“Autumn leaves don't fall, they fly.
They take their time and wander on this their only chance to soar.”
For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet fishing village. Kya Clark is barefoot and wild; unfit for polite society. But Kya is not what they say. Kya—a young girl who has been abandoned by her parents, siblings, and the entire society, lives on the outskirts of town, in the Marsh, where she is judged & ridiculed. Having attended just one day of school, she takes life's lessons from the land, learning the real ways of the world while living in solitude forever. WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING is an incredible story of fearless Kya while she carves her own life path.
Where the Crawdads Sing is a story of survival, hope, love, loss, loneliness, determination, and strength. I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I went into this book and it turned out to be one of the most compelling stories I’ve read in a long time. This was a story of survival against all odds, of love and loss, of grief and happiness, of prejudices and relationships, and discovering your true self.
“If anyone would understand loneliness, the moon would.”
This book is so poetic and beautifully written, that it just draws you in with the flow. The beautiful prose and the use of imagery are so to the point that you are automatically transported to the marshes where you can see the gulls, feel the sea wave, and feel the sand beneath your feet. The story is charmingly written and immensely readable. The book was perfectly paced and jumps back and forth in time without missing a beat. If I have to nitpick, the secondary plotline didn’t work for me and disrupted the flow of the story, like a speed breaker. Thankfully, it didn’t ruin my reading experience. As soon as the book starts, you are a part of Kya’s life and immersed in her self-contained world. You experience her moments of sorrow, her fleeting moments of happiness, her triumphs and heartbreaks, all of it.
Another thing that takes the book to another level are the characters. Kya, Tate, Jumpin', Jodie, all are exquisitely crafted. I loved the main character of Kya. It was so interesting to watch Kya grow up without a family and deal with the world. Her amazing journey and interactions are at the heart of the book and Owens gets it perfectly right. The characters spoke in their own dialect which adds a layer of authenticity to the story.
Overall, Where the Crawdads Sing is a compelling and emotional story, spectacularly written and richly detailed with a descriptive atmosphere and realistic characters. There are many heartbreaking moments in this book that will stay with you long after the story is over. This book will make you smile, it will make you emotional, at times it will break your heart and it will make you care for the characters like they are your own. I wish really the book could have gone on and on, as I never wanted the story to end.
Many thanks to the publisher's Penguin Publishing Group and Edelweiss for the ARC.
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