A review by creationwing
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

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.

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Content Warnings

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

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

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

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.