2019 - Discussion Thread Q4 .. Where The Crawdads Sing

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 .

I've been slowly moving through the library queue and I'm now number 2

I got this from the library on Thursday and finished it this evening.

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!

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.

Just started......