Best Damn Book Ever: A Review – Where the Crawdads Sing
Where the Crawdads Sing was an excellent read. The following is my no-spoiler, well very few, reviews of the best damn book I’ve read since The Notebook. An Introduction of the Best Damn Book I had never read anything by the author before, but I was hooked right away. Several people had recommended the book to me, and when I looked for it on Amazon for my Kindle, I was astounded to see that it had nearly 70,000 reviews. As of 2 September, that number is 73,063. What’s more, 95 percent of those who left a review gave it four or five stars. That is freaking amazing. Very few books have those kinds of numbers. Kya is the “Marsh Girl” who raises herself and learns to be self-reliant until a fisher boy, Tate teaches her to read and a lot more. Eventually, she is charged with murder. If nothing else, this is a story of survival—a story about a girl who provided for herself from seven onward. The Protagonist The protagonist is the “Marsh Girl,” Catherine Danielle Clark, or Kya to her friends. Actually, Kya has very few human friends. She is more familiar with the gulls and heron than most other humans. The Plot Where the Crawdads Sing is a story about a young girl left to grow up pretty much on her own from age seven after her mother and four older brothers and sister leave her with her drunk and abusive father, who also leaves eventually. He never stayed long anyway, but he did leave her a little money some Mondays when he was there to get some supplies. He liked to gamble and drink, so there never was much money anyway. The Characters in this Best Damn Book The list of characters in Delia Owen’s masterpiece is short. Tate is the boy she sees fishing one day when she got lost in her Pa’s boat. He shows her how to get home. She sees him around the marsh a lot but usually just watches from a hiding place. The story goes back and forth somewhat, linking background stories, but don’t worry; you won’t get lost. Kya’s older sister and two brothers leave, then her mom leaves too. All of them at one time or another got a beating from her Pa, a disabled Veteran, who most often pities himself and tries to find solace in the bottom of a bottle. When Jodie, her next older brother, leaves, she and her Pa, who comes and goes, are all that’s left in the shack. Eventually, Tate learns that she does not know how to read and teaches her. They spend a lot of time together, but Tate’s dad advised him to be careful and not get her pregnant, or it could ruin his future. Thinks cool between the two later when he goes off to college. Once the relationship between her and Tate cools for a while, she meets the football player, rich kid, Chase Andrews. He toys with her affections, betrays her, tries to rape her, and winds up dead. Of course, the sheriff jumps to the conclusion that the “Marsh Girl” did it and arrested her for the murder, even though she has an alibi. She was in Greenville, hours away, meeting her agent and publisher. Her only mode of transportation by bus leaves a very narrow window of opportunity. Besides Kya, Tate, and Chase, there’s Jumpin’, who runs the boat gas station (mariner and convenience store for the fishermen) and his wife, Mabel. Jumpin’ is the closest thing to a father she ever had, except for a few short months when her real Pa tried to act civil and took her fishing and out to lunch once or twice. Then he fell off the wagon again. Kya says, “Jumpin’ has been my best friend, for years, my only friend. My only friend unless you count heron gulls.” Mabel helped her when she became a woman and had no idea what was happening. Mabel, a “colored woman,” gets her friends to help gather some things for Kya. They say it is in exchange for the smoked fish, but the fish really aren’t that good. Not good enough to sell anyway. The murder trial has many twists and turns, and it nearly kills Kya to be out of the marsh, away from the birds and wildlife. The Summary & Recommendation of the Best Damn Book You will love this book. The “Marsh Girl” grew up to be an intelligent and successful author. It’s kind of like a John Grisham courtroom drama, a Nicholas Sparks love story, and a Tara Westover success story rolled into one. As I read this book, I laughed and I cried, mostly the latter. I shook my head, and I cursed, but I couldn’t put it down. Even with writing deadlines looming, I plowed on, looking for resolution, hoping for the best for this girl who had faced so much. “I can’t even express how much I love this book! I didn’t want this story to end!” — Reese Witherspoon So you see, even Reese Witherspoon thinks it’s the best damn book! In case you’re wondering, the movie will be produced by none other than Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Levy Neustadter, and Olivia Newman will direct it, but no casting details have been announced. As of July 2020, the book has sold over seven million copies worldwide. Buy the book for your Kindle: https://amzn.to/34WphUS Read my book reviews here. Read some of my best articles from the web in my portfolio. |