Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens
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Where the Crawdads Sing

Bestseller

Author: Delia Owens

Unabridged: 11 hr 57 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 08/14/2018


Synopsis

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.

Perfect for fans of Barbara Kingsolver and Karen Russell, Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.

Author Bio

Born in southern Georgia, author Delia Owens grew up loving nature and the wilderness. She would go as far away from her house as she could to escape population, as she rode her horse. Her mother would always tell her, "Go out yonder where the crawdads sing". Later, that phrase would be remembered. She also learned things like how to hike without stepping on rattle snakes, and to not be afraid of critters. Delia enjoyed her small town with her cherished three girlfriends.

Delia's connection to nature and her close friends had a great influence on her studies, then her writing. She loved to write at an early age, winning a writing contest in sixth grade. She had thoughts, even at that young age, that she might one day become a writer. She had many beautiful places that her nature loving family visited on vacation, so it was natural that her first book, Where the Crawdad's Sing, was set in the beautiful Carolina coastal marsh.

Delia graduated from University of Georgia and UC of Davis. In 1974 Delia and husband Mark Owen's headed to Central Kalahari, Africa to begin their extensive study of the female mammal tendency to stay in groups with their offspring. She soon discovered, by watching a pride of lions, that the males tend to wander, only returning for mating or meals, while the females stay in their birth groups forming close bonds for life. It reminded her of her own three friends from childhood, and their ability to remain friends for life.

Their experiences in Africa included hyenas and elephants. From their observations came Cry of the Kalahari, a novel and several articles for various wildlife journals and publications. They also won several awards for their many years of work.

Where the Crawdad's Sing was the beginning of her fascination with the female relationships. She currently lives in Idaho, where she can ride her horse and ski in the serenity of back country. She says not a day goes by that she does not think of the lions, hyenas, and elephants of which she became so fond. She plans to continue writing fiction, but incorporating how our evolutionary past has an influence on today's behavior in a world less wild.

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