What readers think of Where the Crawdads Sing, plus links to write your own review.

Oh. My. Goodness. Yes, all the hype is true. This is an incredible book that broke my heart, made me laugh out loud, made me shake my head in wonder, made me cry real tears several times, and made me oh-so-sad when it ended. (Book hangover!)

Ingeniously plotted, the story begins in 1952 when the lead character, Kya, is six years old. And while the story is told chronologically from the 1950s to the early 1970s, it bounces ahead in time to 1969-70 and then retreats to the 50s-60s until the two merge. While at its core, this is the story of Kya's lonely and alarming life in North Carolina's primitive and untamed coastal marshes (the '50s and '60s), it is also—around the edges—a murder mystery (1969-70).

Kya, the youngest of five children, lives in a dilapidated swamp shack with her impoverished parents and siblings—until one by one, they leave. Shy and terrified, the abandoned Kya does what no child should have to do: survive on her own. This is the story of not only her survival, but also her triumphs and redemption. It is a story about prejudice, evil, abuse and hate, as well as a story of the transformative power of love.

Bonus: This is also a love story to the coastal marshlands. The descriptions of the flora and fauna are so detailed and the imagery so vivid, that the reader can totally visualize the lush land and teeming waterways—if not actually feel the need to scratch at nonexistent mosquito bites! The book is filled with facts that are presented in such a fascinating and utterly interesting way, that I found myself wanting to know more about everything from female fireflies' bizarre and cruel mating habits to why seagulls have a bright red spot on their beaks and what creates the iridescence of a hummingbird's golden-red throat.

This is a must-read book!

Awesome Book!

What a good read! I hope the author writes another novel - this was a superbly written book.

This was a beautiful story. Great characters very suspenseful, very hard to put down. Thank you Mrs. Owens.

I enjoyed reading this book and often did not want to put it down. The author creates a vivid story of an underdog while craftfully taking you to a place of recognition that humans can be cruel and uncaring which is far worse than loneliness could ever be. The descriptions of the southern people in the story often closely matches the narrow mindedness within communities in the past as well as the present towards those who are different from themselves. While the setting was in the 1960s I believe it accurately describes the clannish mentality many years ago. While things have changed significantly there is still room for more change amongst humans to truly love thy neighbor and not just on Sunday’s at 10am. I liked the book very much.

I must say, I hate books that make me cry, but my book club wanted to read this one so I resolutely slogged into it expecting a deluge. There were some tears but mostly amazement at the book's descriptions (and the character's experience) of a tidal environment with all its diversity. The main character was much like me--I enjoyed her survival story, her struggle to overcome loneliness and rejection, and eventual maturation into an accomplished writer and artist. There's much to be said for a solitary life immersed in nature, but we usually associate this with men such as Emerson, Muir, Thoreau, etc., and not with women. This book shatters the myth and reveals the mysteries that women alone in wilderness can experience. However, I'm always disconcerted that stories about women leading unusual lives always need an explanation of how their childhoods led them "astray." I wish Crawdads had just started with the main character stepping into her boat and motoring off into an incredible adventure and a rich life.

Once you get your nose in this book you won’t want to close it! Get ready to sit back and put yourself in the time of a girl living in a marsh experiencing prejudices among the people in the local town.

I really enjoyed this book. It had a heartwarming ending with a real twist along the way. Very clever story line. I am looking forward to more books by Delia Owens.