"Outside a dog a book is man's best friend, inside a dog it is too dark to read!" -Groucho Marx========="The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." -Jane Austen========="I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book."-JK Rowling========"I spend a lot of time reading." -Bill Gates=========“Ahhh. Bed, book, kitten, sandwich. All one needed in life, really.” -Jacqueline Kelly=========

Thursday, January 31, 2019

Review and quotes: Where the Crawdads Sing

Book Beginnings on Friday is hosted by Rose City ReaderShare the opening quote from the book.
Th
e Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's VoiceFind a quote from page 56.

This is the book I'm highlighting right now---



Title: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Book Beginning: Prologue---
"Marsh is not swamp. Marsh is a space of light, where grass grows in water, and water flows into the sky. Slow-moving creeks wander, carrying the orb of the sun with them to the sea, and long-legged birds lift with unexpected grace--- as though not built to fly--- against the roar of a thousand snow geese."
Friday 56:
"That evening, Pa cooked up a supper of fried fish...As Kya washed up after, Pa walked into the kitchen, carrying an old WWII-issue knapsack. Standing near the door, he flung it roughly onto one of the chairs. It slid to the floor with a thud, which made her jump and twirl around. 'Thought ya could use that fer yo' feathers, bird nests, and all that other stuff  ya c'lect.'...She picked up the frayed knapsack, made of canvas tough enough for a lifetime, and covered with small pockets and secret compartments. Heavy duty zips. She stared out the window. He had never given her anything." 
Summary: Kya, called the 'Marsh Girl' by folks in town, is abandoned by her siblings and mother, leaving her alone with her angry, abusive father. When he abandons her, too, she is only ten years old. But somehow, through her ingenuity and hard work, she survives and some would say, thrives. But living alone is hard and Kya does get lonely. When she is fourteen she renews a friendship with Tate, a boy her brother Jody knew before he left home. Tate offers his friendship and teaches Kya to read, since she only attended school for one day and never returned after many students bullied her all day. Then Tate leaves for college and Kya's loneliness returns. Her human need for companionship leads to accept a friendship with a local boy, Chase, who is captivated by her wild beauty but refuses to include her with his activities in town. When Chase ends up dead all eyes turn toward the most likely suspect, the Marsh Girl.

Review: I LOVED this book. This will no doubt be my go-to book recommendation for the year, a rather lofty prognostication considering it is only January. I loved it for three simple reasons.

First, the writing. You get a sense of it from the first quote. Reading this book was like listening to beautiful, exquisite music. The kind of music that makes you weep and yet you want the song to never end. I wept like my heart would break as I read, yet I was still so invested in the story. Parts of the story reminded me of the writing of Harper Lee in To Kill a Mockingbird. And then there was the poetry. I love it when books include poetry.

Secondly, the characters, especially Kya. She was such a flawed character but I just cheered for her throughout. Sometimes I found myself shouting at her to do this or not do that. She was so vulnerable and yet extremely smart and talented in her own way. She is a person I would like to be around so I could see things through her eyes. She was a talented, yet untrained naturalist and she knew her marsh, every bird, blade of grass, and shell. I want to visit a marsh now.

Lastly, there is a mystery. A good one. One that is complex and interesting and one I didn't solve myself. I was blown away when I learned the truth...revealed in a poem, of course.

Hope I've said enough to make you want to read this one yet not revealed any spoilers.







RHS Book Club March 2019

28 comments:

  1. Where the Crawdads Sing sounds interesting. I like the 56, but the writing of the beginning is lovely.

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  2. This sounds lovely. Thank you for sharing, Anne. I’m waiting on a book club copy.

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  3. I've been curious about this one. Thanks for a good review--one that will make me did my ARC out of the burgeoning pile.

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  4. This sounds so intriguing. Thanks for sharing it as well as for stopping by my post.

    b

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  5. You’ve convinced me. Haven’t seen this one before, but it’s on my list now.

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  6. The writing is gorgeous, and I have heard such good things about this book. Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.

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  7. Yes, I can see why you loved the writing style. The opening definitely has my attention. A new author for me, too -- thanks!

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  8. I have this book, but I have not read it.

    Thanks for sharing and nudging me. :)

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    1. You are welcome. Come on back when you are done and we can hold a love fest.

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  9. I love how it sounds. Happy weekend!

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  10. This does sound intriguing. I'm featuring The Military Wife by Laura Trentham from my review stack this week. Happy reading!

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  11. That beginning is so beautifully written. Thanks for sharing. Hope you have a great weekend! :)

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  12. I could visualize the marsh birds "not built to fly" and that intrigued me, but I probably wouldn't have read it until I saw your comments. I'm sold! Thank you.

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  13. I can't wait to read it! I'm about halfway through with "The Great Alone." I'm still liking it, but not loving it. I'm mainly enjoying it because of the glimpses of Alaska. I've been there three times and love the place, although I would NEVER want to live there, mainly because of their winters.

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    1. I would concur about the like not love of the Great Alone. But it does make me wonder at the types of folks who settled the bush of Alaska.

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  14. This was one of my Christmas presents so it's sitting on my TBR shelf just waiting for me to read it.

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    1. Just rereading this review now having FINALLY read the book. I totally agree with all that you said. The writing just pulled me along and I finished the book quite quickly.

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  15. I've heard such good things about this book and have it to read. This is one I wouldn't be surprised to see made into a movie. What a great title.

    My Friday 56 from Match Me If You Can

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  16. You've said just the right things to make me want to read this one. Thank you! This sounds so good. I hope you have a great weekend.

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  17. A new favorite book and only one month into the year? I hope it's a sign that you're going to have a fantastic reading year. Happy weekend!

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  18. This sounds really good. I hope you have a great weekend!

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  19. I liked this one as well and also thought it read a bit like To Kill a Mockingbird. here is my review at:
    https://www.thecuecard.com/books/crawdads-varina-and-a-star-is-born/

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    1. We both thought of To Kill a Mockingbird when we read the book. That must mean it is true!

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  20. Liking it so far. Her writing about nature and setting is wonderful,however im not imprrssed with the dialogue writing...

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