Where the Crawdads Sing Reeses Book..., Delia Owens
Where the Crawdads Sing Reeses Book..., Delia Owens
720 Rating(s)
List: $22.50 | Sale: $14.85
Club: $11.25

Where the Crawdads Sing: Reese's Book Club

Bestseller

Author: Delia Owens

Narrator: Cassandra Campbell

Unabridged: 12 hr 12 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 08/14/2018


Synopsis

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING PHENOMENON—NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE!
More than 18 million copies sold worldwide
A Reese’s Book Club Pick
A Business Insider Defining Book of the Decade 

“I can't even express how much I love this book! I didn't want this story to end!”—Reese Witherspoon

“Painfully beautiful.”—The New York Times Book Review

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.

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.

About Delia Owens

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.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Debra on September 26, 2018

All the Stars!!!!! Can I just say that I loved everything about this book and leave it at that!?! Where the Crawdads Sing is a story of resiliency, survival, hope, love, loss, loneliness, desperation, prejudice, determination and strength. This book goes back and forth in time to tell the story of Kya......more

Goodreads review by Yun on April 28, 2025

Phew, I finally made it through this book! My apologies to everyone who loved this, but unfortunately, I did not, and no one's sadder than me. Reading Where the Crawdads Sing was like stepping back in time to high school, when class-assigned books meant lots of award-winning fiction. Sure, there were......more

Goodreads review by Jessica on November 10, 2018

All of you talked me into reading this book. The Goodreads reviews were virtually unanimously good, not just good, great. It had to be good, I thought. And because I needed an extra audiobook I bought it on Libro.fm and locked myself into reading it. Bad decision. This book is just a pile of tropes a......more

Goodreads review by JanB on December 22, 2018

You know that person? The one who doesn't like what everyone else seems to love? There has to be someone in the outlier club and this time it is me. I was highly anticipating this book after reading all the praise from readers whose tastes usually align with my own. Unfortunately, I should have DNF'......more

Goodreads review by jessica on May 28, 2022

a reread before the movie comes out because, for once, a film adaptation looks amazing and i actually want to see it. ______________________ there are currently 582 people waiting for this book at my library. at first i thought that notification was a glitch; but then i read this, this impossibly tend......more


Quotes

“A painfully beautiful first novel that is at once a murder mystery, a coming-of-age narrative and a celebration of nature....Owens here surveys the desolate marshlands of the North Carolina coast through the eyes of an abandoned child. And in her isolation that child makes us open our own eyes to the secret wonders—and dangers—of her private world.”—The New York Times Book Review

“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

“This lush mystery is perfect for fans of Barbara Kingsolver.”—Bustle

“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 Tonight

“Heart-wrenching...A fresh exploration of isolation and nature from a female perspective along with a compelling love story.”—Entertainment Weekly

“This wonderful novel has a bit of everything—mystery, romance, and fascinating characters, all told in a story that takes place in North Carolina.”—Nicholas Sparks, New York Times bestselling author of Every Breath

“Delia Owen’s gorgeous novel is both a coming-of-age tale and an engrossing whodunit.”—Real Simple

“Evocative...Kya makes for an unforgettable heroine.”—Publishers Weekly

“The New Southern novel...A lyrical debut.”Southern Living

“A nature-infused romance with a killer twist.”—Refinery29

“Anyone who liked The Great Alone will want to read Where the Crawdads Sing....This astonishing debut is a beautiful and haunting novel that packs a powerful punch. It’s the first novel in a long time that made me cry.”—Kristin Hannah, author of The Great Alone and The Nightingale

“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

“Lyrical...Its appeal ris[es] from Kya’s deep connection to the place where makes her home, and to all of its creatures.”—Booklist

“This beautiful, evocative novel is likely to stay with you for many days afterward....absorbing.”AARP 

“This haunting tale captivates every bit as much for its crime drama elements as for the humanity at its core.” —Mystery & Suspense Magazine

“Compelling, original...A mystery, a courtroom drama, a romance and a coming-of-age story, Where the Crawdads Sing is a moving, beautiful tale. Readers will remember Kya for a long, long time.”ShelfAwareness

“With prose luminous as a low-country moon, Owens weaves a compelling tale of a forgotten girl in the unforgiving coastal marshes of North Carolina. It is a murder mystery/love story/courtroom drama that readers will love, but the novel delves so much deeper into the bone and sinew of our very nature, asking often unanswerable questions, old and intractable as the marsh itself. A stunning debut!”Christopher Scotton, author of The Secret Wisdom of the Earth

“A compelling mystery with prose so luminous it can cut through the murkiest of pluff mud.”—Augusta Chronicle

“Carries the rhythm of an old time ballad. It is clear Owens knows this land intimately, from the black mud sucking at footsteps to the taste of saltwater and the cry of seagulls.”David Joy, author of The Line That Held Us