Where the Crawdads Sing, a Book Review
Jun 26, 2024
2 min read
2
8
“Most of what she knew, she’d learned from the wild. Nature had nurtured, tutored, and protected her when no one else would.” —Delia Owens
Rarely does a movie depict a book well enough. However, Where the Crawdads Sing, directed by Olivia Newman, did a wonderful job of it. Released in theaters the summer of 2022, it came to Netflix November 12, 2022. I watched it November 13th. It’s been many months since then, but this story sticks in my mind as I appreciate the summer flowers, sunshine, insects, and my backyard animals.
I read the novel in 2018 and gave it 5/5 STARS. Written by Delia Owens, this book is about an abandonded girl who grows up by herself in the marshes of North Carolina during the 1950s. Eloquence meets the wild here. Like a water lily, our protagonist, Kya, hides beneath the surface and blooms above it. Our love for her grows as she does in this intriguing coming-age-story. Halfway through, it turns into more of the mystery novel, but it is also a love story—it truly has so much to offer. I thoroughly enjoyed reading such beautiful writing of science and poetry crafted together. A breathtaking visit to the marshes of North Carolina. Even when nature explains nurture and forgiveness becomes easier to grasp and release, hurt remains. The scars fade, but never totally go away. Kya’s awareness that animal behavior is present in society is a perspective characteristic to her personality. A+ character development throughout this novel.
I recommend it to all readers of fiction. And you know me, I love to promote great books that havn’t come out yesterday! Keep them alive!
Love,
Tracy
