Where the Crawdads Sing: Reese’s Book Club (A Novel)

Reviews

1. 

   CrazyAboutBooks – July 22, 2024

   A ten star plus book
   I loved this extraordinary book. Ms. Owens draws pictures with words that rivals paintbrush on canvas. In fact, the book is one long canvas of beautifully written words, page after page. One can feel Kya’s isolation and pain, smell the marsh grasses and palmettos all while sneaking peeks at Big Red. I grew up with the adage “different strokes for different folks” so not everyone will enjoy WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING. Unfortunately, it is a tragedy that reading the classics (in addition to more entertaining “beach reads”) is no longer a requirement or is not as strong as it once was. Reading many voices and genres contributes to an appreciation that staring at text messages won’t necessarily satisfy.To be clear this is fiction and fiction always, always requires some suspending of belief. In this book, there are no car chases or major escape scenes or near misses for the detective or blown up cars so if action-packed is what one enjoys, then this book doubtless would not suit those readers. On the other hand consider this small literary passage from WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING: “She stared at dust motes, dancing silently in one direction as though following some dreamy leader. When they hit the shadows, they vanished. Without the sun they are nothing.”I’ve seen dust motes many a time so I marvel that an author can give such personality to them! Of course, most of the beautiful words revolve around the marsh and its inhabitants, Kya, her family, her loneliness and her feelings and the townspeople not dust motes. However, that snippet is classic to how well written this book is all throughout. Of note Asheville is not as close to the coast as some other North Carolina cities but Asheville is surrounded by mountains, an attraction held out to Kya (a full day trip she is told), plus her paternal grandparents reportedly lived there (not a spoiler).The mystery is handled perfectly. But that mystery is only one element of the book. It is so much more than that. Kya is not the first young child (real or imagined) who had to (has to) survive against many odds: in Kya’s instance, the erratic Monday money for food while still a child just to name one. Other discussion points such as whether or not it’s fire flies or lightning bugs is so beside the point IMO since it depends on where one grew up. We called them lightning bugs but out of town relatives called them fire flies. They are the same insect and very entertaining to watch. Kya tells us much about these insects that I did not know and this information fit into the story. (BTW, there is a great show in the Smokies put on by lightning bugs (fire flies) during their mating season. People actually take chairs and go watch!) Aside from quibbles about southernisms (LOL) some have, the book holds one’s attention from beginning to end. The ending was perfect. It suited the book I believe. This book has earned its 5-star rating and I hope Ms. Owens writes another book soon.Finally, the descriptions of the marsh itself and its many inhabitants, including Kya, is worth the price of the book yet the reader gets all these bonuses: a mystery, human survival, human relations contrasted with extraordinary naturalist behavior and descriptions and an aching heart for all the Kya’s of the world. Highly recommended for those who like a great story interwoven amongst beautiful, haunting words. I won’t remember that blown up car in a beach read beyond next week even though the book was fun to read but WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING will live with me (and other readers) for a very long time. An extraordinary book!

2. 

   Pamelashearman – July 22, 2024

   great story.
   Great bookto read, Characters were beievable, Vivid descriptions of the North Carolina marshes and its wildlife. Once you have read the book watch the Movie – also excellent and truly brings the book to life.

3. 

   MrsRobinson – July 22, 2024

   Great Read
   Diving into the marshy world of Kya Clark in “Where the Crawdads Sing” was an absolute delight! The atmospheric writing and vivid descriptions had me fully immersed in the story from beginning to end. The twist at the end left me reeling and completely surprised. Delving into themes of love, loss, and resilience, this book is a must-read for anyone looking for a captivating and emotional journey. Highly recommend adding this gem to your bookshelf!

4. 

   Sal Warren – July 22, 2024

   Excellent Read
   An excellent book, well written. One of the best I’ve read in a long time. I never quite knew what was going to happen next. Lots of food for thought.

5. 

   anne_lune – July 22, 2024

   Si aún no decides si ver la película o leer el libro, debes leer el libro. Te lleva de vívidas descripciones de escenarios naturales de la Costa de Estados Unidos junto con una historia con altibajos de emociones hasta el seguimiento de un juicio bien presentado y argumentado. Después de leerlo, estarás listo para la película.

6. 

   Babar BXL – July 22, 2024

   La qualité de brochure du livre est impeccable et le format de page aussi (Pour info, il existe une multitude de version papier et reliure du roman). Si vous souhaitez conserver ce livre dans votre biblio, alors ça vaut le coût.

7. 

   jackey – July 22, 2024

   This novel is crafty, touching, full of suspense and poetry. The descriptive passages are relevant in that they help readers visualize the ambience which is so strictly linked to the main character. We are left in the dark till the end as to the murder , but the truth does not really surprise us, it comes out of the inherent nature of the character herself, who is so embedded in nature, so much a part of it that talking about morality or immorality is senseless. Nature isn’t moral or immoral. And Kya has been brought up by Nature not by parents.