Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

5 reviews

micaelamariem's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-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

4.0

 

For the past couple of years, it seemed like everyone was raving about this book. Last year, I picked it up because it was on sale and I had heard of it, but not knowing what it was about I put it to the side to collect dust. But now the movie is out and people are talking about it again, and I thought it was about time I give it a try.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (published by Corsair) is a book that’s hard to describe. It’s about the life of Kya Clark, the “Marsh Girl” as everyone in the town calls her. It’s about her struggles with abandonment, lonliness, prejudice, and living in the wild. It’s about love and loss and biology. And it’s also sort of a murder mystery.

This was, without a doubt, a good book. I don’t know if it would be accurate to say I “enjoyed” it as it is a sad book that had me tearing up every other chapter, but I like the book. I thought the writing style was beautiful and poetic in a way that connected Kya’s life to the wild marshlife, and to me it seemed like there were nods to Walden or to Rachel Carson here and there. I also enjoyed the nods to poetry. Plus, there were themes of overcoming prejudices, especially in the court scenes, that reminded me of To Kill a Mockingbird, in some ways. I also really loved Jumpin, and how he became a psuedo-father to Kya. He was easily the best character.

Some criticisms of the book claim that it was genre-confused, and I can see where they were coming from. It is marketed as a mystery, but I think it’s less that and moreso literary and historical fiction. Perhaps that’s why I liked, though, as someone who typically hates mysteries! I also would have liked maybe more hope in the book, though there are threads, and it’s not a completley sad ending. It’s definitley not a book for people who are looking for something lighthearted, that’s for sure.

I do think it is an important book, however. The historical setting can help readers understand past prejudices while also confronting their own. The nature of Kya and her biological interests can cause readers to look at nature with a new appreciation. We can also reflect on characters and what is right and wrong, as well as reflect on the differences between loneliness and solitude.

Overall, I’m rating this book four stars. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Murder, Bullying, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Violence

Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Racism, Sexism, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Racial slurs

Minor: Animal death, Pregnancy, War, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Mental illness, and Sexual content

kfquarium's review

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious relaxing sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Classism, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Racism, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Rape, and Sexual content

Minor: Excrement, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Self harm

bcooper21's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Murder, Racism, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Racial slurs, and Sexual content

Moderate: Slavery, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, and Pregnancy

Minor: Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

alexisgarcia's review

dark mysterious sad 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

I had mixed feelings about this book. Overall, I liked the unique storyline and lush descriptions of nature and wildlife. It’s a topic I’m not incredibly well versed in so I appreciated the knowledge. The plot was unique and not incredibly predictable. However, the book fell flat for me in terms of some tropes, writing styles, and the ending. I don’t understand how kya could be the most beautiful girl everyone said she was when she was often caked in mud, with tangled hair and subjective bad hygiene. It seemed a little to on the “main character is so beautiful so she has many men pining after her” trope. I also personally did not like that it was not in first person. I think we could’ve gotten a more solid understanding of kya if it was told from her perspective. The old southern vernacular being used in dialogue also left me a little disappointed. It just made it much harder to enjoy the book. Lastly, I found that the ending really through off all of the work that had been put in the book to establish the character of kya and the reliability of the narrator. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Cursing, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Child death, Grief, Infertility, and Addiction

calliopie's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Violence