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Post by geminii on Oct 9, 2019 22:19:49 GMT
I read this book before putting it forward as our Book Club Read .. If I had hated it, I would have to think again, lol .. Anyway, please add your thoughts below .. I think we all understand the 'whiting out' requirements of this thread ..
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Post by geminii on Oct 9, 2019 22:26:15 GMT
So, why did I choose this book for the Q4 Read ?? Quite simply, I don't usually read many new-releases, but this book has been splashed all over the Internet for months, getting rave reviews, so my interest was definitely peaked ..
And .. I wanted to know what a Crawdad was .. hope you've all enjoyed the book
" A stunning read - when people say they were captivated by descriptive writing, I'm usually bemused as I can't see it .. this one grabbed me, completely - I could almost see everything about the marsh; the family shack, the birds & wildlife, the 'put put put' of her little boat travelling down these secret waterways, the lush vegetation hanging into the cool waters .. every word evoked such magical pictures of Kya's environment ..
Obviously, there's plenty of injustice here to get your blood boiling - and the way the young Kya is treated by the towns folk is summed up perfectly by her defence attorney towards the end .. however, the characters of Jumpin' and Mavis were brilliant as the parents she never had, and their 'love and support' shone through with every encounter .. (there were a couple from town, inc the truant officer, who secretly held a soft spot for her but sadly kept this hidden) ..
I really enjoyed the dual time-line with the two stories and they crashed together perfectly, although I did find myself forgetting about the 'murder' .. There were enough red herrings in the investigation to make you think - especially with the sudden inclusion of Tate's hat - but there really only could be one outcome, as much as you hoped you were wrong ..
It is one of these stories where you truly believe her life was pre-ordained, if you like - without all those events in her young life, she would not have become the Marsh Expert, and leave such a wonderful legacy for those who follow ..
I don't know whether the book lives up to the hype completely, but it is such an enjoyable read, I would recommend it .
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Post by pennylane on Oct 11, 2019 19:02:39 GMT
Oooh I put in a request for a copy at my library the other week and totally forgot - just checked and there is one copy and now I am first in the queue - excellent!
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Post by belletinker on Oct 17, 2019 7:18:36 GMT
I got this from the library on Monday morning and finished it yesterday (Weds eve)
Wow
Thank you geminii you said it all in your post about it
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Post by janetandjohn on Oct 17, 2019 7:54:00 GMT
I am looking forward to this..... but I can't read all the comments until after!! adelynechan is sending me her copy after she's read it, so I might even get it before I go on my little holiday. If not, something to look forward to in dreary November.
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Post by rosemary3 on Oct 17, 2019 18:15:38 GMT
I've been slowly moving through the library queue and I'm now number 2
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Post by geminii on Oct 17, 2019 18:23:52 GMT
I got this from the library on Monday morning and finished it yesterday (Weds eve)
Wow
Thank you geminii you said it all in your post about it Thanks Margaret .. Wow is a brilliant review .. so pleased that you enjoyed it .. I had such a clear image in my head of her watery environment, that I find myself recalling it often ..
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Post by rosemary3 on Nov 5, 2019 0:04:54 GMT
I got this from the library on Thursday and finished it this evening. A lovely book. Absolutely agree about the way it brought the marshes and their wild inhabitants to life.
A 5-star read for me!
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Post by pennylane on Nov 8, 2019 15:15:49 GMT
Thought my copy had turned up a cpl of weeks ago but apparently not, it did turn up last week and is now in my hands so I will be starting it soon as someone else has reserved it after me.
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Post by adelynechan on Nov 16, 2019 21:54:19 GMT
Not one that I would have picked up and gotten excited about on my own (I wasn’t even aware of the hype surrounding this book), but I grew into it quickly enough and soon couldn’t put it down despite initially struggling with getting to grips with the use of language, and the way in which the author uses accents in her writing (not just the conversation, but the narrative as well). Such a beautiful story of growing up in the marsh, separated from civilisation both socially and geographically. I loved how Kya showed that it is possible to attain an education even when the odds are strongly against you, and that true passion supersedes all limitations. It was really sweet how she and Tate got along the way they did (where’s my stump for receiving feathers?!), and although I was initially upset with the way he left her hanging the first time around, in hindsight I see how he was a scared young man who feared commitment with a girl who was so unlike all the other people he encountered in his life. I thought he did an amazing job with making things up for her when he did come back to the marsh, and they absolutely deserved one another.
I thought the thing that would keep me reading this book would be the who-killed-Chase angle, but after awhile I found that I didn’t actually care who killed him. There were relatively few characters that could have done it (personally, I suspected Tate for the large part), and it still seems implausible in my mind that Kya could have cooked up such a complicated plot for the alibi, but I guess it shows that you can’t know a person too well.
I particularly liked how the courtroom scenes were gradually unfolded, and the author touching on the fact that white people can be the receiving end of bias too – as long as there is something that differentiates them from the typical member of the community. Jumpin’ and Mabel were impossible to not love, and I could just see him jumping out of his chair every time he saw a boat approaching to buy gas. Maybe I liked the courtroom scenes because there they got a bit of acceptance, being “allowed” to sit with Tate and his family for instance, although once they got out of the courtroom the segregation began again. All in all it was a wonderful read, and I really enjoyed reading about the marsh – something that I really have no personal experience of. The descriptive writing brought the scene to life, and I can practically see Kya’s feather collection in my mind now. Thank you for the wonderful choice geminii!
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Post by pennylane on Nov 17, 2019 20:38:24 GMT
I read this book in two sittings earlier this week I just couldn't put it down. I had anticipated reading it at some point if only to find out what all the fuss was about online and so requested my library acquire a copy.
I totally loved this story, being a big animal lover as a child I spent many hours out walking with my family and our three dogs when I also collected feathers, eggs, old pots, skulls, horns etc setting up a little museum in my bedroom so I completely identified with this part of Kya's life. Although I wish I had her talent for art! As others have said the murder became very much secondary for me compared to Kya's life but I enjoyed all the parts that made up this fascinating story.
This book will be on my top 10 for the year and I was balling my eyes out by the end.
A top choice!
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Post by sarita on Nov 25, 2019 14:13:45 GMT
I gave this book 3* on Goodreads. Not as in meh but as 5 for some parts and 1 for others.
I thought the descriptions of nature and animals or plants were superb. So was the first part of the book when Kya and Tate learn to know each other and she starts reading..
However I couln't believe how she became such an expert without any formal education. I'm thinking about putting books together and managing the edition process. She went from being completely wild to lonely but in charge of her life as if by magic. Some things didn't ring true.
And I loved the ending, improbable as it may be.
Yet I never thought of DNF and I'm sure I'll remember it. Thank you Suzanne for an original choice.
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Post by elliej84 on Nov 26, 2019 20:41:17 GMT
OOh ladies I have just seen that you chose Crawdads for your quarter 4 book, what a very interesting read. I read this at the beginning of the year as you know the hype got me. It isn't something I would ever read as I thought it would be far too literary for me, but the writing was just so wonderfully descriptive I felt that i was there. Some of the themes were heartbreaking though
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Post by janetandjohn on Dec 1, 2019 15:24:03 GMT
Just started......
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Post by janetandjohn on Dec 9, 2019 22:21:01 GMT
.... and just finished!
I aired my views on Goodreads. But for us here on RISI comments in more depth.
I loved the first half of the book, which is so descriptive of the area (and I have been to that watery area, and it is truly wonderful) Kya was living in. I was heartbroken by her early losses of family and ultimately by the loneliness she had to cope with. That she found a true soulmate in Tate was ultimately her saving grace. However, the mawkishness of the poetry just didn't fit for me - truly bad, especially considering that she had managed to educate herself to such a standard that wonderful textbooks about the marshes were grabbed up and published.
The second half of the book was the page turner, a sort of heart-in-the-mouth job, and I imagined that the court case would turn out differently - and then.... well, then there is a sort of 5 page rush job which I think would have been better even shorter ending with the shocker of the find.
Don't shoot the messenger! I enjoyed the read and yes, did shed a tear or two, so thanks Suzanne for putting this on on.
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