Tom Roberts
asked:
Was anyone perplexed by the author’s placement of Asheville, far to the west of NC, within shopping distance of the coast? One family drives to Asheville to buy a bicycle and one man buys his colorful ties there. Yet, the drive to Asheville tales from 5 to 6 hours. This doesn’t detract from the story, but it is quite odd.
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Where the Crawdads Sing,
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Betsy
I came here just to see if anyone asked this because I found it so distracting. How did someone not catch this? Use a map, people! Signed, Disgruntled Geography Teacher
Margaret
I found the geography as used in the book disturbing to one who knows the Tarheel state well. I've lived in NC for the past 20 years and half of that time was in the Coastal Plain and on the Coast so Asheville in the story made no sense to me especially in the time before I-40 traversed the state and made east/west travel a little better. Some of the descriptions in the book reminded me more of SC or GA. I loved the story but the locations were distracting to a NC citizen. I could not help but wonder if Ms. Owen has ever been in NC. Perhaps she has and did these things purposefully.
Alice Sullivan
The trips to Asheville bothered me a lot. The author must not be aware that it is 5/6 hour drive today, and in the 60s it took much longer. They would more likely go to Greenville, like Kya did! Or Raleigh, the Capital.
To me it did distract from the believability of the story. I also found it hard to believe that the people of the church Kya attended with her Ma would leave her alone like that when she was only 6 or 7.
To me it did distract from the believability of the story. I also found it hard to believe that the people of the church Kya attended with her Ma would leave her alone like that when she was only 6 or 7.
MMF
Yes, the geography confused me a lot. The book is set in a "coastal NC town" yet Asheville is referenced several times... and Chapel Hill is "less than a day by bus." I cannot figure out how all of this can be possible and it's making me nuts! I grew up in Charlotte, so I'm at least loosely familiar with NC geography.
Molly
I'm from Wilmington, and trust me, you can buy a bike there! That geography screw up was more distracting and made me more annoyed than it probably should have.
I also grew up by the marsh, and while I've never seen a Cooper's hawk, I've seen plenty of egrets and egret trees. To me, that was a huge bird oversight. I realize she's going for the more unusual birds, but the lack of egrets and ospreys bugged me.
I also grew up by the marsh, and while I've never seen a Cooper's hawk, I've seen plenty of egrets and egret trees. To me, that was a huge bird oversight. I realize she's going for the more unusual birds, but the lack of egrets and ospreys bugged me.
Meredith
I had the exact same thought. I'm not done with the book yet but the few mentions of Asheville definitely threw me off. The first time I thought it was plausible that's where the family used to live. The part about the bike is when I realized the author might not know where Asheville is. I just don't see how an editor didn't catch this.
Anita
I agree with the problem of Asheville being the go-to town for everything. Why bypass Charlotte or any of the other towns between the coast and Western NC? The other problem I have is with renovating the cabin. It says she had plumbing and a functioning toilet put in. How did they get electricity, running water and a sewer or septic system out to her cabin; get all new appliances and furniture and do it all for around $2000?
Sarah
This bothered me, too! It's 5-6 hours now with our fuel-efficient cars and high speed interstates. Back then, it would have taken so long to drive from one end of the state to the other, stopping frequently. Additionally, that area of NC really did not have many plantations because of the mountainous landscape, so the idea of Pa's family having one there sounded odd to me. I grew up about 45 minutes from Asheville.
Rebecca
It drove me nuts! Especially in a book where the sense of place is so important.
Carole Moore
Yes - Actually, the drive from Asheville to the Outer Banks is about 8 hours. One would question why they did not go to Raleigh, or Charlotte...much closer. Even Rocky Mount.
Tom Roberts
I checked the author’s biography. She spent a great deal of time in her youth in the NC mountains. From that I assume that, knowing full well that Asheville was not anywhere near the coast, the reference was generated by nostalgia.
Grace Rogers
As a NC native, this detracted a lot from the story to me. Strangely, I was willing to overlook the fact that NC doesn’t have marshes like the one described, that didn’t bother me at all, but every time they made a reference to Asheville I was completely taken out of the story.
Mostly because it made me realize not only had the author not ever been to North Carolina, she apparently has never looked at a map of it either.
Mostly because it made me realize not only had the author not ever been to North Carolina, she apparently has never looked at a map of it either.
Pam
Yes!! This bothered me so much. Also: Why in the world was there a bus going from this podunk town to Greenville in the middle of the night??? I would imagine, even now, if there's bus service from a small town in the Outer Banks to Greenville, it would probably only offer service a couple of times a day and not after midnight.
Nancy
Help! I lost my question when it was half finished. I'll try again.
On page 187 the author mentions "oak knees." There is no way a naturalist would make this kind of mistake, so I guess it was an editorial screw up. Cypress trees, which grow in southern marshes, have knees which stick up above water level. Oaks DO NOT!
On page 195 Kya is said to be sporting a French braid. I don't know where she would have even heard of a French braid, much less learned how to make one on her own head...Lord knows they're hard enough to make on someone else's head!
On page 187 the author mentions "oak knees." There is no way a naturalist would make this kind of mistake, so I guess it was an editorial screw up. Cypress trees, which grow in southern marshes, have knees which stick up above water level. Oaks DO NOT!
On page 195 Kya is said to be sporting a French braid. I don't know where she would have even heard of a French braid, much less learned how to make one on her own head...Lord knows they're hard enough to make on someone else's head!
Robin Cardwell
I absolutely agree with everyone in here. Good book, but the mentions of Asheville don't make sense and there were many references! Buying a bike that they didn't have in their little town? Buying things from Sears in Asheville. Staring at the 8-10 story buidlings? Look at the geography. Asheville is at least 6 hours away currently from any part of the coast and that is with current highways and cars going 70. How long it took someone in the 60s, I have no idea. Most of the coast is more like 8-9 hours from Asheville. As far as cities in NC, Asheville was one of the smaller ones especially in the 60s. It would have been more realistic to say Charlotte, Durham, Raleigh, Greensboro, Wilmington. Those are all large cities where someone on the coast would go to run errands/buy things that were not local. While this is a good read. As someone from Asheville this is really distracting!
Sundae
I live on the Outer Banks and it's an 8-hour drive to Asheville. Unfortunately, I do it all the time because my daughter goes to college there.
Jackie N
I have lived in NC for most of my 50+ years and like others here, the choice of Asheville as a shopping mecca for people from the fictional Barkley Cove was a distraction for me but not enough to spoil my enjoyment of the book. However, I kept waiting for the Asheville connections to be tied together - Pa's family lived there, Kya and Chase consummated their relationship there and Tate's mom and sister died in a car wreck there.
Walter Hall
Speaking as someone who has lived in NC for 40 years, 30+ of those in Greenville, I can only say that the Asheville situation is a problem, but it is only one of the huge number of geographic problems in this book. Beyond the fact that there a large number of big cities closer to the costal of NC than Asheville (include Washington, D.C.; Baltimore; and even Philadelphia, as well as Charlotte, Raleigh, and Wilmington in NC itself), is the fact that in the book on the trip to Asheville, the four lane highway only begins when they get to Asheville.
When they arrive in Asheville: "The road became a four-lane highway, and Kya held on tight as Chase's truck sped within feet of other fast-moving vehicles. He turned onto a curving roadway that rose magically into the air and led them toward the town. 'A cloverleaf exit,' he said proudly." I know that NC in the 60s wasn't as developed, but I assure you that there were four lane highways before Asheville on that trip.
Plus, on that trip is this howler: "Hours later, out on the flatlands of the Piedmont..." The Piedmont region of NC is not flat. Piedmont literally means "foothills", and is hilly.
But the parts of about Greenville are especially hilarious. Greenville is currently a growing small city of about 100,000 (in the city limits). But it (and all of Eastern NC) was very different 50 years ago. According to the 1970 census, there were 30,000 people in Greenville. So reading that this tiny farming town would 1) host a literary conference that people would fly down from Boston to attend and 2) have a four star hotel downtown made me laugh and laugh. As well as the idea that there would be some kind of 24 hour bus service from Greenville to Barkley Cove.
Even the location of Barkley Cove makes no sense. The town is described as being on the Atlantic Ocean, which would make it actually on the Outer Banks, but in NC towns like this would be on the Intracoastal Waterways. If they lived on one of the islands, then they would have talked about it in those terms. But they are never mentioned.
When they arrive in Asheville: "The road became a four-lane highway, and Kya held on tight as Chase's truck sped within feet of other fast-moving vehicles. He turned onto a curving roadway that rose magically into the air and led them toward the town. 'A cloverleaf exit,' he said proudly." I know that NC in the 60s wasn't as developed, but I assure you that there were four lane highways before Asheville on that trip.
Plus, on that trip is this howler: "Hours later, out on the flatlands of the Piedmont..." The Piedmont region of NC is not flat. Piedmont literally means "foothills", and is hilly.
But the parts of about Greenville are especially hilarious. Greenville is currently a growing small city of about 100,000 (in the city limits). But it (and all of Eastern NC) was very different 50 years ago. According to the 1970 census, there were 30,000 people in Greenville. So reading that this tiny farming town would 1) host a literary conference that people would fly down from Boston to attend and 2) have a four star hotel downtown made me laugh and laugh. As well as the idea that there would be some kind of 24 hour bus service from Greenville to Barkley Cove.
Even the location of Barkley Cove makes no sense. The town is described as being on the Atlantic Ocean, which would make it actually on the Outer Banks, but in NC towns like this would be on the Intracoastal Waterways. If they lived on one of the islands, then they would have talked about it in those terms. But they are never mentioned.
Mark
I was just watching the film on Netflix and came online to see if anyone else caught this. I'm glad I'm not alone in realizing how ridiculous that is.
David Stone
Yes! That was my response to the book, and I CAN'T believe they didn't fix it in the movie (which I just saw).
Kelli
I came here too for this question. People on the coast of NC would not drive to Asheville for bikes, ties, or goods for the store. I would also think her dad would also probably go to Raleigh instead of Asheville for his disability/veterans checks. I used to live in Greensboro (central NC) and Asheville seemed like a long drive from there. There are so many large cities between the coast and Asheville!
Laura Carroll
With every reference to Asheville, it took me out of the narrative. Why not Raleigh, Charlotte, Durham, Fayetteville, Grenville, or Greensboro, or any other town that's larger and MUCH closer than Asheville? Asheville's gorgeous, but it's rare that anyone would NEED something from there if they're coming from the shore area.
Heather Waldroup
This is making me insane as well. The trips to Asheville make no sense, and as others note, the ecosystem being described is clearly coastal GA or SC and not the Outer Banks. That plus sloppy editing overall (such as shifts in verb tense, from past to present and back again) have left me feeling like I'm reading something hastily written and self-published. It's an enjoyable beach read but I'm finding very little of substance.
Joy
Same problem. I agree about the geography sounding like the marshlands of GA and SC.
Terry Arellano
Same here. Currently on chapter 17 and Asheville has come up several times and it just doesn't make sense.
Kaitlyn Barker
Yes, I'm glad I'm not the only one annoyed/confused by this. Made 0 sense.
Sherry
I just asked the same question. For me, it did distract from the story.
Christie
Yes. I’m from a small town south east of Raleigh and I’m perplexed. It takes 4-5 hours from my hometown to Asheville. Seems Raleigh, Greenville, Kinston, or Wilmington would have been a better choice.
Douglas
I agree 100%. I’ve lived in NC for 55 years, but you don’t have to have lived in NC at all to read a map. Why would someone travel through multiple larger cities & towns to shop in Asheville. Interestingly my review of the book, headlined as “Good Story/Bad Geography” was rejected by Audible (Okay. I actually listened to the book. Don’t judge me. 😂) I liked the storytelling & the detailed descriptions of the NC’s gorgeous coastal wetlands & the communities around them. But as a native, I’m a little weary of the perpetuation of Southern stereotypes. It annoys me that when a movie or a book depicts someone as uneducated and/or racist, they have to speak with a southern accent, even when the story takes place somewhere far from the South. Not saying there was no racism in NC in the 60s. But there are racists in the North as well. My hometown integrated their schools in 1967, years before many non-southern cities.
Karen
Yes! So distracting! Does the author not own a map?
Carmen
Yes!!! Each time a trip to Ashville is mentioned it distracts me but still love the book so far.
Amy
The constant Asheville references were distracting to me, too. Couldn't she have looked on a map and seen that Raleigh, Wilmington, and even Charlotte are closer? Upon further reflection, I wonder if the author originally wrote the setting of the book as coastal Georgia (where she grew up) and then ended up switching to North Carolina at the suggestion of a publisher or editor. That would explain the constant palmetto references as well.
Elaine
Oh is that going to bother me. We like to comment how Asheville is closer to the Mississippi than it is to the Atlantic
BookstagramETC
This bothered me too! I mean, I can understand with the long trip with Chase, requiring an overnight stay at a hotel, but there were maybe half a dozen times where they mention shopping in Asheville (the bicycle, the lawyer's ties) which is easily 6 hours or further from coastal NC! Why not switch that to Raleigh (~2 hours away) or Wilmington or even Charlotte? She does refer to Raleigh journalists once, so she knows Raleigh is the capitol and a big city! Very distracting.
Lynn
The Asheville 'shopping experience' was SO CONFUSING especially that it was mentioned more than once and there are easily a dozen NC cities and towns closer (of similar or larger size than Asheville plus many more smaller where you could certainly buy a bike...or ties)
Even in 2019, you're lucky to get to the NC coast in six hours. I've lived in Asheville and on the coast and never thought of the other as a shopping trip
I just read the book and came to mother google to see if the author had commented the Asheville weirdness. Found you first
Even in 2019, you're lucky to get to the NC coast in six hours. I've lived in Asheville and on the coast and never thought of the other as a shopping trip
I just read the book and came to mother google to see if the author had commented the Asheville weirdness. Found you first
Lisa
I saw the author speak when she was in Asheville and she was asked this question. She said she settled on Asheville because she needed a place that would include an overnight. As we know, that overnight was needed for the plot!
Adrienne
This really bothered me as well! It seems like the author knows how far it is (Kya's trip with Chase is described as taking several hours, anyway). Some things could tentatively be explained, like Pa going there to discuss his disability checks...maybe he had to go to a specific office in Asheville? But there's no reason for the attorney to have bought his ties at the Sears in Asheville when there were definitely closer locations. Same with going to buy a specific bike -- surely they could have found it in Raleigh or Charlotte.
Laura
Yep. I noticed that too and I haven't spent much time in NC. I just googled it and thought it was strange.
Liz
I came here for this very question. I grew up in Asheville and know North Carolina well. I actually looked at back at a map to double check my mind as I can't understand how this wasn't picked up. It's just not logical, traversing back and forth to Asheville across the entire state of NC!
Claudia
Yes! It really bothered me! Anyone from the OBX could stop in Greenville, or Raleigh WAY before getting to Asheville!
Nichole
This has been irritating me greatly while reading the book.
Mary Watson
Moonshine running excuses . . .
Austin Z.
I'm late to this but no one else has said it. It bothered me from the start of the book when Jake left the coast to go to Asheville to see about his military disability. There is basically no military presence in Asheville. There is no reason a WWII vet would go to Asheville to see the VA. Setting aside the fact that there would be a VA office in town a marine would have gone to Lejeune, a soldier would have gone to Ft Bragg, the Airforce was still part of the Army so an airman would go to Ft Bragg. I'm not sure where a sailor would have gone since Wilmington was never an official Navy port but he definitely wouldn't have gone all the way to the mountains. And if he didn't want to go to a post he could have gone to Raleigh where the NC VA office is. Asheville, especially Asheville in the 1950s, would be the last place he would go.
Jennifer
It's fiction correct?
Kaitlyn Isham
So funny I was thinking the same thing! There had to be way more bigger cities closer than Asheville. It actually kinda bothered me even though the book was very good.
Kerrin
The geography is for sure way off especially for the time setting of the Novak. Living the in the Low Country of SC for 22 years this book is reminding me of this area way more than NC. Still a fantastic read.
George
I think I'd be equally discombobulated if an author did something similar with a town in Utah--but I'd rapidly get over it! There's no more sense worrying about this than there is trying to fit Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha County into a map of the real state of Mississippi!
Rachel
Definitely! (It will not let me leave a 1 word answer..)
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