From the Bookshelf of EVERYONE Has Read This but Me - The Catch-Up Book Club…

Where the Crawdads Sing

Delia Owens

Start date: September 1, 2019

Finish date: September 30, 2019

Discussion: MODERN / POPULAR READS

Why we're reading this: Group pick for Modern Classic/Popular - Sept 2019
[close] Group pick for Modern Classic/Popular - Sept 2019

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MODERN / POPULAR READS

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What Members Thought

Jun 25, 2022 TheAccidental Reader rated it it was ok · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. In what WORLD?

I had a lot of trouble with the particulars of this book. In what world do people drive from coastal NC all the way to Asheville, bypassing Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte on the way? Eight hours? To get some basic supplies? No way.
In what world does the land records office not put a property up for auction when the property taxes have not been paid in decades? In what world do they then just hand the deed over to whoever shows up in the office and pays that past due tax?
In what World In what WORLD?

I had a lot of trouble with the particulars of this book. In what world do people drive from coastal NC all the way to Asheville, bypassing Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte on the way? Eight hours? To get some basic supplies? No way.
In what world does the land records office not put a property up for auction when the property taxes have not been paid in decades? In what world do they then just hand the deed over to whoever shows up in the office and pays that past due tax?
In what World does a marsh shack owner install a toilet in the house without mention of a septic system being put in, nor a well? In what world? And in what world can you simply turn on the lights without contracting with the electric company to bring underground or overground wires miles through the unimproved marsh? And in what world does a woman who owns 500 acres qualify for the court to appoint an attorney for her? No one is set up with an attorney because they did not bother to hire one. This service is offered to people who do not have enough resources to pay for an attorney, so this court in this story would never have appointed an attorney for the defendant.
Come ON, now.
I would say in what world does an eight year old survive on her own and all alone. But that was the point of the book, I am told. The author mulled this concept over for years before writing the book. how WOULD such a child survive?

But the worst......IN WHAT WORLD does a mother of two children just walk down the lane and leave them with their abusive father? Geez. I think this would make more sense if that had been the stepmother. The stepmother could get along well with the kids and then leave them, because after all, they are not hers. Not her circus, not her monkeys. And Yes, I get the point that Owens was making, that in nature, mothers will abandon their sick children and start over and this is a survival of the species adaptation. But in life? This point never never never made sense to me. That particular mom would never have left young Kya back.

I am going to rate this book two stars because I read the audio version and the voicing of the main character was literally pathetic and very hard to listen to. This was NOT a pathetic character, so having to listen to her meek voice for many hours was not fun.

The story is engaging, yes, despite the ridiculous details. And I normally would LOVE all the nature facts which are part of this story. All those facts are well earned after the author's many years working as a naturalist in Africa. But the audio book? Two stars. Too hard to enjoy. ...more

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Jan 03, 2022 J rated it liked it

Shelves: nature, mystery, fiction

3.5 stars for me. I found myself enjoying this much more than expected. I had to force myself through the first 40% (book club), but, belief suspended, I devoured the second half. The courtroom drama was particularly enjoyable. I also loved the natural elements.

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Aug 20, 2022 Jody rated it it was amazing

Where the Crawdads Sing is an incredibly deep and moving novel that I have no doubt I will forever remember. It is a mind-blowingly poignant debut and easily one of the best books I have read so far in 2022. This is exactly the kind of novel that will be the first in my mind when I think of recommendations.

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Sep 05, 2021 Charlene rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Read in less than 24h. A modern to kill a mockingbird.

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Mar 29, 2020 Grace rated it liked it

I thought this was a great book until I tried to summarise it to a friend "the town outcast gets accused of murder..." heeeyyyyy.. this has been done before (To Kill a Mockingbird, Jasper Jones).
To be fair, this book is significantly different in that the outcast is female and there IS a resolution. If you like books to have an ending, it's nice that all the loose ends are tied up. Almost too nicely wrapped up. Except what happens to the rest of her family (which I care nothing for and don't rea ...more

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