I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and was completely invested in it's story of a child abandoned and resilient, growing and eventually thriving in the poverty, prejudice and violence of marshes of the North Carolina coast.

Kya, the 'Marsh Girl' is a wonderful protagonist and I loved every aspect of Delia Owens' story. Highly recommended.

My preview copy from Netgalley was unreadable, numbers between lines and spacing all over the place so I did buy my own copy when it was released.
What a fabulous, original read and I recommend it to all my friends.

Absolutely phenomenal. The lyrical prose was enchanting and evoked the natural wildlife perfectly. Kya was an unforgettable character and one that will stay with me long after reading.

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I jumped at the chance To read this book, because I felt like I must have been one of the last people on the planet to read this book - so I was dying to finally know what all the hype was about!
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Being first and foremost a murder mystery, I was drawn in to this book quickly and soon became obsessed with being back in the marsh with Kya. I could hear the whistle of the wind in the trees and the splash and gurgle of the water in the marsh. With deliciously lucid and vivid prose; It was such a joyful escape of a read.
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Owens is a real wizard with words. I adored her sumptuous descriptions of the marsh and her turn of phrase really gave the marsh its own character in the novel. Her writing is effortlessly elegant and so wonderfully easy to read and lose yourself in.
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Whilst this has been dubbed a “Coming of Age” novel, (a statement which I don’t at all disagree with), Where The Crawdads Sing, in my opinion, is so much more. It depicts how a human survives abandonment and complete isolation; learning to fend for herself and become totally self sufficient. In time we learn how these sad circumstances impact on her emotional and social interactions with other humans later on in life.
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A breathtaking, soulful and simply mesmerising book; I have no doubt that Where The Crawdads Sing will be one of my top reads of 2020.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me a copy of this book.

I had heard so many amazing things about this book. Everybody seemed to absolutely love it and I thought I would be one of those people. I unfortunately was not, and I am so disappointed to say that.

I am definitely in the minority and I feel so sad to be writing this as I was 100% convinced I would love it. It just lacked substance for me. The characters just annoyed me and I do not feel that they were developed in a way that I favoured.

I don't know what else to write on this review as I am just disappointed. It wasn't my cup of tea.

I am definitely in the minority so make sure you do pick it up and give it a go. So many people love this book, I just unfortunately wasn't one of those people.

This is a coming of age story with a difference and it is so beautifully written that I think it would be difficult not to be drawn in by its compelling plot.
Kya grows up in the marshes living alone in a shack. Abandoned by her mother at 7 years old and left with her abusive alcoholic father, Kya learns to look after herself and rely on no one. When her father disappears too she is truly alone.
The locals call her the marsh girl and she is teased on her one and only day at school so refuses to return. She finally learns to read and write when Tate, a friend of her beloved but absent brother Jodie befriends her and teaches her. She gradually falls in love with Tate and starts to trust that he cares for her but he too leaves her to go to college and she is destined to be alone again.
She is attracted to local bad boy Chase Andrews and they then start a relationship but it is clear from the start that he does not have her interests at heart and only cares about himself.
However the book is written in two timelines- the 1950s as Kya grows up and 1969 when Chase Andrews is found dead, having fallen from a tower. Kya is accused of his murder and the second part of the book focusses on the investigation and subsequent trial.
The book is very descriptive with wonderful passages describing the marsh and the wild animals and birds that live there. It is well written but also quite a compelling read which I couldn’t put down.
I loved the character of Kya, how she managed to survive alone, abandoned by her whole family but desparate for human contact. Her relationship with Tate was beautiful and heartbreaking.
Jumpin, the black garage owner who sells her fuel for her boat is also a great character. Gradually, over the years he begins to look at her like a daughter and help her as much as he can. Kya is an outsider because of her lifestyle and so is he because of his colour although he has family that care about him unlike Kya.
Set in the Deep South of America, it certainly had the feel of a modern day classic and in parts reminded me of ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’
It is a truly excellent debut by this author and I will definitely be looking out for more books by Delia Owens.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

Beautifully written with some wonderful characterisation, I have to be honest and say I think it has been a little over hyped.
The story starts well but then seemed to drift and I found myself skipping bits. I loved the descriptions of the marsh and its wildlife but aspects of the story left me cold.
I really wanted to enjoy this but I wasn't rushing to pick it up.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgally for sending this to me for review!

Read for the popsugar reading challenge 2019: A book recommenced by a celebrity you admire amd as part of the 2019 booktube longlist.

.“She knew the years of isolation had altered her behavior until she was different from others, but it wasn't her fault she'd been alone. Most of what she knew, she'd learned from the wild. Nature had nurtured, tutored, and protected her when no one else would.”

Some books are just worth the hype.

I went into this book with not much expectations, I wasn't sure if a book set in the South of America was going to be for me as it isn't a setting I have read much from, however I was very very wrong.

This book focuses on Kya known as "The Marsh Girl" Kya's family have lived on the Marsh for years and have made there home there, they are really seen as the outcasts of the society and are looked down upon. One day Kya's mother has enough of her alcoholic and abusive father and walks out on Kya and her siblings never to look back, eventually all Kya's brothers and sisters leave until it's just Kya and her father, Kya tries to make a life for them, doing the cooking and the shopping but her fathers behaviour becomes more and more eccentric with him coming home drunk and sometimes staying away from weeks on end, eventually he also leaves and never comes back leaving Kya to fend for herself, Kya makes a life for herself and finds a way to survive, she makes friends with local boy Tate and soon they form a romance but Tate leaves Kya too and she is very much alone. Kya then gets sucked into a relationship with local boy Chase, a keen sports player and player of woman, they get tangled up in a toxic romance that eventually has dire consequences and Kya's life is changed forever.

This book is incredible, the thing that struck me from page one was how beautiful the writing was and the second was how atmospheric the writing is, you can really picture the Marsh. I came to really feel for Kya and only wanted good things for her and felt so much woe for her! There is a bit of a mystery running through this book and I have to say I thought it was well done, I went back and forth with what I thought had happened and even as we approached the conclusion was leaning a certain way sure I was right....I wasn't however!!. My heart ached for Kya all the way through this book and I feel in love with some of the other characters too.

I have never read a book quite like this and would highly recommend it. Don't be put off by the hype.

“The marsh did not confine them but defined them and, like any sacred ground, kept their secrets deep.”

Kya is six (she thinks) and her Ma has just left home. Her father is violent and often drunk and his beatings drive her elder siblings away one by one. Soon there is only Kya and her father left and Kya has to learn to cook, clean and survive. She manages one day of school before being bullied out but she finds it easy to escape the school truancy team by hiding in the marsh. One day her Daddy doesn't come home and then Kya has to survive the best she can. Friendship with Tate, a local boy, helps her learn to read and write and Kya falls in love. When Tate leaves for college Kya falls for a local boy who treats her badly and when he is found dead, Kay is the main suspect.
For the majority of this novel I was entranced. The writing is so lyrical and warm, Kya is a complex and interesting character and I was prepared to forgive the gaping holes in the story because it was almost like a fable, the tale of the Marsh Girl. However towards the end I found the story far too predictable and the 'twist' at the end was just annoying. 90% of this book is wonderful, the rest lets it down. However what shines through is the story of the marsh itself, the wildlife, the weather and the whole ecosystem.

I’m so glad I left my Best Books of 2018 post until the year had finished because this beauty snuck in at the last minute.

This just completely blew me away. While the blurb (and the fact that it had been a Reese Witherspoon bookclub pick) obviously attracted me to read the book. I couldn’t have guessed just how much I ended up loving it.

Some of the characters here are incredibly likable (though none were perfect), while others were horrible people. But all fantastic characters. I kept thinking about this book as I was going, wanting to find out what happened to everyone and discover what exactly was going on.

We follow two time period through this novel, flicking between following Kya as she grow up and 1969 where a local boy is found dead in the marsh. I’ve seen this sort of thing done badly, but in this case I loved both timelines and they were woven together fantastically.

This was fantastically written, and I will now read any fiction Delia Owens comes out with. The ending is just plain fantastic.

I so badly wanted to enjoy this. I feel however that the hype train went a little overboard and skewed what I expected from this debut novel. It was plastered everywhere upon its US release, selected as a Book of the Month by Reese WItherspoon x Hello Sunshine. I expected tear jerking scenes and all the feels.

The tale of Kya is essentially one of self discovery and being a strong female in a world that places no value on the fairer sex. She has been abandoned at a young age and left to fend for herself. Which she does until she meets a boy and the wheels fall off when she falls in love and has her heart broken.

I loved the characters of Tate and Jumpin'. They were strong men with hearts - Tate would move mountains to help out Kya (he teaches her to read and it made me happy) and Jumpin' is all things fatherly but he is in fact just the owner of the local gas station.

The language used by Kya is confusing. Within the same sentence, she can speak like a proper lady but also speak such jibberish that at some points I sat on my lounge sounding out her words to work out what she was saying. Then once she learns to read just a little, suddenly her English is close to perfect.

The first half of this novel took me 3 weeks to read. I so badly wanted to DNF it but pushed through because well peer pressure is real. The second half involving the murder was intriguing and I am glad I finished but for a good while there, it was touch and go.

Basically it was an OK novel. Could have been the hype making me have ridiculously high expectations. I feel horrible that I didn't love it but unfortunately, I found it was average with all things considered.

I think the greatest aspect of this book and it’s strength is Kya, she’s feisty with a great sense of self, she has a wild strong will despite everything, and the wilderness where she lived I was fully into, this part of the book in my eyes had a touch of Circe (which I loved) so this got me.

However the story then drifts off in a direction I didn’t find overly necessary, it’s heartfelt yes and it’s aims to make the audience think but I liked the wild marsh girl - you can’t please everyone right.

But I do recognise this is a strong debut, I can see why people are falling for it all over the place and if you are a fan of books such as Beartown and Little Fires Everywhere I think this is a 2019 must read!

I have to admit that I was first drawn to this book because the title intrigued me. Then I read the blurb and a couple of reviews and I thought this would tick a box I needed from a read at the moment. I have read a few books recently which have been somewhat spoiled for me as I managed to guess too much too early and really wanted something that would wow me and I figured that this could be the book to do just that. And I am very pleased to say that I wasn't wrong as I absolutely loved the book from start to finish.
We follow Kya from her time as a small child as, one by one, her family start leaving her until she is left with only her father. She has to grow up quick as he is not really the fatherly type and soon starts to become resourceful, which is a good thing as soon she finds herself all alone. Dodging the education authorities, she learns to survive mostly from what she learns about the marsh in which she resides but she does also have a bit of help from a few very lovely people.
In amongst watching Kya grow up and blossom into a woman, we also go forward in time where the body of a young man has been found and follow the police as they try and make sense of what happened to him. As the two threads progress, eventually they start to give sense to each other and the whole truth eventually comes out.
This really was the most beautiful book. Not just Kya's story, which in itself was fascinating and emotional, but also learning about the place she calls home; the marsh and the flora and fauna contained therein. I really did lose myself in the atmosphere of the place and whenever I closed my eyes I could see it all clearly, something that doesn't often happen as I am not usually a very visual reader. Even though my main go-to genre is crime, at times I got so lost in Kya and the marsh that I almost forgot that there was also a crime to figure out along the way. Until, that is towards the end where it all started getting a bit clearer and, hand in hand with that, a bit more emotional too.
Oh how I loved Kya, she pretty much ran me the gamut of emotions as I learned more about her, as I saw her grow and come of age. How I started to wish that the book would last forever so that I wouldn't ever have to leave her. She definitely took a big place in my life for the duration of my reading this book.
It's a book of survival against the odds, of resilience, loss and hope and many more things in between. It's a tale of not fitting in but then finding a way to fit in, to trust. It's a book that I am so glad I read and one of the very few that I will probably re-read and that total is still in single figures despite reading more than 300 books a year past few years. At the moment, and I know it's still early days, it's my favourite book of 2019 and I am sure will still be top ten by December 31st.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I'm in two minds about this book: on one side I liked the style of writing, on the other side I found it a bit "too much".
Too much events, too many cliches and too much sentiment.
I'd have been a great book if it was a bit less sentimental and with less cliches.
There's a lot of potential and I think the author will become a very good writer.
Unfortunately this book wasn't my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC

I have just finished this book and I loved it.I read about 10 books a month and in my option this is the best book I have read in years.I read that this is the authors first fiction book. I truly hope she writes many more.I am giving this book a five star review on Amazon.Thank you for allowing me the chance to read this book.

This is a book I will definitely not forget. Clear concise flowing paragraphs made it very real and the narrative literally transports you into Kya's world in North Carolina and her story (although awful most of the time). I loved the descriptions of nature elements and aspects of the book and I learnt a lot too! It was at times an emotional read (at six years old, Kya is left more or less to fend for herself trying to survive in the marshes of North Carolina). Tied into Kya's story is the discovery of the body of Chase Andrews. My only negative about the book is that it was a little long drawn out at times. Otherwise a great read. 4.5 stars.

This is a great read, a coming of age story about the Marsh Girl. I felt sorry for Kya, her parents were terrible and just left her to fend for herself.

I enjoyed the relationship she had with nature but at times I felt the book was a little bit drawn out.

Thanks to NetGalley for my copy.

Delia Owens: Where the Crawdads Sing, 9781472154644, Little Brown UK,

I fell in love with this gem of a book and its protagonist, the “Marsh Girl” Kya, set in a quiet little town Barkley Cove, North Carolina. Reese Witherspoon gave the novel a glowing review and I wouldn’t be surprised if she is looking at film rights, I know I would.
The book has two time and story lines, one in the 1950ties starting with Kya’s childhood and a second one in the sixties opening with the murder investigation into Chase Adams death.
From the beginning my heart went out to Kya whose extraordinary childhood is spent in poverty with several siblings, a violent drunkard of a father and an unstable mother who is always on the brink of leaving her cabin in the Marshes coming from a more prosperous background. When she eventually does leave following her grown up children’s lead, little Kya is left behind with her father who disappears for weeks. Fending for herself at a very young age barely surviving finding solace in the beauty of animals and nature surrounding her cabin, she grows up lonely trusting only her colored friend Jumpin and his wife who help the shy girl to survive. One day she encounters a boy of her own age fishing and finds herself strangely drawn to him. Tate becomes her trusted friend teaching her to read and write encouraging her to draw and document her knowledge of the marshes.
In 1969 handsome Chase Adams is found dead probably having been pushed from a wooden tower platform. The sheriff’s investigation is directed towards Kya Clark as the leading suspect after Chase’s parents reluctantly admit to their son’s relationship with Kya. He was not the only one drawn to the wild beauty and sensitivity of Kya.
The southern setting and nature descriptions, the heart wrenching narration of Kya’s life, the murder investigation and finally the trial in the second half of the book kept me glued to the novel which I finished as fast as I could once on vacation. All characters are very well drawn; a 5 star recommendation from me for this novel with a surprising ending which in my opinion will mostly appeal to women.

This is an incredibly beautiful novel from Delia Owens, totally immersive, an ode to the natural environment and the marshes in particular. Catherine Danielle Clark, aka Kya, is 6 years old when her mother leaves their shack in the remote wilderness of the North Carolina coastal marshes, next to the town of Barkley Cove. Her family is desperately poor, and before long her siblings follow suit, abandoning her to the care of her alcoholic, neglectful and abusive father, and at 14 years old, he too leaves her for good. Completely isolated, school proves to be a tortuous experience, she stays for only one day, avoiding all attempts by the truant officer and others to bring her back. Kya is the Wild Child, The Marsh Girl, Marsh Trash as far as the residents of Barkley Cove are concerned, directing hate, ridicule, contempt and hurtful prejudice at the bewildered Kya, as she becomes the target of harrassment and attacks, the community dehumanising and shunning her. No-one other than the black Jumpin and his wife, Mabel, offer help or advice to the lonely girl, and they face a barrage of racist attacks and humiliation themselves.

Unable to read and write, longing for the return of her mother, Kya desperately desires company, and to belong. For a while, she receives some sustenance in the form of Tate, who looks out for her, teaches her to read and write, and shares Kya's joy in the marsh world with its insects, wildlife, birds, weather and her untethered hold it has on her, collecting ever rare feathers and shells. A close relationship develops between the two of them until he leaves to study marine biology at university. Tate leaving has the effect of chipping away at Kya's inner capacity to trust as she once again finds herself isolated, but her curiosity about the marshes, and her ability to paint all that resides within it, has her pursuing a deeper and more academic knowledge of it. However, she still wants to belong and her burgeoning sexuality and hopes for marriage and family are met with betrayal, treachery and worse. In a narrative that goes back and forth in time from the 1950s to the present of 1969 onwards, where the favoured son of Barkley Cove, the golden boy Chase Andrews is discovered dead by two boys, having fallen from a tower. There is no evidence of murder, but the Sheriff is uneasy, and Andrew's mother and the town are bursting with rumours of murder so a trial ensues.

Owen has written a captivating and mesmerising novel, unforgettable in its vibrant descriptions of the marsh location and the life within it. Juxtaposed with that is the small town of Barkley Cove, indifferent at best, malicious and dangerous at its worst, with none of the spirit of compassion to support a young child forced to find ways to financially survive, emotionally bereft, finding comfort in poetry that lends weight to her inner feelings. Despite all the horrors and struggles she faces, she makes something of herself, something which Barkley Cove refuses to acknowledge. Her profound sensitivity to nature, which proves to be the ultimate educator, shapes Kya's perception of the human behaviour she encounters. The marsh is where she belongs, it and all that it entails is home, everyone else has left her, leaving her exposed and vulnerable when she begins to feel fear. It is barely surprising that when elements of her life begin to shift that she would be wary and distrusting, although buried parts of her harbour tiny sparks of hope. This is simply superb storytelling that winds it way into your heart as I rooted for Kya amidst the barrage of turbulence and heartbreak she endures. Amazing read. Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.

This is up there with one of the best books I've read in 2018. Heck, one of the best books I've read in my life (and I've read A LOT of books). This is one of the easiest 5 stars I have ever given. Seriously I cannot recommend this book enough. Inspirational, insightful and personal, this story has all the feels.

The story centres around Kya, a girl who has been abandoned her whole life and left to fend for herself in the shack where she lives with only the gulls and marsh for company. She is isolated from civilization and only visits the local village for essentials where she avoids and evades the judgmental locals.

One person manages to break through Kya's tough exterior and befriends her - Tate, a boy from the village with a keen interest in marine biology. Over the time, the pair become close and their relationship blossoms, but like everyone else in her life, Tate walks away one day and doesn't return leaving Kya alone once more.

Another man, Chase, attempts to charm the enigmatic Kya and the pair build a steady friendship that Chase pushes to the next level and Kya resists. Years later, Chase is found dead and Kya is the number one suspect. Will prejudice and exclusion shape the verdict before Kya can even begin to prove her innocence?

The main thing I liked about this novel was the simplicity combined with incredible storytelling. Instead of being action-packed, the story moved in a gradual sway, concentrating strongly on Kya's life as she grew up in an isolated setting, giving the reader full access and insight into her lonely existence. It was easy to build a strong connection with her character and the author knew the importance of this.

I loved the use of metaphor to describe the swamp and surrounding nature. It was a refreshing read that explored lots of unfamiliar elements, bringing them to life from a different perspective and lifestyle. The vivid descriptions allowed me to picture the location clearly in my head which gave the story a strong sense of realism.

I also need to say how much I appreciated the timeline in this book. Like many others, it features flashbacks that can leave a reader confused about dates but the author always clarified (e.g. "Kya, at 19" or "10 days after the picnic" etc). It was a simple addition but really helped the flow of the book as I could straight away narrow the story to a specific point in time.

This book is definitely in my top 3 books I've read this year and I will be recommending it to EVERYONE.