Where the Crawdads Sing in Pick-a-Shelf

Jun 24, 2019 Joanna rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks, bookclub-grasslands, 2019-read, rws-2019-summer

Enjoyable, but not worthy of the amount of hype and excitement the book has garnered. The descriptions of the marsh and the love and examination of the marsh flora and fauna were lovely and the book held my attention for that. The murder mystery was simplistic and predictable and the court case ill-formed. I liked the idea of the main character--fearless, resilient, overcoming the odds--but found it hard to suspend disbelief. Often, the way she talked and/or reacted to situations showed a level ...more

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Mar 27, 2019 Joanie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: bookclub, book-for-all-seasons, 2019, reading-women-2019-challenge

I’ve probably waited too long to do this review any sort of justice but I’ll give it a whirl.

Crawdads is told in alternating chapters going from current day 1960 something) back to when Kya is 6. The chapters flip back and forth until the two storylines merge.

The “present day” is an investigation into the death of golden boy Chase Andrews. The chapters set in the past focus on Kya, a young girl who’s abandoned by her family and left to find her own way. The town treats Kya as a leper,
acting as ...more

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Oct 25, 2018 Rachel N. rated it liked it

Shelves: read-in-2018, science, north-carolina, nature

3.5 stars rounded down. Kya Clark from the age of ten onward grows up on her own in a North Carolina marsh. She attended school for only one day but eventually she befriends a local boy who helps teach her to read. The book alternates chapters between Kya's childhood and the investigation into the death and possible murder of Chase Andrews. I enjoyed the descriptions of the marsh and appreciated the story of Kya's survival and loneliness. The last third of the book switches into more of a courtr ...more

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May 14, 2019 Lorna rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction-literary, fiction-historical, fiction-adventure-survival, mysteries

I was absolutely fascinated by this story of an abandoned child in the marshlands of the North Carolina coast. There is a murder mystery, coming of age, nature, and courtroom drama. The heroine is unforgettable. I feel the strength of the book lies in the author's descriptive writing, not only in the vivid portrayal of nature, but also the glimpse we get into the "bits and bones" of Kya's life and her longing for "a shred of a family". In the end though I believe the author goes a bit too far an ...more

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Dec 19, 2022 Kristina marked it as did-not-finish

Shelves: fiction-historical, fiction-literary, read-in-2022, fiction, fiction-mystery, eo-overrated, z-did-i-read-the-same-book

I know everyone loved this book, but it wasn't for me. I struggle with books that use dialects, particularly southern dialects. Sometimes I don’t notice it very much, but in some books, like this one, it’s just a huge distraction from what is actually being said. And even if I had persevered, there was something in the general tone that made me dislike it. I don't know, something about it seemed cliché early on, and I couldn't get excited to read it.

P.S.

I just read about the controversy surround ...more

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Mar 24, 2019 Sunflower rated it really liked it

Shelves: e-books, fiction-read-2019

I'm glad I hadn't read any of the hype about this book and came upon it without expectations. The story of survival against almost hopeless odds, a girl abandoned by everyone in her immediate family who learns how to keep going in a world that appears to be against her, is amazing. I appreciated the writing, and the descriptions of the natural environment, but the poetry not so much. A small twist at the end brings a wry smile. ...more

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