Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

4.6 (83)
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Product details

Web ID: 12622705

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING PHENOMENONMore than 10 million copies sold worldwideA Reese's Book Club PickA Business Insider Defining Book of the Decade "I can't even express how much I love this book! I didn't want this story to end!"—Reese Witherspoon"Painfully beautiful."—The New York Times Book ReviewFor years, rumors of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life—until the unthinkable happens.Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.

  • Product Features

    • Author - Delia Owens
    • Publisher - Penguin Publishing Group
    • Publication Date - 03-30-2021
    • Page Count - 400
    • Hardcover
    • Adult
    • Fiction
    • Product Dimensions - 5.4 H x 7.6 W x 1 D
    • ISBN-13 - 9780735219106
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Ratings & Reviews

4.6/5

83 star ratings & reviews

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3 months ago
from Sunman, in

Discover of Growing up

This book is about Kya and how she survived after her mom and siblings left her with their abuse and drunk dad. Unfortunately the small town near where she grew up wasn’t to kind to her. I enjoyed the story line but didn’t care for the way it jumped back and forward in time. This was little hard to follow. Giving it a 4 stars.

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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

1 year ago
from Wollongong NSW

an outstanding debut.

Where The Crawdads Sing is the first novel by award-winning, best-selling American wildlife scientist and author, Delia Owens. In 1952, when she is almost seven, Miss Catherine Daniella Clark, known to everyone as Kya, watches her mother leave. She doesn’t return, and her older siblings, fed up with their abusive, alcoholic father, quietly slip away, one by one, leaving her to deal with her Pa, Jake Clark in their North Carolina marsh shack on her own. They form an uneasy alliance: Pa is often gone for days at a time, and Kya learns to look after herself, conceal her mother’s absence from nosy Barkley Cove shopkeepers, hide from truant officers, and appreciate the beauty of the marsh and its creatures. Things get more difficult when she’s ten: Pa goes off and doesn’t return, meaning the sporadic cash he gives her from his disability cheques dries up and she has to fend for herself if she doesn’t want to give herself up to the authorities. Which she doesn’t. She does have Pa’s boat, can travel the marsh waters to the estuary, pick mussels and oysters to trade. She covers the fact that Pa is gone, trying to stay under the radar, but there is a boy for whom she keeps an eye out: Tate Walker was kind to her once, shares her love of the marsh, and doesn’t feel dangerous like some do. She’s unaware that some others are looking out for her, concerned about her welfare and surreptitiously providing some of what she needs. By the time she’s fourteen, she’s adept at fending for herself and staying under the radar. Her interest in marsh flora and fauna is boundless; she collects and sketches specimens, and when Tate offers to teach her to read and write, she’s able to record what she knows and observes. Abandoned by everyone in her family, she’s wary of giving her love, but takes a chance with Tate. Then he goes off to college to study the thing they’re both interested in, and breaks his promise to return. Kya is absorbed in her study of the marsh, but still lonely, until Chase Andrews begins to take an interest in her… In late October 1969, Sheriff Ed Jackson is alerted of the death of a local by two young boys who have caught sight of the corpse near an abandoned fire tower. Chase Andrews, star quarterback, town hotshot and favourite son of Barkley Cove, has been dead some ten hours, and when the Sheriff and Deputy Joe Purdue examine the scene, they are mystified: there are no tyre tracks or foot prints anywhere near the body. It looks like Chase fell from the tower, but neither are there fingerprints. There’s plenty of speculation in the town: despite being married to Pearl, Chase was known for his tomcatting, so perhaps he fell foul of a jealous husband? But Barkley Cove is a small town, and enough people knew of his regular visits to the Marsh Girl that suspicion falls on Kya. Owens gives the reader a dual-timeline coming-of-age tale, a love story, a murder mystery and a courtroom drama, all enclosed in some gorgeous lyrical prose. Her vivid descriptions really evoke the setting, the peace and beauty of the marsh, and the era, while there is enough intrigue to keep most readers guessing about the young man’s fate until the final reveal. Moving, heart-breaking and beautifully written, this is an outstanding debut.

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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

1 year ago
from USA

Best works of fiction I have read in years

"As night fell, Tate walked back towards the shack. But when he reached the lagoon, he stopped under the deep canopy and watched hundreds of fireflies beckoning into the dark reaches of the marsh. Way out yonder, where the crawdads sing." To discover the meaning of this passage I invite you to totally immerse yourself in what I believe is destined to become a classic written by Delia Owens who holds a BS in Zoology and a Ph.D. in Animal Behavior; a science colleague. The novel is both a murder mystery and a coming-of-age story set in coastal North Carolina in the 1950s-’60s. The narrative draws on the author’s naturalist background to vividly and critically depict a Southern society that’s still within living memory. The plot revolves around a child named Kya, who is abandoned by her family to live by herself in the marshes and swamps along the North Carolina coast. The marsh, because it is located beyond the reach of civil authorities, is home to the lower classes. Kya is a figure who will please those who see nature as something that must be preserved, rather than cultivated by people who depend on it for their existence. Owens’ writing is tight, yet sumptuous. It is abundant with descriptive prose and brings you straight to the edges of the briny marsh waters, and directly into the mind of the Marsh Girl. Reading this story is at once a study in the ecological environment as much as it is an exquisite virtual experience to a unique place in our natural world. The conclusion is haunting and unexpected, yet leaves a sense of fulfillment as all well-told stories do. Highly recommended. One of the best works of fiction I have read in years!

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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

1 year ago
from Florida

Pretty good!

This book was enjoyable, but it took me a while to read. The genre was a murder mystery, which is one of my favorite types of books to read. One reason that I love this book is because it consisted of so much of figurative language. For example, there was an enormous amount of imagery that made the setting seem gorgeous. Where the Crawdads Sing has a tragically beautiful storyline of a girl named Kya who was abandoned from her family and forced to fend for her needs at the age of six. I couldn’t imagine having to survive in the world all alone without any family or friends to support me. The author started the book in 1969 when Chase’s murder happened, but then the book occasionally goes back to 1953, this makes the chapters confusing because I don’t know what time frame we are in. I believe that since the book keeps going back in time, it gives way the murder. So, why would it start all the way in the beginning, when it would make more sense to start later in book. Throughout the book, I felt very sympathetic towards Kya. Overall, she was neglected and abused for a huge fraction of her life. No child should have to experience such pain and suffering as Kya felt. But, some people might relate themselves with what Kya experienced— this helps people relate to the characters in the book. But, the author was kind of harsh with Kya. When Kya got any happiness or relief, she was immediately stripped away from it. When I was reading the book I almost felt that bricks were getting thrown at me. Unfortunate after unfortunate things kept happening to poor Kya. But, sometimes the book almost bored me because Kya kept getting hurt. Fortunately, some part of the book really made me enjoy it. For example, I loved how Kya went out of the marsh and interacted with shop owners and met Tate! Kya and Tate’s relationship was flawless; every time they were together I was smiling behind the pages. But, the characters didn’t really have any character development— which made the story drag on longer than it should have. Overall, I would recommend this book to someone; the plot was insightful and the setting was mysterious.

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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

1 year ago
from Delaware

COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN

This book is beautifully written. The pictures it paints page after page in your mind is captivating. It was as though I was there watching. It was thrilling to see the movie, but it never can compete with what the author creates with words. It's a must read.

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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

2 years ago
from Atlanta, GA

Interesting and to me....

it was written in the style of Harper Lee. Small town area, boundaries both physical and societal. Viewing the world through a lens that focuses on things you might not think about or see normally and the world that the story is depicted in is slower and simpler etc., and there is a riveting court case featuring lawyers that seem way too intelligent for a small town courtroom. This story was a little slow for me at first, but like the rising tide, it got my attention and it got to the point where I simply couldn't put the book down and I had to find out the conclusion! It has some great twists and turns, particularly at the end and it is a book that you will NOT forget. Highly recommend to anyone...fiction or non-fiction readers!

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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

2 years ago
from IL, USA

Enjoyable, Mysterious, Gripping

Enjoyable, mysterious, gripping. “For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet fishing village. Kya Clark is barefoot and wild; unfit for polite society. So in late 1969, when the popular Chase Andrews is found dead, locals immediately suspect her.” I started reading this book because I planned on watching the movie, I enjoy reading books that have been turned into movies prior to watching the movie. This book had me hooked with the building love story and the mystery of the murder. I felt happiness, anger, all while I was playing detective to decide if she was guilty or not. I enjoyed this book and I can only hope the movie is half as good.

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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

2 years ago

Phenomenal!

Such an amazing story! Also loved the Netflix movie.

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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com