Scan barcode
unaverage_j0's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
4.5
katie_m26's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
4.5
4.5 stars rounded down for the sake of preserving 5 star ratings — This one took me a minute to get in to. But towards the middle things started ramping up! I loved falling in love with Kya’s character and story. The imagery was so vivid and beautiful. I found myself rooting for her until the end. The ending was peaceful and complete with just the right amount of a surprise.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Death of parent
handilibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
Abandoned by her family one by one, Kya Clark was around thirteen when the last one disappeared. But by then she had become proficient at surviving on her own in the Marsh off the quiet town of Barkley Cove. Scarred by her abandonment, she last one day in school before becoming known as the “Marsh Girl” causes her to flee and never return.
Finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the wild, it takes years before she trusts anyone enough to let them help her. Jumpin’, the bait shop and gas dock owner, and his wife, Mabel, let her barter her extra fish and crawdads for food, gas and other necessary things but Tate is the one who helps her the most. A long-ago friend of her brother, Tate earns Kya’s trust and ultimately helps her learn to read. When reading becomes easy, the books he brings help her learn everything she could want to know about the world. But when Tate goes off to college and never returns like he promised, Kya once again turns away from the hurts of the world.
Alone again, she uses her knowledge of the Marsh and skills as an artist to gather specimens and record the wildlife of her home. Loneliness eventually leads her towards Chase Andrews, the handsome playboy of Barkley Cove. Kya’s separation from the world allows Chase to make promises that she can’t know he wouldn’t keep. When Chase is found dead in late 1969, the locals immediately suspect the mysterious and beautiful “Marsh Girl.”
Finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the wild, it takes years before she trusts anyone enough to let them help her. Jumpin’, the bait shop and gas dock owner, and his wife, Mabel, let her barter her extra fish and crawdads for food, gas and other necessary things but Tate is the one who helps her the most. A long-ago friend of her brother, Tate earns Kya’s trust and ultimately helps her learn to read. When reading becomes easy, the books he brings help her learn everything she could want to know about the world. But when Tate goes off to college and never returns like he promised, Kya once again turns away from the hurts of the world.
Alone again, she uses her knowledge of the Marsh and skills as an artist to gather specimens and record the wildlife of her home. Loneliness eventually leads her towards Chase Andrews, the handsome playboy of Barkley Cove. Kya’s separation from the world allows Chase to make promises that she can’t know he wouldn’t keep. When Chase is found dead in late 1969, the locals immediately suspect the mysterious and beautiful “Marsh Girl.”
branchomananan99's review against another edition
5.0
This book caught me completely off guard. I was intrigued by the idea of a girl living in the marsh so with that alone I thought I'd give the book a try. I was immediately pulled into this story! I have to say, reading the back cover I was led to believe this would be more of a romance-type novel, but that is not the case. There is little romance in this story and the affection you do see is different. This book is about survival, the pull of the loneliness, and human trust. The writing is fantastic, the setting is vibrant, and the character arch for Kya is unexpected and delightful. My only gripe w/ the book is I wish the cover was different! I think it would be so neat if it was a picture of one of the feathers Kya collected over the years, or some collage of her collection! Loved this book. Highly recommend.
hannahz00's review against another edition
4.0
took a little while till I got fully into the book as the setting and language was confusing me a little bit but once I got hooked I couldn’t put it down! loved all the nature metaphors and the pov switches
skylart20's review against another edition
emotional
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol
spolina's review against another edition
5.0
Another book that got me excited about reading again!!
Maybe it's just me but I had to keep re-reading parts in the beginning.. as soon as I got used to the verbiage though I was hooked. Loved the slow pace & detailed depictions of the marsh. An amazing coming of age story but also a love story and a mystery with some twists. Loved the ending!
Maybe it's just me but I had to keep re-reading parts in the beginning.. as soon as I got used to the verbiage though I was hooked. Loved the slow pace & detailed depictions of the marsh. An amazing coming of age story but also a love story and a mystery with some twists. Loved the ending!
reveriesama28's review against another edition
5.0
I very much enjoyed this book! It kept me engaged with lovely details and characters I cared about. It dealt with abandonment in a real but empowering way. And I very much enjoyed the anticipation of the murder mystery as I did hearing about the beauty of the marsh. :)
jenniecurls's review against another edition
5.0
Such a beautiful, sad but wonderful story. If you want to let you imagination wander then this book is perfect.