Where the Crawdads Sing

Delia Owens

Aug 2018 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE—The #1 New York Times bestselling worldwide sensation with more than 18 million copies sold, hailed by The New York Times Book Review as “a painfully beautiful first novel that is at once a murder mystery, a coming-of-age narrative and a celebration of nature.”

For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life—until the unthinkable happens.

Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.

Ratings and reviews

This book was incredible! I was always rooting for Kya, day by day and reading her grow up was so inspiring. Delia Owen's kept me engaged to the very last word!

This book was absolutely amazing. I will probably read it a thousand times in my lifetime. Her play on words just makes your heart stop, I felt every emotion of each character so deeply. Truly breathtaking!

This book will go down as one of the best books I've ever read. (I've been a voracious reader for over 30 yrs) I absolutely loved it. I'm going through a rough spell and this book really truly spoke to my heart. I usually listen to my books while I stay busy, chore wise. But this, oh this! I had to sit and read it while life piled up around me. This book was no snack. It was a 4 star, 7 course gourmet dinner, with fancy fine wine and I devoured & savored it like it was my last meal! Well done Delia!

About the author

Delia Owens is the coauthor of three internationally bestselling nonfiction books about her life as a wildlife scientist in Africa. She holds a BS in Zoology from the University of Georgia and a PhD in Animal Behavior from the University of California at Davis. She has won the John Burroughs Award for Nature Writing and has been published in Nature, The African Journal of Ecology, and International Wildlife, among many others. She lives in the mountains of North Carolina. Where the Crawdads Sing is her first novel.