality was bent enough for Kya to get a perfect love, I wish Jumpin and the other POCs on the story had gotten more justice, more of a plot line somehow. but I guess that would've made the book too big
overall, loved it, would read again. and somebody pls get Kya a cat!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Mental illness