Where the Crawdads Sing

I love historical fiction, especially when authors throw in a touch of crime. So, that’s what first drew me to this book.

What kept me reading and what made me rank this novel so highly is the gradual unlayering of the main character as the story progresses. Sure, Kya is a victim and a survivor, but she is so much more, and she is capable of more than I could have anticipated. As in some of my other favorite novels, it’s that loyalty to human nature, the understanding that circumstances can make good choices wrong and poor choices right, that… show more.

I love being in the swampy marsh of the Carolinas, as the author takes us with the character through the waters on her boat; the big night sky, and all the stars as we listen to the crawdads sing.

I really liked the characters and how first love ends up being true love. This is a beautifully written story, almost like poetry. 

I was scared and saddened by this book but by the end, I was cheering because there is power in being able to overcome obstacles that are through no fault of your own, that are chucked at you by the ones who are supposed to know better.

I’m also a sucker for a good love story. 

I have never been as deeply impacted by a novel as I was by this absolute masterpiece!

I was so captivated by this coming-of-age story about young Kaya that I have kept coming back to it. I was captivated not only by her development but also by the challenges she faced as the orphaned ‘marsh girl.’

I not only read it (twice) but listened to it as an audiobook and watched Rees Witherspoon’s film version (twice). I have never done this for any book before. It’s one of the very few novels that has moved me to tears. It’s a… show more.

At first, the story of an impoverished young girl growing up in the North Carolina marshes did not appeal to me, regardless of how much my friends raved about the author’s captivating style of writing. I shelved the book at the bottom of my TBR list and moved on. What a mistake!

Two years later, when I finally cracked this book open, I discovered a story told with such incomparable eloquence and compassion that I immediately began touting it as one of the best books I’ve ever read. And the best part is that this beautifully told story revolves around… show more.

I really couldn’t put this book down because I found both the characters and the story fascinating.

I’ve read a lot of stories about dysfunctional families, but this had something more heart-warming to it, combined with the mystery and the intertwined plotlines. I also liked that everything wasn’t obvious and that I had time to think and try to solve the mystery – as well as the mystery may not being entirely solved by the end of the book.

I love this book because the main character, Kya, overcomes hardships no child should have to endure.

Having to raise herself, she’s an outcast in society, yet she finds strength in her solitude and through her interactions with nature. As she matures, certain love interests provide intrigue.

A mysterious death—or was it murder?—kept me guessing until the end, and the ending is completely satisfying. All of the characters in this engaging story are people I know I’ve met over the years... the good ones and the not-so-good ones.

I identified more deeply with Kya—whom the locals call “the marsh girl”—than with any character in my long reading career. The thing that speaks to me is her isolation and that she overcomes so many obstacles that would have crushed most people’s spirits.

She is abandoned by her parents when very young, lives alone in the marsh and learns to make a living from the marsh, educates herself despite being driven from public school on her first day, and ultimately because of her intelligence and knowledge of the plants and animals that live in the marsh she is able to… show more.

The characters, the setting, the story, everything about this book is amazing! I didn't want it to end.

The main character, Kaya, is so well-defined you feel like you know her and want to give her a hug. The story revolves around a little girl, Kaya, who is abandoned by her dysfunctional family but survives living in the marshland on her own. Nature becomes her family and her community.

The descriptions of the area and the wildlife are exceptional. The mystery is cleverly woven into the story, and the ending is both surprising and satisfying. 

I love writing and reading stories about women who stand up for themselves, whether that’s through direct confrontation or subtle strategic planning.

The main character of Kya does both in this incredible book, and her perspective is so perfectly reflected in the novel’s vivid and exotic natural world setting. Along with a page-turning pace, it was impossible to put down, and I loved how all the characters got what they deserved in the end.