Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

100 reviews

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

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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

layla_reads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Rape, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Abandonment

Moderate: Infidelity, Racial slurs, Sexual content, and Gaslighting

Minor: Infertility and Death of parent

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. 

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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

sarahsbookss's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

marionlundqvist's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol

ashleyvharris's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

This book ruined me. Truly and completely, this story and The Marsh Girl have my heart. Owens’ writing is simple, immersive, and moving. She never gets caught up in trying to build some grand narrative or frilly description. Every word feels honest and true. 

Growing up in the Marshlands of coastal Virginia, this book literally hits close to home. Owens paints a sweeping and layered picture of this land, both its beauty and its dangers.

This book feels like home which is a rare and wondrous thing for a writer to accomplish. This is a book that will remain with me for eternity. A great American novel if there ever was one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Abandonment

Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Grief

Minor: Bullying, Cancer, Infertility, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

clairew97's review against another edition

challenging 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism

atalea's review against another edition

mysterious reflective sad slow-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, and Abandonment

Moderate: Infidelity, Racism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting

Minor: Bullying, Sexism, and Slavery

saurahsaurus's review against another edition

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.

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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:

the violence was attempted, but not successful.

If you would like specific details, then please keep reading. However, please note that they may be triggering or disturbing. I have tried to be as brief as possible. If you would not like further spoilers (or you find this information too disturbing), then please do not read.

In the scene, someone who the main character knows very well sneaks up on her, and attempts to rape her. He manages to partially remove her clothing and is about to commit sexual assault, but the main character is able to fight him off and flee. In the process, both individuals inflict injuries on each other.

A note about the stalking tag:

I’m not entirely sure that the technical term would be stalking, but the main character is forced to hide from another character (whom she knows very well) because it is likely that he intends to grievously harm her. He attempts to find her, but does not track her. This could be due to the fact that the main character is especially evasive, and therefore he was unable to stalk her.

lindsay424's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

I started off not really enjoying this book but was hooked in the second half. I like how the author wrote the book in two ways (jumping between the main character's past and the current time), the parts for the current time made sense as the book went on and the scenes from the past were a contributing factor to this. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and War