Scan barcode
A review by maecave15
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content warnings - domestic abuse, of sex, a sexual assault scene,
I did a buddy read of this book with a close friend. 🤗
Honestly though, she enjoyed the book a lot but I thought it was just okay. I have seen this book being called a thriller in articles, but it was not even close to thrilling in any way.
The story was slow paced but I liked seeing how Kya survived on her own in the marsh. I don't think it deserved a whole movie but it was still a decent story. Her connection with the marsh and its flora and fauna was unique. I'm glad they explored that part of her and made it a central theme to her character.
I also enjoyed her friendship with Jumpin' and Mabel, and most of her relationship with Tate. Although it bugs me that the entire town is very prejudiced towards her and seemingly only her. There is no mention of the many other marsh people. She wasn't friends with the others living in the marsh, much less even noticed they existed.
Another irritation, why did all of her family leave her? I imagine at least one sibling would have taken her with them instead of leaving the youngest one (at 6yrs old) to deal with their drunk father alone.
This book feels like a mashup of nature writing, YA romance and coming of age, murder mystery, and dysfunctional families. Not in a way that was well thought out though.
The murder "mystery" didn't fit very well with her story either. It felt out of place, especially because all the chapters for that plotline where very short. It seemed as if they tacked it into the book to add some drama, but it was the least entertaining portion of the whole story. Everything about it from the initial chapters through the trial and to its conclusion, the whole thing was just not working for me. And even though the final end of this mystery was a plot twist, it just didn't fit with the character or story.
Her relationship with Tate was sweet, and I am happy with how that storyline ended up at least.
SPOILER -
I was happy to see her brother Jodie come back into her life and they reconnected and stayed in each other's lives. I don't understand how any of them just left Kya to begin with though.
Overall an okay read, and I am not mad that I read it, but I won't be going back to it or keeping on my shelves.
A quick aside, I did try to watch the movie but because I already thought the book itself was kind of slow paced the movie ended up being really boring for me. The scenes were done well cinematically but because the story barely entertained me as a book, the movie was worse. I skipped through a lot of it honestly.
I did a buddy read of this book with a close friend. 🤗
Honestly though, she enjoyed the book a lot but I thought it was just okay. I have seen this book being called a thriller in articles, but it was not even close to thrilling in any way.
The story was slow paced but I liked seeing how Kya survived on her own in the marsh. I don't think it deserved a whole movie but it was still a decent story. Her connection with the marsh and its flora and fauna was unique. I'm glad they explored that part of her and made it a central theme to her character.
I also enjoyed her friendship with Jumpin' and Mabel, and most of her relationship with Tate. Although it bugs me that the entire town is very prejudiced towards her and seemingly only her. There is no mention of the many other marsh people. She wasn't friends with the others living in the marsh, much less even noticed they existed.
Another irritation, why did all of her family leave her? I imagine at least one sibling would have taken her with them instead of leaving the youngest one (at 6yrs old) to deal with their drunk father alone.
This book feels like a mashup of nature writing, YA romance and coming of age, murder mystery, and dysfunctional families. Not in a way that was well thought out though.
The murder "mystery" didn't fit very well with her story either. It felt out of place, especially because all the chapters for that plotline where very short. It seemed as if they tacked it into the book to add some drama, but it was the least entertaining portion of the whole story. Everything about it from the initial chapters through the trial and to its conclusion, the whole thing was just not working for me. And even though the final end of this mystery was a plot twist, it just didn't fit with the character or story.
Her relationship with Tate was sweet, and I am happy with how that storyline ended up at least.
SPOILER -
I was happy to see her brother Jodie come back into her life and they reconnected and stayed in each other's lives. I don't understand how any of them just left Kya to begin with though.
Overall an okay read, and I am not mad that I read it, but I won't be going back to it or keeping on my shelves.
A quick aside, I did try to watch the movie but because I already thought the book itself was kind of slow paced the movie ended up being really boring for me. The scenes were done well cinematically but because the story barely entertained me as a book, the movie was worse. I skipped through a lot of it honestly.
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism