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Sara's Reviews > Where the Crawdads Sing
Where the Crawdads Sing
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Sara's review
bookshelves: american, borrowed-from-library, romance, southern-lit, women-writers
Nov 26, 2018
bookshelves: american, borrowed-from-library, romance, southern-lit, women-writers
I seem to be finding myself in the minority a lot these days. The first half of this book was pretty close to marvelous, and then it went south on me (that is a pun). Anyway, after my attempt at weak humor, let me resume in a serious note to say I was expecting so much more than I got here.
Kya is a mere ten years old in 1952 when she is deserted, albeit gradually, by all the members of her family and left to make it alone in the marsh country of North Carolina. She forms a real attachment and understanding of her environment, which would be a necessity to survive in such a place, and she mostly works that to her advantage. When a young man who was once a friend of her brother finds her alone and begins to offer some help and company, she learns to read and her life begins to take a turn toward something more than isolation and running barefoot through the woods.
That part of the story was interesting to me. I was interested in how she would survive, whether she would connect with the outside world, and of course how she would tie into the parallel story of the 1969 murder of a young man from the neighboring town. Then, in what seemed an abrupt change of tone, the story devolved into what I would deem chick lit. The plot became shallow and the author seemed to me to have lost the thread of her story and veered into another realm.
I am sorry this didn’t work for me. I wanted it to, indeed I thought it was going to. Perhaps it is me. Since it is a group read, I am anxious to see what the other members of the group saw that perhaps I did not.
I had originally rated this a 3-star read, but after reflection I find that I strongly feel it was only "OK" and therefore I have revised the rating to 2-stars. I think I felt shy of giving it only 2 when so many of my respected friends had given it 5...but truth should prevail.
Kya is a mere ten years old in 1952 when she is deserted, albeit gradually, by all the members of her family and left to make it alone in the marsh country of North Carolina. She forms a real attachment and understanding of her environment, which would be a necessity to survive in such a place, and she mostly works that to her advantage. When a young man who was once a friend of her brother finds her alone and begins to offer some help and company, she learns to read and her life begins to take a turn toward something more than isolation and running barefoot through the woods.
That part of the story was interesting to me. I was interested in how she would survive, whether she would connect with the outside world, and of course how she would tie into the parallel story of the 1969 murder of a young man from the neighboring town. Then, in what seemed an abrupt change of tone, the story devolved into what I would deem chick lit. The plot became shallow and the author seemed to me to have lost the thread of her story and veered into another realm.
I am sorry this didn’t work for me. I wanted it to, indeed I thought it was going to. Perhaps it is me. Since it is a group read, I am anxious to see what the other members of the group saw that perhaps I did not.
I had originally rated this a 3-star read, but after reflection I find that I strongly feel it was only "OK" and therefore I have revised the rating to 2-stars. I think I felt shy of giving it only 2 when so many of my respected friends had given it 5...but truth should prevail.
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Reading Progress
November 24, 2018
–
Started Reading
November 24, 2018
– Shelved
November 26, 2018
– Shelved as:
american
November 26, 2018
– Shelved as:
borrowed-from-library
November 26, 2018
– Shelved as:
romance
November 26, 2018
– Shelved as:
southern-lit
November 26, 2018
– Shelved as:
women-writers
November 26, 2018
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-50 of 98 (98 new)
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Susu
(new)
Nov 26, 2018 10:42AM
I tried, but did not finish. Seeing your rating, I’m glad I didn’t. I’m curious. What did the other members see?
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I commend you on the finish, Sara. As you know, I only made it through one-third of this one.
Sorry. I hate it when a book turns out to be a waste of time, there are way too many great books to read. You and a few others I consider to be my "canaries in the coal mine". If you didn't like it, chances are I won't either. Funny enough, it works the other way too. Some people's 5 stars are just as big a warning to avoid certain books.
Susu wrote: "I tried, but did not finish. Seeing your rating, I’m glad I didn’t. I’m curious. What did the other members see?"As a matter of fact, few of us liked this one and those who did didn't offer me any insight into it that would make me feel I had made any error in my assessment.
Wyndy wrote: "I commend you on the finish, Sara. As you know, I only made it through one-third of this one."Wish I had been smart, like you, and just put it down. But then I might have always wondered if it would have gone somewhere that would have earned those great reviews.
Diane wrote: "Sorry. I hate it when a book turns out to be a waste of time, there are way too many great books to read. You and a few others I consider to be my "canaries in the coal mine". If you didn't like it..."You are exactly right. I have a friend here that I adore, she makes me laugh, but when she loves a book, I take it off my TBR. :)
I don't think you are going to like this one much, Diane, but maybe you won't hate it either. Funny how some months all the books are stellar and some months none of them work. I am still basking in Fidelity, though, so this month was a win.
Sorry it didn’t work for you , Sara. I’m one of the 5 star raters who loved it ! But not every book is for everyone.
Exactly, Angela. I have had the reverse experience where I love the book and someone I generally share tastes with does not. Wouldn't it be a boring world if we all loved the same thing?
I think this is a very fair assessment, Sara. And very helpful to me! I didn't get to it this month, and I can see now that it will be on the back burner for a while.
Thanks, Candi. I will be interested in how it affects you when you get to it.
I'm so glad to read your review Sarah. I was thinking of buying this one because people made it sound so good. I'm not a fan of chick-lit so I'm going to hold off for now.
Not what I was expecting either, Sue. I hate to be the reason someone doesn't read a book, but there are so many great ones out there that I cannot see this one taking any priority at all.
I agree with your review, Sue, and didn't post a similar one of my own. I cheer for older authors—the world cultivates the young at the expense of the not-so-young, and Ms. Owens is to be commended—but felt as if the second half of the book almost betrayed the wisdom that we should be bringing to the table. Your categorization of the second half as almost chick lit is right on target for me. Thanks for the review.
I agree, Lynn, that Owens has a lot of knowledge and could have produced something valuable here. For some reason she opted for the easy way out, I think.
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! This doesn't sound like my cup of tea at all but I'd been on the fence about it due to all the rave reviews but as I'm not a fan of books that shift gear/tone to get a happy ending, will gladly pass
Sorry to discourage you, Elizabeth, but I do think there are some much better choices out there!
Thanks for this review, Sara. With all the five star ratings, I was hoping for a book that didn't challenge credibility so often. It was easy to read, but overall I was disappointed.
I think our expectations were raised far too high on this one, Susan. I agree with you...easy to read but not satisfying.
I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I’d hoped, so didn’t review it. I’ve wondered if the unique author demographic (an older person writing a break-out novel) fueled some of the hype.
Could be. I often find that books that are hyped are just mediocre to me, and occasionally they are horrid. I am almost skeptical if everyone loves it just a little too much.
I just did a quick skim-read of this one, because it's my local book club selection for January, we're meeting Tuesday night and I need to be able to discuss it, but didn't want to spend a lot of valuable reading time on it. I completely agree with your opinion and would add that I don't think the author has ever set foot in NC. Our coastal marshes are not the same as those further south, no palettes in NC for example. Also she sends her people to shop in Asheville, which is in the opposite end of the state and a 8-9 hr drive, passing many other suitable towns much closer. And the dialogue! I lived in that state for 50 years and never heard people talk that way. I'm not going to list it as read or rate it, but at least it gave me some insight into why so many people rate it so highly. Romance, wrapped in nature writing and obscured by a mystery gives a sense of something different. Maybe the details just matter too much to me.
I noticed the geographical problem as well, Diane, and it made a difference to me. I just like authenticity, and you don't really have to live somewhere, but if you are going to write about it, you do need to research. I seem to have more problems with newer novels than with older ones. Were the authors less lazy, better informed, just inclined to write about things they really knew? Not sure, just know I seldom have these kinds of objections when I read a book that dates back to the 1970s.
I suppose we could blame the internet and authors who rely too much on that type of research instead of experience of the area and people. I would never think of writing a book set in Alaska just because I'd checked it out online or watched TV shows set there.
Yes, and an inability of modern authors to know what they do not know. Experience counts.
I agree with this review. I think some of the hype comes from the awesome power of the internet - when something gets hyped it is easy for that energy to gain traction and a book the is popular - but maybe not very good - can generate a lot of interest. I think that in the past, books generated a reputation over time, thru newspaper reviews etc. It wasn’t as easy for a book to gain traction.
I'm sure you are exactly right, Patricia. We tended in the past to go to librarians, bookstore owners, known critics and personal friends; now it is instantaneous and mostly strangers. I have an almost knee-jerk reaction to avoid a book that is too popular, which means I might miss something that actually is terrific.
I’m 100 pages from the end and I already agree with this review. I *loved* the first 100 pages or so of the book, but it definitely feels like it’s going downhill. Even the speech patterns seemed different; just not authentic at all. When that big emotional moment happened with Jodie, her brother, for instance; it just didn’t seem realistic that these two people would have such and open conversation about their emotions. I also didn’t like how the author kept inserting anecdotes from the past to explain what was going on at the time. I feel like it would be a better book if those events happened in chronological order instead of being mentioned as an aside. It made them feel like afterthoughts, like the way you might write when you’re still figuring out the plot. A novelist with promise though, and I’d give Owens another try if she publishes again
Agree completely, Erin. I think a good editor would have made some of these suggestions and worked with her to improve this novel. The premise was good, the research was lacking and the plot deteriorated. She does have promise...now she needs a new editor.
I'm glad to see your review, Sara. This book has been recommended to me several times as "wonderful!" But I am always hesitant about books that have so much hype going on and are pushed by celebrities. So I'm glad to know what you think, because I might go ahead and read it at some point, but I'll go into it with some wariness ;)
Thanks, Terri. I hate to discourage anyone from reading anything...but, I think there are many, many more worthy reads.
My thoughts run along these lines as well. By the end, it was actually painful. I did not expect he book to be as YA. Obviously, I should have read more of the reviews. The first half was not bad, but I found the end of the second half very unbelievable, alternating between jerky and drug out. I forced myself to finish it because by that time I had come so far.
I suppose this might have more appeal to a younger audience, but even when I was young I think I would have seen the glaring holes in this one. Can't get back the time, can we Amy? But, sometimes that is the only way to know. I forced myself because it was a group read.
I agree with your review. Really bummed because I looked forward to this book and it started off strong but ended up being a dud.
Sorry for us both, Manda, but on to the next and hopefully with better luck.
Agree. I was/am disappointed. The last third was like a Nicholas Sparks romance, contrived.
Perfect comparison, Deb. So, some people will love that, but we just aren't the right people for this novel.
I'm sorry this book was a bit of a disappointment for you. Lovely review.
Well, I'm sorry you spent the time to read this and it left you wanting, but... this makes me feel better. Not one, but THREE of my reading groups chose this book (two real world, one here on GR), and after reading the blurb, I chose to skip it all three times! My guilt feels entirely assuaged!
Very wise choice, LeAnne. I finished it because I was reading it with a group, otherwise it would have been a DNF. I knew it wasn't going where I 
I also sailed through the first 200 pages, but when I reached chapter 33 “The Scar” it suddenly felt as though the author had lost any talent for writing she supposedly possessed throughout the first half of the book. I genuinely wondered if she had written this chapter before finding her footing with the rest of the Where the Crawdads Sing. It was all downhill from there.
It had potential, Lexi, but never realized. She might eventually write something better, but I'm not sure I will be willing to invest any more time in her.
I agree. Overrated tripe. Bad copy of Conroy and Faulkner. I would imagine those rating it so highly haven't read either of these classic authors. Color me unimpressed.
Well said, Louise. I imagine you are right. Perhaps not having that comparison is what makes books like this one still have appeal. I have certainly come to know, since joining GR, that tastes in reading material vary and that, even among those who seem to have similar tastes, there will be books that we see with opposite views.
Thanks for your review, Sara. Forewarned is forearmed!
I agree—Kya’s story is bittersweet but her introduction to “the real world” is relatively easy for a person who was so isolated as a very young child.
Fay wrote: "I agree—Kya’s story is bittersweet but her introduction to “the real world” is relatively easy for a person who was so isolated as a very young child."Sadly, what lingers most after reading this book is the disappointment.
