Where the Crawdads Sing (original 2018; udgave 2018)

Kya grows up in the Eastern North Carolina coastal marshlands in poverty, the family led by an abusive father. Her mother leaves her abusive husband, then her brothers and sisters leave, and while she manages with just her father for a while, eventually, even he disappears. Kya lives alone, and manages to survive (just barely) by her own ingenuity and a little help from a trusted few.
Her first love, Tate, goes off to college,and seemingly forgets her.
But her second suitor, Chase Andrews, sticks around too long. Long enough for Kya to learn that he was simply using her and lying to her all along.
And when Chase dies by falling from a fire tower, murder is suspected, and Kya is the prime suspect.
The book alternates chapters from the past with chapters from 1969-1970 (think of that as the present) when the murder investigation and eventual trial are happening. A sad and heart-wrenching book, Where the Crawdads Sing is also heartwarming in its own way. And though they are somewhat minor characters, the real heroes of the story are Jumpin' and Mable. ( )

With all the hype I heard about this book, I expected a lot more out of it. To be honest the first half was not very good. The second half was much more interesting. I certainly felt bad for Kya's circumstances, but the whole story felt melodramatic and I do not understand why the author had all of the black characters speak in dialect but not the whites. They were all southern. Overall it was good enough to keep reading, but certainly not a must read. ( )

This book was just okay for me. Although I really liked the main character, Kya, and connected with her, several things about the story bothered me. Being a native of NC, the dialogue the author used sounded like it should be set in Georgia, Alabama, or even Louisiana. The plot was also a bit weak and predictable. And what happened at the end was just a bit unbelievable. I did enjoy the nature aspect. ( )

Content warning: domestic violence, child abuse, attempted rape ( )

4.75*
Something in this was missing for me. It was beautifully written and I couldn't get enough of the author's descriptions of the marsh. The plot was slow though. The flashing back and forth between the past and present kept me interested, but the ending didn't surprise me. It didn't feel like a twist. I didn't see how it could have ended any other way even with the very slight red herrings.

Being an educator I found it interesting how this kind of isolation for a child could have such an outcome in their personalities. I understand Kya learned from the marsh and its creatures, but I was actually a little surprised by how well she interacted with people. I do find it difficult to believe that she was able to educate herself so fully in biology after being taught the basics of reading. That wasn't the most realistic.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book but found the ending a bit lacking. ( )