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Where the Crawdads Sing: Delia Owens Paperback – 12 Dec. 2019
Delia Owens (Author) See search results for this author |
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*The multi-million copy bestseller*
Soon to be a major film
A Number One New York Times Bestseller
'Painfully beautiful' New York Times
'Unforgettable . . . as engrossing as it is moving' Daily Mail
'A rare achievement' The Times
'I can't even express how much I love this book!' Reese Witherspoon
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For years, rumors of the 'Marsh Girl' have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life - until the unthinkable happens.
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'[It] will reach a huge audience though the writer's old-fashioned talents for compelling character, plotting and landscape description' The Guardian
'For sheer escapism pick up Where The Crawdads Sing . . . there is writing that takes your breath away' The Times
'All is not as it seems in this heartbreaking coming-of-age bestseller' The i newspaper
- Print length384 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherCorsair
- Publication date12 Dec. 2019
- Dimensions19.4 x 2.2 x 12.4 cm
- ISBN-101472154665
- ISBN-13978-1472154668
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Product description
Review
Part murder-mystery, part coming-of-age novel, its evocation of the marshland and its inhabitants is as unforgettable as Kya herself. A story of loneliness, survival and love that's as engrossing as it is moving ― Daily Mail
For a debut the prose is impressively accomplished . . . A Hollywood film seems inevitable. Yet it will be hard to match on screen the delicacy of Owens's exploration of the natural world. Kya and her magical little world are a rare achievement ― The Times
Kya is a compelling character, Owen's descriptive prose is lushly impressive, and the twist in the narrative's tail is neat ― Sunday Times Culture
Owens combines high tension with precise detail about how people dress, sound, live and eat - the case studies in her book are both human and natural . . . Surprise bestsellers are often works that chime with the times. Though set in the 1950s and 60s, Where the Crawdads Sing is, in its treatment of racial and social division and the fragile complexities of nature, obviously relevant to contemporary politics and ecology. But these themes will reach a huge audience though the writer's old-fashioned talents for compelling character, plotting and landscape description ― the Guardian
For sheer escapism pick up Where The Crawdads Sing . . . there is writing that takes your breath away ― The Times (separate review)
All is not as it seems in this heartbreaking coming-of-age bestseller ― The i newspaper
An Amazon Best Book of August 2018: This novel has a mystery at its core, but it can be read on a variety of levels. There is great nature writing; there is coming of age; and there is literature. Crawdads is a story lovingly told-one that takes its time in developing its characters and setting, and in developing the story. You'll want to relax and take your time as well, and when you're done you will want to talk about it with another reader. ― Chris Schluep, Amazon Book Review
Unsettling and tinged with sadness, yet astonishingly fresh, powerful and mesmerising - with a surprising ending that will haunt you. I couldn't put it down ― The Lady
The strength of the story comes from the sympathetic portrait of its heroine who cannot fail to captivate, right up until the surprising end ― UK Press Association and Independent I
Steeped in the rhythms and shadows of the coastal marshes of North Carolina's Outer Banks, this fierce and hauntingly beautiful novel centers on...Kya's heartbreaking story of learning to trust human connections, intertwine[d] with a gripping murder mystery, revealing savage truths. An astonishing debut. ― People
Unsettling and tinged with sadness, yet astonishingly fresh, powerful and mesmerising - with a surprising ending that will haunt you. I couldn't put it down ― The Lady
This lush mystery is perfect for fans of Barbara Kingsolver ― Bustle
A nature-infused romance with a killer twist ― Refinery29
Both a coming-of-age story and a mysterious account of a murder investigation told from the perspective of a young girl...Through Kya's story, Owens explores how isolation affects human behavior, and the deep effect that rejection can have on our lives ― Vanity Fair
Heart-wrenching...A fresh exploration of isolation and nature from a female perspective along with a compelling love story. ― Entertainment Weekly
A lush debut novel, Owens delivers her mystery wrapped in gorgeous, lyrical prose. It's clear she's from this place-the land of the southern coasts, but also the emotional terrain-you can feel it in the pages. A magnificent achievement, ambitious, credible and very timely
― Alexandra Fuller, New York Times bestselling author of Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs TonightThis is a heart-wrenching coming-of-age story, perfect for book clubs ― Candis
A story that's evocative and sad and with a remarkable heroine ― Image magazine
I didn't expect such a beautifully-written, gorgeously- immersive literary novel which is also a page-turner. I spun out the last few pages because I didn't want it to end -- Bernardine Evaristo, via Twitter
Book Description
From the Back Cover
About the Author
Delia Owens is the co-author of three internationally bestselling nonfiction books about her life as a wildlife scientist in Africa including Cry of the Kalahari.
She has won the John Burroughs Award for Nature Writing and has been published in Nature, The African Journal of Ecology, and many others.
She currently lives in Idaho. Where the Crawdads Sing is her first novel.
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Product details
- Publisher : Corsair; 1st edition (12 Dec. 2019)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 384 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1472154665
- ISBN-13 : 978-1472154668
- Dimensions : 19.4 x 2.2 x 12.4 cm
- Best Sellers Rank: 3 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 5 in Literary Fiction (Books)
- 6 in Thrillers (Books)
- 11 in Contemporary Fiction (Books)
- Customer reviews:
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Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 March 2019
Top reviews from United Kingdom
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If this flimsy and wholly ridiculous plot line were in any way to be redeemed, it might have been through quality of writing because of the interesting environment of the swamp and its wildlife, but even in this the novel fails. The only passable passages are indeed the ones in which Ms Owens describes the swamp life. The dialogue is ridiculous, the love scenes are stitched together out of worn-out cliches, and the suspension of disbelief required of the reader is just asking way too much.
I have no doubt that Delia Owens is an excellent naturalist and ecologist and an asset to her field. But as a novelist, she doesn't cut it. Don't waste your money on this book.
As said above, I am currently only 100 pages in and already falling asleep every time I pick it up. I can see that the end of Part 1 is in sight, so I will keep going until then at least, but if nothing changes, I'm afraid I will have to stop reading.
I don't usually quit on a book, but this one is so dull, frustrating to read and waffles on and on and on that I may just have to make an exception.