Book Club: Where the Crawdads Sing
This summer we read Where the Crawdads Sing for the Zoella Book Club. The author; Delia Owens is an American zoologist and has mostly written memoirs in the past. Where the Crawdads Sing was Delia’s debut novel and topped the New York Times Fiction Best Sellers of 2019 for 20 non-consecutive weeks.
The book follows two timelines that intertwine, one describing the life of Kya in the marshes of North Carolina from 1951-1969, the second follows a murder investigation of local celebrity Chase Andrews. Find our reviews below and our latest Zoella Book Club pick here.
Meghan
I found this quite slow to start – I won’t lie BUT I’m so glad I persevered! I try to not give up on books because sometimes the slow builders are the best ones. It’s incredibly descriptive which is why I think initially I struggled to get into it. I’m very guilty for skipping descriptive paragraphs but once I got myself into the story line I made sure to play close attention. Owens is an incredibly talented writer and she paints such a vivid picture of North Carolina. I REALLY loved the ending, this is honestly such a powerful story and I would whole heartedly recommend. I will say that I don’t think this is a book to read on the commute as I felt I did need to concentrate. I read this one on the sofa, with a cuppa and made sure to set time aside for it.
Rating – 4.5 / 5
Would read again? No
Would you recommend it to a friend? – Yes
Carrie
I listened to this as an audiobook and loved it, although the plot itself is relatively slow to begin with, the setting and descriptions are enough to get lost in from the start. It’s easy to imagine yourself in a hazy hot summer in the marshes through the vivid and emotive language throughout, making it a great summer read to feel yourself transported to somewhere else. I thought it was interesting to follow such a young main character especially in how she navigates situations and challenges, which made it quite an emotional read at times. I loved how the two strings of the plot slowly joined together and with just enough mystery while keeping the story honest and raw. Overall, a really enjoyable read.
Rating – 4/5
Would you read it again? – Yes
Would you recommend it to a friend? – Yes
Zoe
This book has so many amazing reviews so my expectation was high (not always a good thing) and oh my, it did not disappoint. It’s a book that focuses largely on loneliness, fear and love with a sprinkling of utter determination and serious courage. I immediately fell in love with Kya as a character and Delia’s incredible descriptions of the marsh in which she lives and the creatures that she lives amongst really bought the vision of the book to life. She also includes some beautiful poetry which i thoroughly enjoyed reading throughout. Probably one of the most descriptive books i’ve read in a long time which I think, along with the storyline is why I enjoyed it so much. It’s quite an emotional rollercoaster and pulls on your heart strings in places but also has the added drama of the murder mystery thrown in too. (you know I love me a murder). I also really loved the end, i closed the book and felt so content (almost wanted to open it back at page one and start again).
Rating – 4.8/5
I would read it again
Yes I would!
Danielle
I listened to this one and it was great, the accents were fun and brought the characters to life. I loved hearing the story through Kya’s eyes and envisioned the mysterious marshes in North Carolina from fantastic descriptions. Owens expertly compares behaviours of the people in town to that of the creatures in Kya’s habitat, so not only did the story provide a brilliant murder mystery but also this sort of environmental study. I didn’t know much about Delia Owens before reading but discovered when looking her up that she is a wildlife scientist, which of course made so much sense! Really hoping she’s working on another book for me to sink my teeth in to.
Rating – 4/5
Would read again? No
Would you recommend it to a friend? – Yes I already have!
Lauren
The plot and story-telling was very interesting but however this wasn’t for me. I tried to get into it but couldn’t get fully invested in the back and forth. The ending was quite a twist which I liked, and I really enjoyed Kya’s character development from forgotten marsh girl to a pretty savvy woman. Could easily see this being made for the big screen.
Rating – 3/5
Would read again? No
Would you recommend it to a friend? – Maybe, depending on the friend!
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