Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens #Review @LittleBrownUK

Today is the UK  hard cover publication day for the debut novel Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. A New York Times number 1 best seller, selling over 5000,000 copies and a Reese Witherspoon Hello Sunshine Book Club pick I had high hopes and I certainly wasn’t disappointed.

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 published by Corsair and available to purchase in hardback now – Amazon UK

MY THOUGHTS

I’m always dubious when a book has been hyped up so much and worry that I’ll be in the minority of people who don’t like it. I really didn’t have to worry this time, Where The Crawdads Sing went well beyond my expectations and I loved it.

Kya is a character that you will instantly take to your heart, starting off as a young girl living at home in the marsh with her parents and brother Jodie we follow Kya as she grows up and is left to fend for herself. I adored reading about Kya although I felt heart-broken at times and just wanted to sweep her off the pages and protect her. I think everyone, no matter what age could learn a lesson from Kya, she has it tough but boy is she a tough little cookie.

Along the way Kya meets some wonderful characters who include Tate, Jumpin and Mabel, each one helps Kya in a certain way but like with any town or village there are those that think they are above themselves and Kya, the marsh girl as they call her isn’t welcome.

As well as being a coming of age story, Where The Crawdads Sing has a murder mystery thrown in, as well as a bit of court room drama and romance. It’s a mixed bag but it works so well and although this isn’t a fast paced story it flows and has the reader completely hooked and drawn in. I didn’t want to rush the story, I enjoyed taking my time and absorbing every word.

Delia Owens has written a debut novel that is wonderfully descriptive, the marsh comes to life through the words and I felt it was as much of a character as Kya was. The natural beauty and the ever-present wildlife became like a mother to Kya and it was just wonderful to read about.

I can honestly say that this book lived up to the hype its receiving and its well deserved, it’s been an absolute pleasure to read and it’s a story that will stay with me for a long time. Where The Crawdads Sing will be one I’ll definitely be recommending, I think it will appeal to many and if you haven’t read it yet then don’t hesitate, it’s wonderful.