Reviews with content warning for War - Where the Crawdads Sing

This book was so good, an emotional rollercoaster. I honestly can’t think of anything to say, I stayed up until 2:30 in the morning reading this and I get up at 6:30.

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micaelamariem's review against another edition

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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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jfield351's review

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adventurous 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? Yes

3.5

This book was very well written and easy to read.
For me, it did not live up to the hype because I was able to guess the ending quite early on.

The lack of her memories about that night was very suspicious. It was also suspicious that no one else was accused. The only time I thought that maybe it wasn’t her was when the sheriff took tate away. but that was just because his father had died

. There were some very interesting facts in here, the ‘sneaky fuckers’ theory and general animal behaviour is what i am currently studying in zoology and evolution. so that was really interesting. Having been written by a zoologist was very interesting!! I also really liked the line ‘giving away another piece of herself just to have someone else’ when she laughed for chase. really hit deep.

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slutforhotwings's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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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readersmultiverse's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

This book is very heavy on nature themes and marsh prose. The main character, Kya, did frustrate me at least five times throughout the story. Some parts felt a bit far fetched. However I cannot fault the story itself for being truly unique, beautiful, and incredibly mysterious. The ending was brilliant & I’ve been thinking about it a lot. Unfortunately, there’s too many things I would change in this story to give it more than my rating of 3.5 stars.

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saoreads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

The loneliness was truly enveloping and seemed to hum a tune. I was ecstatic to read the book as soon as I saw the novel release of the film adaptation, as I'd been hearing good things about it from various people. When it came to the storytelling, the indication of how nature complements humans in their way of life was a striking part. In the character's mind, her security was more important than anything else than being left alone for all she knew, and rather than living in fear, she displayed that instance of survival instincts display that could be observed in the nature of animals. Poetry, knowledge, art, relationship dynamics, failures, and true and deep familial love—this novel will serve as a reminder.

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ulalu's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious reflective sad 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

4.75

Sad to have finished it and to be without the chance to read it for the first time again. Plucked some deep string in my heart, the resonance with the main character was tremendous not because I share anything with her, but because the book makes you understand every facet. Through her life we understand the world she lives in and the people around her too. Excellent.

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mandalacb19's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious relaxing sad 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

5.0

i adored this book so much. couldn’t put it down and i loved the male love interest more then i do in most stories. overall a modern classic that i would re-read promptly!

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