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A review by kolorful_kay_reads
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
3.0
You will enjoy this book if....
* You enjoy novels which are heavily descriptive of the location - specifically for this book, nature
*You like very simplistic stories of young people falling in love.
*You enjoy stories that are grounded in the real world but are filled with fantastical elements
* You're looking for an easy read that will give you a bit more substance than reality TV but also long enough that you can take it in over the course of a week
...
While I personally did not enjoy the book, I feel similarly to it as I do Lady Gaga - I see the talent and understand why it's appreciated - it's just not for me. So why bother review? Because it's marketed to me. The book succeeds in what it is - it's a simple book about teen love with heavy description of surroundings; however, it's marketed as also being a (and I quote the cover) 'murder-mystery.' I'm unsure as to where that comes from.
A murder mystery? Somebody dies, yes, and it's mentioned on the first page. Crawdads doesn't build any tension; it's simply a recounting of events with a few towns people. If you've lived in a small town, there's no surprise as to how this story goes. No twists, no turns, numerous arrests are not made.. it just, is. And not particularly interesting. It's just a plot device to move the love story further. If anything, I worry that it tries to give one of the characters a reason to "deserve love" in the face of adversity, which is problematic.
We all go into "A Walk to Remember" knowing that Mandy Moore is going to die somehow -- but does it make it a mystery because we know this information going into the movie? No. It's just a plot device to move the love story forward. And, while the resulting story may make us feel differently (as viewers), it doesn't innately build tension.
So, this book is an average love story with heavy description - marketing issues aside. However, there are better options.
* Teen coming-of-age love story in a small town: A Good Neighborhood by Theresa Anne Fowler
* Beautiful descriptions of nature and a deep understanding of what it means to be alive: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
* Murder Mystery: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
* You enjoy novels which are heavily descriptive of the location - specifically for this book, nature
*You like very simplistic stories of young people falling in love.
*You enjoy stories that are grounded in the real world but are filled with fantastical elements
* You're looking for an easy read that will give you a bit more substance than reality TV but also long enough that you can take it in over the course of a week
...
While I personally did not enjoy the book, I feel similarly to it as I do Lady Gaga - I see the talent and understand why it's appreciated - it's just not for me. So why bother review? Because it's marketed to me. The book succeeds in what it is - it's a simple book about teen love with heavy description of surroundings; however, it's marketed as also being a (and I quote the cover) 'murder-mystery.' I'm unsure as to where that comes from.
A murder mystery? Somebody dies, yes, and it's mentioned on the first page. Crawdads doesn't build any tension; it's simply a recounting of events with a few towns people. If you've lived in a small town, there's no surprise as to how this story goes. No twists, no turns, numerous arrests are not made.. it just, is. And not particularly interesting. It's just a plot device to move the love story further. If anything, I worry that it tries to give one of the characters a reason to "deserve love" in the face of adversity, which is problematic.
We all go into "A Walk to Remember" knowing that Mandy Moore is going to die somehow -- but does it make it a mystery because we know this information going into the movie? No. It's just a plot device to move the love story forward. And, while the resulting story may make us feel differently (as viewers), it doesn't innately build tension.
So, this book is an average love story with heavy description - marketing issues aside. However, there are better options.
* Teen coming-of-age love story in a small town: A Good Neighborhood by Theresa Anne Fowler
* Beautiful descriptions of nature and a deep understanding of what it means to be alive: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
* Murder Mystery: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn