Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

48 reviews

wogslandwriter's review against another edition

emotional reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

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

5.0

I did not know what to expect from this book when I started it. Honestly, it was beyond my expectations from the very beginning and it just kept going. I did not know how it was going to end.

I was pretty sure Kaya wouldn't go to jail, but I honestly did think that she had killed Tate. It made the most logical sense, but it just didn't seem like she had done it. It was definitely a surprise to have that twist at the end, but it all makes sense and it brings a sense of mildly juvenile wonder which I think really matches Kaya's personality because she was neglected for so long and stayed agoraphobic for her who life.

I laughed and cried reading this and it may be one of the best literary novels I have ever read. I am definitely interested in more books like this, with a focus on ecology and personhood. It is extremely good and I highly recommend this book.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Domestic abuse, Racism, Murder, Death, Classism, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Cursing, Abandonment, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Mental illness

Moderate: Infidelity, Blood, Death of parent, Sexual content, Cursing, and Misogyny

Minor: Car accident, War, Cancer, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Child death, Infertility, and Sexism

Kaya, the main character of this book is subject to extreme childhood neglect from and absent mother and alcoholic father. The book focuses on her abandonment and loneliness as it follows her story.

As a teenager she has a relationship with an older boy who is technically an adult for the later part of their relationship. As a young adult, she has a relationship with an emotionally manipulative young man where he is cheating on her and lying to her regularly. After breaking it off with him, he later chases her down and attempts to rape her. She defends herself and is able to escape him.

There are also graphic flashbacks to her father beating her mother and siblings and discussion of how her town is segregated with black people living in "colored town" separate from the white people. There is mild discussion of the racism of the era, but mostly it is simply treated as matter of fact as it is viewed through the eyes of a child.

mausi's review

emotional hopeful informative mysterious fast-paced

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

4.25

It took me a while to get into this book but about a quarter way through, it truly gripped me. I absolutely adored the world in which the book is set, and the author describes the marsh land and it’s biodiversity in such a gorgeous, detailed and magical way. I’m not usually the one to appreciate vivid scenery due to my aphantasia but Owens managed to create the world not only by visual descriptions but in a multisensory and emotional way which fully immersed me in the story. In addition, the book also had plenty other aspects that I appreciate, a strong character development, gripping plot and a diverse range of characters, intertwined with an educational twist. As an academic, I am astonished at the way Owens translated her academic background into a novel which further emphasises the importance of marshlands and communicates her life’s work further. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Violence, Physical abuse, and Abandonment

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Murder, Racism, and Rape

Minor: Child abuse, Death of parent, and Car accident

jsm's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment and Grief

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Death, and Bullying

Minor: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, and Alcoholism

simply_fran's review against another edition

dark emotional informative mysterious 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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Infidelity, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Murder, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Infertility, and Racism

Minor: Cancer

jessiesnoww's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Violence, Abandonment, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Classism, Murder, Rape, Stalking, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, and Mental illness

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Infertility, and Self harm

joygarcialim's review against another edition

dark relaxing sad medium-paced

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

3.75

I’m confused by this book, in some good ways and in some not so good ways.

The settings used in the book are stunningly described and Delia Owens has a way of weaving words into art. However, this is overused throughout the book, although it gets less as the plot thickened. I do wish that there were points where things were more direct. While the places were so serene and heavily embossed with tales of nature, this is a thriller too and it almost loses the seat-gripping effect.

Kya starts out as a curious little thing and she just gets curiouser and curiouser. It was hard not to feel whilst her story unravelled. Whatever she has grown into, albeit debatable(though Tarzan was a thing so why not), made her an enchanting protagonist and it was undeniably hard not to root for her.

The romances are the parts of the story which I had the most problem with. Especially with Tate, because Chase was obviously a creep. Tate was kinda creepy too tbh.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Classism, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Racial slurs

Minor: Infertility and Suicidal thoughts

eleni_erato's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Abandonment

Moderate: Sexism, Infidelity, and War

Minor: Infertility and Suicidal thoughts

bookellys's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative 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? It's complicated

5.0

I am just speechless! What.A.Book!

From the beautifully descriptive writing that meant I could picture the marsh, to the mixture of murder mystery, coming of age and romance - this book is something special.

I felt so investing in the characters (Jumpin’ and Mabel have a place in my heart forever), and felt genuine anxiety waiting for trial verdict to come in.

I can’t believe this sat on my #tbr for so long - if you haven’t read it yet, make it your next read, it’s got to be one of my favourite books ever!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Violence, Domestic abuse, Xenophobia, Rape, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Murder, and Child abuse

Minor: Infidelity, Grief, Racism, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent

creationwing's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-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

3.75

The story was fine, and the descriptions of nature were quiet good. I found it could be verbose at times, and, as others have pointed out, the dialogue was wasn't the strongest. While I liked the characters like Jumpin and such, the author builds tension only to accidentally deflate it too quickly and too soon. I have mixed feelings about this book. I got emotional at times, but it was lacking something that made the transition between the two (eventually coinciding) timelines choppy. The time jump in the last few chapters felt especially abrupt.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Bullying, Classism, Confinement, Grief, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Cursing, Hate crime, Violence, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Death of parent, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Blood, Toxic relationship, Body horror, and Animal death

Minor: Addiction, Medical content, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, War, Mental illness, Cancer, Car accident, Chronic illness, Drug use, Infertility, Sexual harassment, and Self harm

Graphic depictions of domestic violence, including against children.

A (frankly unnecessary) scene involving racist hate crime and slurs.

First period Coercion of sex / dubious consent / wear her down Some injuries are described quite graphically, more than expected, at least Implied painful sexual experiences. Attempted sexual assault.

magnoliabloomfield's review

sad slow-paced

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

0.75

Very very slow paced. Writing the accent annoyed me so much. The characters don’t recognize their own accent and you should write what they mean or else you distract the reader and distracted readers aren’t immersed in the story. We are bombarded with so much information about Kya in the beginning when we don’t necessarily want that much, and then later so much that we actually would have wanted to know was withheld. Also it felt like the author created a lot plot hole fixes on the spot and didn’t edited them into the story further back to foreshadow. For instance Jodie’s scar. If we knew he had it from the beginning we could have felt recognition when we see a scarred man later instead of getting a big chunk of backstory explaining it when what we really want is to stay in the present moment. Overall I was underwhelmed and unsatisfied. Don’t get the hype at all. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Classism, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Stalking, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts