Where the Crawdad Sings by Delia Owens

Publisher's Summary:

"For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life—until the unthinkable happens.

Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps."

My Review:

What a beautifully written, tragic, yet strength-filled novel "Where The Crawdads Sing" is. I am going to encourage all my readers and friends to read this book. 

Kya is smart, extremely so, she is naturally strong for a girl who was abandoned at such a young age. I fell in love with her from Delia Owens' first introduction of Kya. This novel brings so many emotions to the reader: anger at the adults in Kya's life; laughter when she starts experiencing her first kiss. Joy when she decides to stand up for herself and not hide anymore and terror at her unthinkable situation which she is thrust into which then causes a feeling of admiration when you realize her situation does not hold her back. 

Delia Owens' characters are rich in detail even down to the minute background characters. Her world is filled with vivid, breathing life that unless you have lived in a marsh or deep into nature as Kya does, you would never know existed. This is a book I will re-read again just to find out if there is anything else I can glean from Kya and her outlook on life. 

Thank you Penguin Books for the chance to read this beautiful novel in exchange for my honest opinion. I have enjoyed every second of it.
 

Where The Crawdads Sing, the movie, is out now!