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Cover of Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Where the Crawdads Sing

  • 416 pages · about 7 hours
  • First published 2018
  • 44 editions

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1 About this book

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.

  • Coming of age
  • Mystery & detective, historical
  • Relationships
  • Murder
  • Solitude
  • North carolina
  • Abandoned children
  • Investigation

2 What to expect

A girl raised alone in the North Carolina marshes, and a murder trial years later. Rich nature writing, a love story and a courtroom drama; includes an attempted assault.

Good for readers who want: nature, a mystery, and a love story.

3 About Delia Owens

Born 1949

Delia Owens (born April 4, 1949) is an American author, zoologist, and conservationist. She is best known for her 2018 novel Where the Crawdads Sing. Owens was born and grew up in southern Georgia, where she spent most of her life in or near true wilderness. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in zoology from the University of Georgia, and a PhD in animal behavior from the University of California, Davis.

Bio adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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