where the crawdads sing: a beautiful north carolina story
- paigenherbooks
- Feb 27, 2022
- 5 min read
Rating:4.5/5
Where the Crawdads Sing was a phenomenal story that held my attention all the way through. A story about love, loss, finding oneself as well as just the pains of life...with a sprinkle of murder mystery added in there. This book was a little different than what I normally read, but I have absolutely zero regrets. This book has found a special place in my heart with Kya, Tate, and of course Jumpin'.
Synopsis: It's about a young woman named Kya, who's left to raise herself in the marshes of North Carolina when her family abandons her at a young age. There is so much to her story: romance, mystery, and a murder… and it takes place in the breathtaking backdrop of the South.
Our story takes place in North Carolina (I grew up here so I loved this!). A little town, with a marsh right on it's front door step. The people there are all what they consider normal, all except for the "marsh girl", our girl Kya. Kya and her family grew up in the marsh basically known and referred to as "white trash". The story is essentially Kya's story. We see her navigate love, loss, independence, and all the uncertainties that come with life. The story follows her from around the age of seven until she is a grown woman. Then the murder of Chase Andrews comes about and we are whisked away between flash backs of the present of Chase's death and the backdrop of Kya's life leading up to that point. The overall plot of the story was very good! The story was comforting in ways that I felt like I truly knew Kya. Seeing her grow within the pages was something that was so unique and I really enjoyed. Watching her live her life all alone was so poetic in a sense. But I will get more deep into that soon!
My two little things that kinda kept this from being a full 5/5 for me was first, the time line was a little hard for me to follow. I was often a little lost on wether I was back int the past, the future, or how far the years were apart. I will partially take blame for most likely not paying the best attention, so it could have been that. Second, there was a lot of nature things related within the book. Which again I totally understand as it is a HUGE part of Kya's character. I just get bored easy and sometimes found myself skimming those parts. But other than that the book was fantastic!
Kya was such an interesting character for me! I thought that she was written so beautifully as well. I just adored her to be quite honest. Delia Owens has a way with writing that made me feel like I was sitting right next to Kya talking about the sea gulls in her marsh. The rest of the characters were also done very well. I loved Tate, even when he left Kya...I was always hoping he would come back. He was so kind to her and I knew that he really loved her. Having him cycle back into the story was fantastic and I was so so happy about it :)
Then there was the whole story line of Chase Andrew dying. Owens did such a fantastic job with this story line, making it not only interesting but flawlessly intertwining the past scenes to fit with what was "currently" going on. After Tate left, having Kya be involved with Chase Andrews was interesting! It in my opinion solidified how much she wanted to be loved and how lonely she truly was. She just wanted someone, honestly anyone, to care for her. To have something to look forward to.
I did refer this book to a friend so I am not going to spoil the ending because that would honestly be heartless haha (hi hannah if you're reading this :) but I really enjoyed the whole trial of Kya being placed as the suspect in Chase Andrews murder, mostly due to prejudice and the fact that the townspeople just didn't like her. It really show cased why the she lived the way she did and why she never felt at home in the town. But I will say the ENDING HOLY MOLY I WAS HONESTLY A LITTLE SHOCKED!!!!!
I digress.
The book dealt with some heavy topics. Abandonment, abuse, sexual assault, as well as things such as racism. Owens put so much heart and life into this book, that it brought me to tears more than once. This story is the story of some people. People like Kya have and do exist. Especially for the time frame down south, there is an etiquette of living. Southern women are some of the strongest people I have ever met, but back in the 50's and 60's they had "rules" they had to follow, much like almost every woman at the time. To not be the perfect little southern housewife was a catastrophe. In my opinion, Kya showcased the true core of what I think a southern woman is. Someone who is a little wild but intelligent as she is fun. Someone who doesn't want any trouble but will stand up for themselves when they need to. Someone who of course knows how to cook the best food to ever grace anyone plates.
Kya also reminded me a lot of my mom. (hi mom I miss and love you) I think thats why I had such a strong connection to her. I could see my mothers strength and undying stubbornness shown through this little fictional character. The power of love, true love is something that is so profound. To find one person that doesn't want to change you, but wants to help you do your best and follow your dreams. To have a Tate helping Kya publish her marsh books, and never making her go to the city, but simply write and draw.
This book was done so well and honestly I see it becoming a classic in the future. I think the themes that are interwoven within the pages are things that should be talked and thought about. I think that Owens has constructed a story that is real enough that everyone can find some kind of reliability. Wether its' that you feel like you don't belong, or that you're too much for someone. If loneliness is always knocking on your door or you feel that you'll never be able to be "more" than what you are, Owens shows through her main character, Kya, that you can.
Life is a wondrous and disastrous thing that is happening to all of us. We just have to take a deep breath and trust that we are going to make it. And when life gets tough, go out to where the crawdads sing, where no one can hear you and you can just be.
happy reading :)
xoxo,
paige <3
Comentários