Where the Crawdads Sing
[{'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2018', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-5 review-rating', 'review_body': "Wow! I just finished reading Where the Crawdads Sing. And I will say it again, Wow! This books is so filled with emotion. Kya, the main character, is trying to survive by herself from a young age. She has been abandoned by those who should teach her, guide her, protect her. She has to fend for herself. Two men come into her life and teach her about the good and bad in life.\nI only keep few book's that I know I will read again. This is staying in my library."}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2018', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-5 review-rating', 'review_body': 'Started reading it 10am and finished 8pm! Could not put it down. Main characters are easy to get to know (so you think) and the story draws you in from the start! I look forward to more from this author!! Read this Book!'}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2019', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-1 review-rating', 'review_body': "I was sure I would like this book..and actually finished it. I grew more irritated with each page by the last half. I grew up in coastal North Carolina and was born in the 40s, so would be the same age as the main characters. It was clear that the author did not do her research about the area and about what would be plausible at the time of the story. When she mentioned real towns, she should have known Asheville would not be the destination city from the coast, especially in the 60s. Ma's old cardboard suitcase that had been in the closet in the marsh for 19 years would be covered in mildew, Fireflies would have been called lightening bugs. No boy in a small town in NC would have been named either Tate or Chase in 40s, more recent popular names. I could go on and on. The inconsistencies in the dialect was grating, and many parts of the story were just not believable to me. I am amazed that so many people loved the book and the poetry."}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2018', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-1 review-rating', 'review_body': "Some of this book was sometimes good. Beautifully written at times, and with an interesting, but not very plausible plot. But oh my, the all to obvious gaps ...Maybe less time talking about Kya fumbling around with sex with Chase and more time on her development as a renowned author and painter would have been nice. There's more, but you may be reading the book. I must comment, though, on the most ridiculous court room antics since Curly's trial in a Three Stooges short. Oh, I think I just did. (And just after reading a book on Harper Lee - if you know what I mean). This was one of the most disappointing and silly books I have read in quite a long time. Sorry Ms. Witherspoon. Can I get my money back if I return the book? Read the 1 and 2 star reviews - they're the most accurate."}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2018', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-5 review-rating', 'review_body': 'Let me start by saying that this is the first review I have ever given. I am a voracious reader and have over 5,000 books in my library. I read fiction, non fiction, political, bios, horror, true crime, and everything in between. I saw this book recommended on some magazine publication review, do not remember which one. The plot sounded like something I might be interested in with intrigue, mystery, murder, and love. I will admit that the narration of nature in the swamp and marsh does get a little redundant but if you get past that you will find a book with a narrative hard to put down. You will feel compassion for the main character like you may have never felt before. This book brought me to tears at the end. I recommended it as a "must read" . I don\'t think you will walk away not remembering KYA for a long time.'}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2018', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-1 review-rating', 'review_body': 'As a native North Carolinian, this book griped me on a number of levels. First off, the drawl is insulting. We don’t talk like that. Even the uneducated hicks don’t. If her parents were well to do, they wouldn’t revert to backwoods mush mouth because of where they lived. Second, NO ONE from the coast goes to Asheville like it’s a normal thing. I live in the middle of the state. Asheville is 3-4 hours west of me. The outer banks are 5is hours from me. Driving from the coast to Asheville is an 8+ hour trip!! They’d go to Wilmington, Greenville, Rocky Mount, Raleigh. The concept of a 7 year old surviving on her own is far fetched enough, she never gets sick or hurt, can cook and clean up after herself, the shack never needs repairing, etc. But more importantly, HURRICANES!! NC gets hurricanes! Hurricane Hazel hit NC in 1954, and was completely left out of the book. Came right in off the coast, like most hurricanes do. The shack would have been destroyed. Three: the swampy parts of NC aren’t on the coast. There much more inland. You get to swamp about 100 miles before the coast and swamp doesn’t peter out to the ocean. There are pumas, cottonmouths, poisonous spiders, alligators, bears in that part of the state, but she makes it fine. Wrong geography, predictable, unbelievable story. Don’t waste your time.'}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2018', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-1 review-rating', 'review_body': 'Looks like I\'m in the minority here, but did not enjoy this book. OK, wait, yes, I enjoyed the beginning and thought this has promise! Then, it just went down paths that caused me to go "meh". I could go on an on, but the thing that just got me the most, was when grown up Kya would speak. REALLY? I\'m supposed to believe this kid, who was taught to read by another kid, would speak that properly and in such complete sentences without even a contraction used? Yeah, no.'}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2019', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-1 review-rating', 'review_body': "I know! Oh boy there are a lot of readers who will COMPLETELY disagree with this rating. Many of my friends loved this book. Let's begin with what I liked about this novel - the main character's connection to nature and the scientific facts presented throughout the story.\n\nNow for the novel's downfalls...\n\nSPOILER ALERT!\n\nThis story is just too improbable. From Kya raising herself beginning at a very young age, to EVERYONE leaving her, to her killing someone it was all too much for me. Kya never got sick or badly injured, needed a doctor, dentist? This strong character goes to school for one day and is bullied away? She had a wonderful relationship with her brother Jody, who then leaves her and never contacts her again for years. He left her to live in a dilapidated shack ,with an abusive, irresponsible, neglectful father. That is not something this character would have done. Next, Tate befriends her and presumably loves her. He knows everyone has left her and he does also. How could you do that to someone you love? Neither character has a reasonable excuse for not contacting her in any way for years.\n\nOverall, the author used too much drama to develop the character she was trying to create. Owens needs to show that she believes in the intelligence of her readers and not author-splain constantly. Yikes! I did not like this one."}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2018', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-3 review-rating', 'review_body': 'I\'m very torn.\n\nAfter reading the 27,000+ rave reviews, my expectations were sky high. That\'s never a good thing, but the truth is, although there were many things to love in this story, there were many things I found lacking.\n\nFirst, the prose was absolutely stunning and beautifully descriptive. The problem for me was, amazing descriptions don\'t wow me. Amazing stories do. And I\'m not entirely sure this was an amazing story.\n\nSecond, the characters, Kya included, never really came to life for me. They all seemed flat and uninspired. At its roots, this is nothing more than a "girl from the wrong side of the tracks" story. Think Pretty In Pink, but set in a coastal marsh.\n\nThird, so much of the story line was simply implausible. From the abandonment, to the lack of interest in this young girl, to the trial--especially the trial. I can\'t say much without giving spoiling the book, but trust me, the trial is a farce.\n\nFourth, the poetry throughout was incredibly annoying to me. I found myself skipping over those sections throughout the novel, for two reasons--I\'m not a poetry fan, and this poetry (what I read of it) was pretty terrible.\n\nAt the end of the day, it\'s a lovely novel...it simply didn\'t resonate with me. I recommend it for those who love nature, poetry, and vivid prose.\n\n3.25 stars'}, {'review_meta': 'Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2021', 'review_star': 'a-icon a-icon-star a-star-5 review-rating', 'review_body': 'This was a great book. Easy to read, and easy to get caught up in the plight of this little girl who was left, one by one, by her entire family. It explored deep emotions and raw human nature in a subtle and delicate way. The magic of this book lies between the lines. The power of what isn’t said is where the true beauty of this book lies, if the reader allows themself to enter the author’s world. Negative reviews miss the point, I think. If you want to be spoon fed with explicit narrative describing every tiring detail of a character’s growth and development, this book isn’t for you. If you are able to enter Kya’s world, feel her struggle, pain, and heartache, and let your heart lead you beyond the black and white, then you will truly enjoy this book.'}]