Boon's Bookcase

Where the Crawdads Sing

by

Delia Owens

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.

Review

When Kya's mother walks away from the family home and her drunken father disappears for weeks on end, Kya is forced at a very young age to look after herself in the marshes of North Carolina. Although the Marshes are all she has ever known, it can still be a very scary place when you are left on your own.

Kya is forever hiding from people who could possibly do her harm in the marshes and even more so, she is trying to avoid the truant officer, but one day her luck runs out and she is forced to attend school.

When Kya arrives at school she feels just as lonely as she does in the swamps and when the other kids make fun of her, including Chase Andrews, she decides school isn't for her and after only one day, she doesn't go back.

Whilst riding through the many swamps in her run down old boat, Kya often sees a boy who waves at her and after a while they become unlikely friends. Tate has the same interests in Kya, birds, seashells, and nature in general. They form a friendship that Kya is desperate for and Tate is in awe of her knowledge of the local swamps.


Will Kya find the happy ending and family that she so craves? or will everyone she meets leave her like her family did?


When I bought a copy of this book the lady behind the counter said it is a story that will stay with me for a long time and she was right. I loved it and it is so well written and descriptive that I cannot wait for it to be turned into a film (watch this space!).


I know this book will be a bit like Marmite, you will either love it or hate it, but I am so glad that I read it and it is one of my top 10 reads of all time.




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