where the crawdads sing book review ending

The Where The Crawdads Sing Movie Is Faithful To The Book

There is one key change in the movie’s ending, though.

Delia Owens, the author of bestselling book Where the Crawdads Sing , was pragmatic in her approach to novel-writing. Though she was interested in writing about an individual woman’s relationship with nature, she realized that she could reach more people if the story had thriller elements. “Wouldn’t it be great to write a book that had a strong storyline but also nature writing?” she thought. As she explained to BookPage , she ultimately concluded that “there needed to be a bomb under the sofa that [signals that] something more happens in this book,” which led to her novel’s dual-timeline structure. The new film adaptation, which stars Daisy Edgar-Jones and was produced by Reese Witherspoon, adopts that structure, jumping between protagonist Kya’s childhood and her trial for murder. But like any adaptation, it makes changes to the original material.

Screenwriter Lucy Alibar, who co-wrote the screenplay for Beasts of the Southern Wild , told Vanity Fair that she was recruited to adapt Owens’ book due to her Southern roots (she grew up in the Florida panhandle). “As soon as I started reading [ Where the Crawdads Sing ] I could see everything. That happens in my favorite novels,” she told the magazine. Soon, she and Owens were speaking frequently, with Owens providing advice and fact-checking about the natural world that Kya inhabits and studies as a budding naturalist. Alibar spent two years working on the script, melding romance and thriller elements just as Owens did.

The end of Owens’ novel contains a surprising twist — but did Alibar preserve it in the filmed version? Read on to discover the differences between the endings.

How does the book version of Where the Crawdads Sing end?

The central plot of Where the Crawdads Sing — the “strong storyline” Owens alludes to in her BookPage interview — is Kya’s murder trial. She’s accused of murdering Chase Andrews (Harris Dickinson), a former quarterback and local golden boy in their small town of Barkley Cove, after he’s found dead at the bottom of a fire tower in the marsh. Although the prosecution doesn’t have much evidence against Kya, she’s a social outcast in Barkley Cove because she grew up as a wild child in an isolated house deep within the marsh. It’s also common knowledge around town that she and Chase were in a relationship — despite him being engaged to someone else, a fact he conveniently chose not to share with Kya.

Fortunately, Kya has an alibi: She was out of town, in Greenville, for a publishing conference on the night of Chase’s death. Though the prosecution proves that it was technically possible for Kya to have traveled to and from Greenville to Barkley Cove in the middle of the night, the bus drivers called as witnesses don’t remember seeing her. Chase’s mother insists that Kya must have killed Chase because when his body was found, a necklace Kya gave him was missing, but as Kya’s lawyer, Tom Milton (David Strathairn), points out, the police didn’t find that necklace on Kya or on her property. He persuasively argues that the case against Kya is built not on fact but on prejudice, and the jury finds her not guilty.

Kya reunites with her old flame Tate (Taylor John Smith), and they build a life together living in her house in the marsh. Kya’s career as an author flourishes, and although she and Tate can’t have children, they leave a long and fulfilling life. Kya dies peacefully at the age of 64, and when Tate is sorting through her belongings, he unearths two long-hidden secrets. The first is that Kya had an alter ego in the form of Amanda Hamilton, a local poet whom Kya references and quotes throughout the novel. The second is that Kya was responsible for Chase’s death. Chase’s missing necklace is hidden in a box along with Kya’s poetry. One of the poems, “The Firefly,” describes the incident:

Luring him was as easy

As flashing valentines.

But like a lady firefly

They hid a secret call to die.

A final touch,

Unfinished;

The last step, a trap.

Down, down he falls,

His eyes still holding mine

Until they see another world.

I saw them change.

First a question,

Then an answer,

Finally an end.

And love itself passing

To whatever it was before it began. A.H.

What happens at the end of the movie version of Where the Crawdads Sing ?

In most respects, the ending of the film adaptation of Where the Crawdads Sing stays true to the book — fans won’t be up in arms about big, dramatic changes. The court case is understandably streamlined in the movie to save time, but unfolds in much the same way. As in the novel, Kya finds happiness with Tate, and pursues a fulfilling career as a nature writer.

The primary difference between the movie and the book, at least in terms of the ending, is that the film doesn’t include Kya’s alternate life as a poet, or discuss her connection to poetry at all. Instead, the film depicts her creativity through her illustrations of the flora and fauna in the marsh around her. When Tate discovers that Kya did kill Chase, he doesn’t find a poem describing what happened — he just finds the necklace, and the rest of the details of what happened are left up to his, and the audience’s, imagination.

The Ending Of Where The Crawdads Sing Explained

In 2018, biologist and author Delia Owens released "Where the Crawdads Sing," a murder mystery/romance interwoven with symbolism based on Owens' extensive knowledge of ecology and animal behavior. The novel was a smash hit and then some, with over 15 million copies sold (per Rolling Stone ). Now, a film adaptation from director Olivia Newman and screenwriter Lucy Alibar has translated Owens' lyrical descriptions of the North Carolina marsh into a lush visual experience and sweeping cinematic journey. Like the book, the film is densely packed with symbolism, vagary, and the constant whispers of things left unsaid, leaving its ending in a whirlwind of questions.

As "Where the Crawdads Sing" unfolds, the saga of "The Marsh Girl" Kya evolves from a chronicle of her perseverance amid decades of tragedies and varying traumas into a gripping murder mystery, with Kya's very life on the line. Though the film ends with Kya acquitted of murder charges and settling down for a pleasant life with her true love Tate, it also makes it abundantly clear to those paying attention that perhaps not all is as it seems. Here is the ending of "Where the Crawdads Sing" explained, including everything left unsaid.

Kya has become her father

One of the greatest triumphs of both the novel and film versions of "Where the Crawdads Sing" is their ability to portray each and every character as a believable, sympathetic human being. Even its worst characters, like the manipulative and abusive Chase, are endowed with understandable, even respectable traits. In Chase's case, no matter how cruel he's been to Kya, he never takes off the shell necklace she made for him, not even after their breakup, and not ever as long as he still lives. Another detestable character who nonetheless reveals surprising nuance is Kya's father, known only as Pa, whom Kya eventually transforms into in a few major ways.

Pa is Kya's first antagonist, beating her and her family and causing them all to abandon Pa — and therefore Kya -– in acts of fearful self-preservation. He's unsupportive, uncompromising, and seemingly unfeeling in his relationship with young Kya, and even leaves her, in time. But Pa is a survivor through and through, from his days in World War II to his life in the unforgiving marsh, and that's exactly the skill he teaches Kya, one she relies on time and again to keep going. Throughout her abandonment by Tate, her abuse by Chase, her ridicule by the townspeople, and even her imprisonment, it's the tools Kya has learned from her father –- skepticism, isolationism, and stoic determination –- that allow her to endure.

Kya is an insect

Kya's exceptional will to survive throughout the many trials of her life is not only a reflection of her father, but it also directly reflects her myriad subjects of study as an amateur biologist. If there's one theme in "Where the Crawdads Sing" that overshadows all the others, it's that the same patterns control both the human world and the natural world. For the ever-inquisitive and fiercely perceptive Kya, many of these parallels are obvious -– she constantly refers to her enemies and lovers (often the same people) in ecological and ethological terms. But a select few of these connections slip past Kya, possibly until her final days.

When Kya first begins studying the animals of the marsh, she fixates on two distinct subjects: bivalves and birds. She's entranced with the freedom that birds enjoy by virtue of their flight, while at the same time constantly musing on the necessity of creating oneself a protective shell and hunkering down. As a child, she relies on her shell, not taking flight until Tate's earnest love sets her free. Ultimately, though, she learns to be both at once. Her last obsession leading up the murder is insects — the only taxa in history that possess both protective shells and the ability to fly. Kya learns to become an insect herself, merging the best and most useful traits of the bivalve and bird to balance her happiness and survival.

Who murdered Chase?

There's one simple way to view the ending of "Where the Crawdads Sing" that leaves the film's central plot, the murder of Chase Andrews, with an answer obvious enough to leave Kya's life tied up in a nice, neat bow. Kya is acquitted of murder, but leaves a message for Tate after her death that heavily implies she actually did murder Chase. Believing Kya to be the killer is one perfectly valid, evidence-based interpretation of the film's ending -– but there is another.

The message Kya has left for Tate contains the shell necklace that Chase wore, the same necklace that was missing, freshly taken from Chase's dead body. Kya may have killed Chase, ripped the necklace from his body in anger, and kept it safely hidden until her passing. But, on the other hand, it may have been Tate. Fibers from Tate's hat are found on Chase's body, Tate had already fought Chase over Kya, and Kya's lawyer witnesses Tate tearfully admitting something to his father. Tate had just as much motivation to murder Chase and rip the necklace from his body. It's possible that the shell-collecting Kya merely found the necklace after Tate attempted to dispose of it in the marsh and kept it hidden to protect Tate. That act of violent retribution on Tate's part may have even been the reason she suddenly took him back.

What did it all mean?

In the end, "Where the Crawdads Sing" is a dense tangle of coexisting themes, a rich ecosystem of ideas that rely on and compete with each other for survival and dominance. Obviously, Kya's (and later, Tate's) myriad ecological studies are used to create parallels and recontextualize events, but there is much more at play throughout the story. There's a strong through-line of "understandable violence," at times even "necessary violence," in Kya's life, and it comes out through the actions of her and nearly every major character in the story. The harshness of the characters' actions, even Kya's, is always unsettling but most often soaked in grim necessity or inevitability.

The latter case, inevitability, naturally flows into the brackish lakes and rivers of "nature vs. nurture" and the weight of the past. Even the most inexcusable actions, like those of Pa and Chase, still occur amid complications like the cultural climate of the time period (mainly the '60s and '70s), the rural North Carolina setting, and the characters' differing social strata. For Kya, the main motive is survival through it all, and at all costs. Though different characters focus on disparate objectives, it's Kya's unstoppable instinct to survive through the very worst of conditions that grows tallest through the thicket of competing themes.

The movie vs. the novel

If you've encountered at least a handful of reviews for "Where the Crawdads Sing," you've likely seen some serious panning. Though audiences seem to be enraptured by the film, as demonstrated by their own reviews and its solid box office performance , critics are decidedly less enchanted, resulting in a pretty drastic split between Rotten Tomatoes' critic and audience scores . In many cases, that critical disappointment stems from one major issue: the movie distills the book's complicated, thoughtful narrative into just another young adult romance, albeit in a more swampy package. Less time is spent digging into the many racial and sexual prejudices of the time and place, or exploring the nuanced motivations for the characters' choices, than on watching Tate and Kya dance and fish.

There is one positive change from book to movie, however: the ending. Yes, the core events of the film's ending are retained. Tate finds the shell necklace and a thinly-veiled confession from Kya after her death, and discards the shell, vowing to keep her secret. But whereas the book couldn't help but explain Tate's thoughts as he did so — thereby definitively revealing Kya as the killer — the movie is able to avoid this hard line and leave just a sprig of doubt.

What's next for the characters?

The futures ahead for the many "Where the Crawdads Sing" characters differ greatly. Despite the film's ambiguity and willingness to let viewers draw their own conclusions, it does end Kya's story conclusively with her death from old age. The last we see of Tate, also an old man, is him throwing the shell necklace into the Atlantic Ocean. Unlike Kya, he survives the film and may very well have more story to tell, especially if he was the murderer, or if an investigation is reopened.

Given that the story and its characters are so focused on endurance and the ceaseless march of nature, the idea of a second book following Kya and Tate's children is not much of a stretch, thematically. Likewise, given how much "Where the Crawdads Sing" focuses on the intricacies of courtship and mating, the concept of a sequel focusing on the mating pair's offspring is a natural next step. Kya is dead, and Tate is nearing the end of his life as well, but the children of the Marsh Girl may yet live on.

What's next in the series?

Author Delia Owens' star is still very much on the rise, as "Where the Crawdads Sing" is her first novel , and it's a nearly unprecedented literary success. There is a high chance that she'll continue writing more fiction, and given her almost lifelong background in ecology and animal behavior, any new books might very well follow in the footsteps of Kya's journey and symbolically link its characters with natural processes. What's more up in the air, however, is whether Owens will decide to generate entirely new fictional worlds or stay within the existing (literal) sandbox of the marsh.

A surprising and almost unbelievable complication in the potential future of Owens' work is her potential involvement in a real-life murder case , and in particular, any potential repercussions she could face if indeed she was involved. Even more surprising, the alleged murder was aired on national television during a 1996 episode of "Turning Point," hosted by Diane Sawyer. The victim's true identity was unknown but appeared to be a poacher targeting big game in Zambia's North Luangwa National Park. Owens and her husband Mark were working in the park at the time, combating the efforts of those same poachers -– the very reason for their starring roles in the documentary episode (via  The Atlantic ).

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10 Movie Romances That Were Better In The Book

Where the crawdads sing: david strathairn's 10 best movies, according to ranker, olivia newman interview: where the crawdads sing.

• Kya killed Chase in Where the Crawdads Sing because she didn't want to live in fear and be subjected to abuse like her childhood experiences.
• Kya saw Chase as a predator and felt her actions were crucial for her own survival.
• The title of Where the Crawdads Sing comes from a phrase the author's mother used to say, symbolizing a place far from modern society and closer to nature.

The Where the Crawdads Sing ending is full of twists and turns, and it leaves many viewers questioning not only how Kya killed Chase, but why she did it in the first place. Director Olivia Newman's Where the Crawdads Sing adapts Delia Owens’ best-selling 2018 novel of the same name. The film stars Daisy Edgar-Jones as Kya, a North Carolina woman accused of killing her ex-boyfriend Chase Andrews. The end of Where the Crawdads Sing poses many deep moral questions, especially when it comes to why Kya killed Chase.

The Where the Crawdads Sing ending sees Kya being found not guilty by the jury. She is freed and gets back together with Tate, spending their time on the marsh as she’s always done, dying there in her old age. It isn’t until after her death that Tate Walker realizes Kya really did kill Chase Andrews , thanks to her leaving the seashell necklace behind in a book. The multilayered Where the Crawdads Sing ending leaves many questions, including why Kya is drawn to feathers, how she killed Chase, and what the core themes of the 2022 mystery thriller actually are.

15 Best Movies Like Where the Crawdads Sing

With mystery, intrigue, and haunting secrets, there are several other movies that fans of Where The Crawdads Sing should check out next.

Why Kya Killed Chase (& How She Did It)

Kya didn't want to live in fear.

Chase took advantage of Kya, lied to her, and sexually assaulted her.

The Where the Crawdads Sing ending explained that Kya killed Chase, but it doesn't clearly state her motive or how she killed him . However, the Where the Crawdads Sing book ending reveals why Kya murdered Chase and how she did it to an extent. Kya was a woman of nature, who grew up with an abusive father. Chase took advantage of Kya, lied to her, and sexually assaulted her. No matter how many times she tried to tell him to leave her alone, his ego-driven toxic masculinity would not back off.

Ultimately, Kya killed Chase because she didn’t want to live her life in fear, nor did she want to return to her childhood experiences. She knew first-hand what it was like to live with an abusive man, and the extent of psychological and physical damage that did. Kya wouldn’t allow herself to repeat that mistake, especially not after she finally had her life in order and a sense of freedom. The Where the Crawdad Sings ending explained this element of why Kya killed Chase partially, but it didn't explicitly state the link.

What’s more, Kya saw Chase as a predator, and she was a woman who felt her actions were crucial to her own survival. The townspeople hated her. Kya felt no protection from them, so she had to protect herself. She was raised in the marsh, which means she was at one with nature and didn’t necessarily abide by traditional morality. Kya killed Chase by acting like concerned-but-capable prey — such as crawdads, which are incredibly adept at defending themselves — respond to predators in the animal kingdom. This wasn't a conscious decision on her part, but it's a clear thematic link.

As for how Kya killed Chase in Where the Crawdads Sing , one can only speculate.

As for how Kya killed Chase in Where the Crawdads Sing , one can only speculate. During her trial, Tom Milton explained that Kya wasn’t even in town when he was killed. She would have had to get on the bus from another town, kill Chase in the night (likely by pushing him off the tower with the loose grate), and take another bus at 02:00 back to her hotel.

In the book, it’s at least revealed there was someone in disguise on the bus. This mysterious figure was probably Kya taking the bus back and forth without being noticed. Since Where the Crawdads Sing ending never reveals the exact details of Kya’s actions that night, Milton’s explanation for Chase's death is likely what happened.

Where The Crawdads Sing: The 10 Best Quotes From The Movie

Where the Crawdads Sing features some truly powerful quotes throughout its gripping story, which further highlights Kya's powerful qualities.

The Significance Of The Crawdads Explained

The title is a reference to words from kya's mother.

While the Where the Crawdads Sing ending doesn't explain the significance of its title, a few conclusions can be drawn. The crawdads themselves are water creatures, small, lobster-like animals with shells. Early on in the true story-inspired Where the Crawdads Sing , Kya mentions that people always forget about what’s inside the shell . In many ways, she herself has been in her own shell and the townspeople have forgotten about her, as well as the fact that she is a person with feelings. To that end, Kya essentially hides away from the locals, and she prefers to keep to herself.

While the crawdads don’t actually sing, the lesson passed down from Kya’s mother ensured her survival and allowed her to become one with her surroundings

Crawdads being the title of Owens’ book is significant because it’s a reference to what Kya’s mother always told her — to go deep into the woods and listen to what nature had to tell her. By doing so, Kya became more attuned to nature, always watching creatures and learning about their habits and how they did whatever was needed to survive.

While the crawdads don’t actually sing, the lesson passed down from Kya’s mother ensured her survival and allowed her to become one with her surroundings in the book adaptation Where the Crawdads Sing . She was part of nature herself and the crawdads are a representation of that, as well as Kya’s journey throughout the film.

The Dark Secret Controversy Behind Where The Crawdads Sing

What is the secret controversy surrounding the author of Where the Crawdads Sing? It directly relates to the plot of the novel and film.

Why Kya Loves Feathers So Much

Kya sees herself in the feathers & they connect her to tate.

Kya constantly finds feathers throughout Where the Crawdads Sing , and they have a clear thematic relevance beyond further establishing Kya's harmony with the marshland and the animals that inhabit it. Kya stopping to collect feathers is anthitetical to her relationship to the townspeople, who don’t truly see her and have discarded her as an outsider they don’t want to be associated with. To Kya, the feathers discarded by birds are beautiful, and each is unique too. She draws them, marvels at them, and brings them home with her.

Eventually, Tate and Kya developed a romantic relationship, one that always involved the exchange of feathers as a sign of affection and communication.

Crucially, feathers are of the utmost importance to her because they are a representation of her long-standing relationship with Tate . It's how their friendship began. Tate would bring her feathers if he found them; he knew how much they meant to Kya, and so were a way of showing his feelings for her in a wholesome way. Eventually, Tate and Kya developed a romantic relationship, one that always involved the exchange of feathers as a sign of affection and communication.

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Why Kya’s Dad Finally Leaves The Marsh

Kya's father leaves due to his own issues (but this is inconsequential to kya).

Before the Where the Crawdads Sing ending, Kya’s entire family left when she was very young and, for a while, she lived alone with her abusive father. However, Kya’s dad eventually leaves the marsh as well, disappearing for good like Kya's mother and siblings before him. For a while, it seemed as though Kya’s father would remain in the marsh with her, if only because he didn’t have anywhere else to go. In Where the Crawdads Sing , he simply never shows back up onscreen, with the story entirely forgetting about him.

He decides to leave the marsh after receiving a letter from his wife about taking the kids back with her.

Kya's father isn’t shown walking away like her mother and siblings do. Instead, he decides to leave the marsh after receiving a letter from his wife about taking the kids back with her. He burns everything she ever owned and gets drunk, presumably leaving not long after, perhaps coming to unverbalized realizations about himself and his life.

The letter also comes after he has a brief moment with Kya about his time in the military during World War II, which is presumably why he started heavily drinking. However, the moment is cut short by the letter’s arrival, and he quickly reverts to his angry, abusive self.

From Harry Potter to Twilight, books usually have more time to develop a romantic relationship between two characters compared to the adaptations.

The Real Meaning Of Where The Crawdads Sing’s Ending

The movie is about survival and the difference between law and morality.

Nature is an important element of the Where the Crawdads Sing ending, to the point that it’s a character all its own. The marsh surrounds, protects, and comforts Kya. It is her refuge, her home, her love. She is nature and nature is her, and she respects it like no other. The ending of Where the Crawdads Sing is Kya returning things to their natural state.

Killing Chase was a necessity in her eyes, an act she mimicked from the animals who would destroy their predators in a bid to survive. To that end, Where the Crawdads Sing is very much about survival, a lesson to never underestimate those who seem meek and shy. Kya was a social outcast, but Chase was a predator to her.

Human laws couldn't protect Kya, so instead she resorted to the laws of the natural world.

Chase thought he could continue to mistreat Kya, harming her because he could get away with it. But Kya saw herself as part of the nature around her and, when action is taken against her, commits to making things right by fighting back as prey would a predator that hunts them. Aside from that, Where the Crawdads Sing makes it a point to mention how Kya wouldn’t be believed (and likely blamed) when it came to her assault. Human laws couldn't protect Kya, so instead she resorted to the laws of the natural world.

David Strathairn's filmography is full of both critical successes and underrated gems, which Ranker's users have voted upon to select a favorite.

Do Crawdads Sing? Where The Crawdads Sing's Title Meaning

The title comes from the author's mother.

The Where the Crawdads Sing ending does nothing to really explain the bizarre title of the movie or Delia Owens' eponymous novel. The title of the movie is deeply thematically based, but whether or not crawdads actually "sing" is still on the audience's minds. Crawdads, also known as freshwater crayfish, don't actually sing. However, there is a meaning behind the odd title, which is chronicled by Owens in the original Where the Crawdads Sing book.

It basically means a place that is far from modern society, or to depart into nature.

The title " Where the Crawdads Sing " is based on a phrase that Delia Owens' own mother used to say while she was growing up. It basically means a place that is far from modern society, or to depart into nature. The phrase itself is repeated in the novel in Chapter 17. While Kya and Chase are looking for a place to go, Chase suggests that they travel to "where the crawdads sing."

The title is thematically significant as it speaks to Kya's own upbringing in isolation, away from modern society. While there is freedom in her lifestyle, it's the same way of life that gets her convicted of a murder that audiences only learn she's actually guilty of by the Where the Crawdads Sing ending.

Screen Rant interviews Where The Crawdads Sing director Olivia Newman about adapting the hit novel, which stars Daisy Edgar-Jones, for the big screen.

How Director Olivia Newman Explained The Where The Crawdads Sing Ending

A mysterious ending was always the intention.

The Where the Crawdads Sing ending is complex, and ties a movie with many intricate thematic threads up in a difficult-to-unwrap bow. Fortunately, director Olivia Newman has given her own thoughts on the end of Where the Crawdads Sing ending and the meaning she was trying to convey. Speaking to The Wrap in 2022, Olivia Newman delved into the themes of the original Where the Crawdads Sing novel's ending and how she adapted them for the screen. Crucially, Olivia Newman revealed that they almost made changes.

"We did discuss shooting a slightly more explicit version of the ending. The book leaves so much to the imagination, and you get to understand who Kaya is, but never fully. That’s part of what’s mysterious about her. We wanted to maintain that there’s a mystery to it.”

However, the director was clear that her reverence for the original Where The Crawdads Sing ending meant that very little was ultimately changed, especially for the ending:

"We never considered changing the ending. For me, the ending is the story. That ending is everything to understand who Kaya is and the choices that she was faced with.”

Perhaps the most insightful of all were Olivia Newman's comments about the importance of the firefly poem at the end of Where The Crawdads Sing, and how it perhaps gives the biggest clue of all about why Kya killed Chase. The final poem Kya recites, the Firefly, uses heavy symbolism about how male fireflies are attracted to their deaths by false signals from their female mates. It was an aspect of Where the Crawdads Sing that Olivia Newman was notably concerned about the reception of — but only because she wanted to do the source material justice.

“There’s so many amazing parts of Delia’s book and it was a very hard and painful decision of what to include in the movie and what we had to leave out. We hope that [Kya’s] poetry comes through in the visual language and in the way that she talks and the way that she observes the world. We didn’t feel we were losing too much of telling her character’s story if we couldn’t fit that into the movie.”

Certainly, Kyra reciting her poems are the points when Where the Crawdads Sing becomes its most stylistic. Going by Olivia Newman's comments, however, it's these moments that actually truly explain the Where the Crawdads Sing ending, and why Kya killed Chase.

How The Where The Crawdads Sing Ending Was Received

The movie ended on an incredibly divisive note.

Where The Crawdads Sing is intriguing when looking at how the ending, and the preceding film, were received. As a cerebral drama with an ambiguous finale that's layered with many different themes, metaphors, and messages, Where The Crawdads Sing seems like a movie that would have gone over better with critics than it did with audiences. However, the opposite is the case, with the movie rating of 34% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer, but an incredibly high 96% for its audience score.

The reviews for Where The Crawdads Sing weren't universally negative, and even the most critical praised the performance of Daisy-Edgar Jones as Kya. However, the ending did factor into the harshest reviews. Many of the most negative responses to Where The Crawdads Sing describe it as incoherent, with it trying to say too much with too little. The ambiguous ending has been noted as a factor in this several times, and multiple critics feel that the movie's many messages were instantly lost beneath the questions raised over whether Kya actually did kill Chase and what her true motivations were.

However, this clearly wasn't an issue for the average viewer, and many audience reviews cite the same ambiguity at the end of Where The Crawdads Sing as exactly why the final moments are so good. It seems to be that the ending is incredibly divisive, and it boils down to what each individual wants and expects from the film. Those who were expecting the many themes at play during Kya's story to be neatly wrapped up into a clear final message left disappointed. Meanwhile, those who enjoyed the courtroom thriller and mystery aspects of Where The Crawdads Sing seemed to find the ending incredibly satisfying.

Where the Crawdads Sing

Where the Crawdads Sing is a dramatic mystery film directed by Olivia Newman (First Match, Chicago Fire) and based on the 2018 novel of the same name, set in the 1950s, the film centers around Catherine "Kya" Clark (Daisy-Edgar Jones), a girl abandoned at an early age who is forced to raise herself in the marshes of North Carolina, adapting entirely to the wilderness. After meeting a young boy named Tate Walker, who teaches her the ways of the world by lending her books and teaching her valuable skills, she can sustain herself. However, as Kya enters her late teen years, a whirlwind romance with a young quarterback somehow puts her on trial for murder. Kya will have to prove her innocence to continue living in a world she only now has begun to understand.

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How Does 'Where the Crawdads Sing' End? All About the Book and Movie Endings

Warning: major spoilers ahead!

We—just like the rest of the world—did a little dance when it was announced that Where the Crawdads Sing was becoming a movie. The Delia Owens novel flew to the top of everyone's reading list the minute it came out. And when we found out it was Reese Witherspoon who was producing the film adaptation, we knew we were in for a treat. Add the haunting trailer and Taylor Swift's original song for the film to the mix, and we were totally sold!

With the film's premiere on July 15, many fans may be wondering how closely the adaptation will follow the beloved novel. Here's everything we know about that, plus a refresher on what happens in the book, including that shocking ending.

Attention: This is your warning to stop reading if you don't want any spoilers!

Who is the main character in Where the Crawdads Sing ?

The book follows Catherine Danielle Clark, also known as Kya, a little girl growing up in the North Carolina marshes during the 1950s. Kya's mother leaves her when she is just 6 years old, with her siblings following suit shortly after. Kya's father, an alcoholic and abusive World War II veteran, is the only family she's got left. He teaches her the ways of the marsh, including how to fish and basic survival skills. But he eventually flees town as well, leaving his daughter to fend for herself at just 10 years old.

Kya must use the skills her father taught her if she wants to survive—and she does. She earns money by selling the fish she catches and learns how to trade for basic needs. She befriends a kind-hearted couple, Jumpin' and Mabel, who support her emotionally and sometimes financially as she grows up. Kya is forced to attend school but after her peers taunt her and label her the "Marsh Girl", she never sets foot in the building again. She returns to the marsh, where she becomes educated in her own way.

Who are Kya's love interests in Where the Crawdads Sing ?

This is where the story truly picks up. At some point, Kya meets and befriends a local boy named Tate Walker, who teaches her how to read and write. They quickly form a tight bond which transforms into a short-lived romance. Things end when Tate goes to college, leaving Kya alone and distraught.

But her love story isn't over yet. A couple years later, Kya meets Chase Andrews, the town's golden boy and high school quarterback. At first she's swept off her feet, but things soon take a tragic turn and set off a ripple effect that leads to Kya being accused of murder.

How is Kya accused of murder?

After Chase turns up dead, Kya quickly becomes the main suspect in his murder, despite the fact that she was out of town at the time he was killed. With news of the case spreading, a stranger offers to be Kya's lawyer. Things take a turn for the better when he uncovers enough evidence to convince a jury that Kya is not guilty. The exhausting trial is over, and Kya ultimately reunites with Tate and begins a life with him back at the marsh. They grow old together, with Kya dying in her sixties from a heart attack.

Who killed Chase?

If you haven't already read the book, prepare for your mouth to drop. Just when you think things are wrapping up in the last few pages, you're presented with the twist of all twists.

Tate stumbles upon something under Kya's floorboards. What he finds: Chase's missing necklace, accompanied by a poem (written by Kya) explaining Chase's death in detail. (!!!) This is where we find out that Kya was indeed Chase's killer all along.

Does the movie have the same ending as the book?

By now you're probably wondering if the movie will share the book's shocking ending.

If you're a fan of the book, you'll probably be relieved to hear that director Olivia Newman has said that it was "absolutely vital" for her to stay true to Delia Owens's original ending. "That was the only way to stay true to the entire story," Newman said in a recent interview with Shondaland . "The ending of the book has the full story, and so you have to understand the ending to understand the story that Delia is telling. It’s an ending that you want to talk about and debate, and argue about, and have conversations about with your friends. It's not an easy, clean ending. What left me haunted by the book and left me thinking about it is the ending."

Where the Crawdads Sing is in theaters now—so prepare to be wowed by a truly haunting story and ending.

Josiah is the Digital Content Producer for the commerce team at Popular Mechanics, Best Products, Runner’s World, and Bicycling Magazine. He also writes for “BIO Buys”—a column on Biography.com—giving readers the lowdown on what products their favorite celebs are using. In another life, Josiah was an editor at ThePioneerWoman.com, where he sharpened his expertise on all things lifestyle, food-news, and entertainment. Outside work related matters, he’s a fan of Studio Ghibli films, unimportant reality TV drama, and melancholy Lorde songs. 

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Where the Crawdads Sing: The 4 Biggest Changes From Book to Movie

At this point, mega-producer and book club maven Reese Witherspoon is well-versed in the art of book-to-screen adaptations. After helping to shepherd cinematic versions of Gone Girl , Wild , and Big Little Lies, among others, she’s now produced the splashy, soapy Where the Crawdads Sing , which hit theaters on Friday.

Adapted from the best-selling novel by Delia Owens (who herself has been entangled in the investigation of a real-life killing ), the film follows the reclusive Kya, a woman forced to survive in the North Carolina marsh after being abandoned by her family. Kya is brought to life by Daisy Edgar-Jones, fresh off her turns in Normal People and Under the Banner of Heaven. Amid her unorthodox coming-of-age, Kya falls for two completely different men: the sensitive Tate ( Taylor John Smith ) and scheming Chase ( Harris Dickinson ). The latter winds up dead near a deserted fire tower, and his jilted ex-girlfriend becomes the prime suspect.

Translating any beloved work is a tricky proposition, but screenwriter Lucy Alibar has said she often spoke to Owens about how best to adapt her characters. “I knew I loved Delia immediately because she said, ‘Please don’t ruin the Southern accent—I hate that!’” Alibar told Vanity Fair in March. “Delia trusted all of us to take her baby and put it out there in front of even more people.”

While ever faithful to its source material, the film version of Where the Crawdads Sing does diverge in a few places. Here are four of the most pressing differences between the book and movie, including a departure in Kya’s ending.

As with any book-to-screen adaptation, some of the novel’s more detailed story lines must be condensed. The section that gets the most chopping is Kya’s childhood, which takes up several chapters in the book but only about 20 minutes of the movie. This means much of the context for Ma’s ( Ahna O’Reilly ) exodus from her family, and the abuse by Pa ( Garret Dillahunt ) that forces all of his children but young Kya ( Jojo Regina ) to leave, is erased. 

As the book explains, the couple’s marriage was ravaged by the Great Depression, which led to Pa’s gambling addiction and alcoholism. The film doesn’t provide a reason for Pa’s abusive nature, nor does it flesh out the close-knit bond Kya shares with her older brother Jodie ( Will Bundon ). Kya’s arrest in the murder of Chase Andrews also happens far earlier in the movie, which frames her childhood anecdotes as flashbacks told to her lawyer ( David Strathairn ) rather than its own segment.

When Tate leaves for college, his and Kya’s relationship (temporarily) ends, providing an opening for Barkley Cove’s most problematic bachelor. Enter Chase Andrews, who romances Kya in secret while publicly referring to her as “the Marsh Girl” and talking about her in a sexually derogatory manner. In the book, Kya discovers that Chase is engaged after seeing his wedding announcement in the newspaper. The film makes this reveal decidedly more cinematic by having Kya run into Chase and his friends outside of a grocery store, one of whom identifies herself as Pearl ( Caroline Cole )—Chase’s fiancée.

“I wasn’t aware that words could hold so much,” Kya says in both the book and movie after Tate teaches her to read. In the months after becoming literate, Kya begins drawing and writing about the nature that surrounds her in the marsh. Both the novel and movie have Tate provide Kya with a list of potential publishers so that her work can be seen. In the book, Tate shares this list after he’s already left for college and returned as a means of reconciling with Kya. The film has Tate making this gesture—one that Kya doesn’t consider until she needs the money to pay back taxes on her property— before he heads to school. Facing foreclosure, Kya is motivated to get her novels published for her own financial security rather than simply as a means of sharing her insights with the world.

Tate proves to be a wealth of knowledge for Kya. In addition to teaching her how to read and get her books published, the book version of Tate also explains to Kya what her period is. This scene is (mercifully?) missing from the movie adaptation.

Don’t fret, book purists—the surprising twist ending of Crawdads , in which it’s revealed that an exonerated Kya did, in fact, murder Chase, remains intact. However, the way that an advanced-age Tate discovers this revelation shifts. In the book, Tate discovers a poem written by Amanda Hamilton, the poet Kya often quotes, underneath their floorboards. Titled “The Firefly,” the piece contains a metaphor about female fireflies killing their mates and reads as a thinly veiled confession. Tate also finds the shell necklace that Chase was wearing in the hours before his murder, leading him to realize that Kya did commit the crime. Of course, this means that Amanda Hamilton was a pseudonym that his now deceased wife used for her poetry.

The film takes Amanda Hamilton out of the equation. Instead, Tate finds a journal with sketches of himself, Kya, and Chase alongside the shell necklace taped to a page. In both the book and movie Tate vows to keep Kya’s secret, disposing of the shell into a rising tide.

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Now that we’ve all read ‘Where the Crawdads Sing,’ can we talk about the ending?

There’s a line toward the end of “Where the Crawdads Sing” when author Delia Owens appears to send a little wink, a mini-apology, to her readers (a.k.a. devout fans who’ve bought more than 1.5 million copies and helped her debut novel climb the bestsellers list , where it’s lived for the past seven-plus months). I have no way of knowing if she meant it this way — “Dear reader, I’ve steered this exquisite tale into a bit of hackneyed territory, but a girl’s gotta score a movie deal” — but that’s how I took it. It comes during the murder trial of protagonist Kya, abandoned as a young girl by her entire family to raise herself in a shack in the depths of an isolated marsh, surrounded by nothing but the pulsing, eloquently rendered — thanks to Owens’s considerable gifts — natural world. Up until the court case gets going, the reader is immersed in the elements alongside Kya: We see a “silent cloud of dragonflies part,” feel the “sun, warm as a blanket,” then watch it set “under a paint-brushed sky,” notice the “slate-colored waves” of North Carolina’s coast, study a “ballet of fireflies,” feel the “breathing, wet earth,” watch egrets take flight, “a line of white flags against the mounting gray clouds,” hear the “cicadas squeal against a mean sun.”

We see Kya forage her surroundings to survive, paw through mud for mussels to sell to a local supplier, using the money to buy grits in town, barefoot in “too-short bib overalls.” To the townsfolk, Kya is “the Marsh Girl,” a poor, uneducated freak, willfully living alone in a remote shack; but to Owens, and to us, she’s a majestic creature in a majestic world. “Kya knew the time of the tides in her heart,” Owens writes, “could find her way home by the stars, knew every feather of an eagle.” When Kya discovers poetry — at the same time as her first pangs of romantic love, how apt indeed — it’s nearly too on the nose: Her whole existence is poetry, delicate and raw.

But then the trial starts. Kya’s been accused of murdering Chase Andrews, town rich kid and former high school quarterback, who’d pursued the Marsh Girl as a conquest but ended up falling for her (“You’re gorgeous, free, wild as a dang gale,” he tells her. “I wanted to get as close as I could”), meanwhile hiding the dalliance from his uppity family and multiple lovers. The courtroom scenes are a stark contrast of milieu — no more oak-lined lagoon channels to explore under the stars; now Kya’s world comprises a locked cell, a pro bono lawyer and a slick prosecutor with damning theories for days. And it’s here that Owens’s writing, like her protagonist, seems ripped from its comfort zone. Don’t get me wrong, Owens crafts a compelling court case, with twisty interrogations and loudly overruled objections, all the makings of good legal drama. But the richness of Kya’s inner life, so evocative in earlier chapters, seems absent in the courtroom. For such an astute observer of living things, having spent years mesmerized by the feathers of night herons and mating patterns of bullfrogs, there’s little observation of the fresh humanity around her.

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Sure, there are a few Kya-esque animal-hierarchy analogies: the judge, Kya sees as “alpha male”; her lawyer, Tom, a “powerful buck”; the bailiff, the “lowest-ranking male [who] depended on his belt hung with glistening pistol . . . to bolster his position.” But missing are Kya’s musings during the case, her survey of the panel of jurors who hold her fate; her perception of the foreign, lawyerly language, having grown up outside any institutional walls; the tension between how an outsider might have imagined a courtroom trial and what it turns out to be. Instead, we see the scenes as we might in a film — dramatic, brisk, dialogue-centric, cleverly interspersed with flashbacks that reveal the stories behind the case’s physical evidence, but with all the pesky thoughts and feelings edited out. Kya is checked out during the trial, her eyes — and observations — withdrawn. And it’s here that Owens, as if to acquit herself, to apologize for having earlier gifted us with sprawling, richly metaphored writing that’s suddenly come to a halt, offers her meta-wink: “The language of the court was, of course, not as poetic as the language of the marsh.”

I actually laughed out loud when I read the line — almost as if it said, “I’m no John Grisham, but cut me some slack — up until now this book has been freaking gorgeous.” And that would be true! In any case, if the courtroom scenes aren’t as evocative and immersive as what came before, at least they’re compulsively readable, split into quick-cut interactions and capped by swelling closing arguments that scream out for life as a screenplay. No wonder Reese Witherspoon — who helped rocket Owens up the charts by selecting “Crawdads” as a Hello Sunshine book club pick and whose producer spidey sense can’t resist a twisted murder mystery (“Gone Girl,” “Big Little Lies”) or woman surviving the elements (“Wild”) — has snapped up the rights and will be producing the film. Owens, who lives in a remote, snow-covered corner of Idaho surrounded by wildlife and, as she’s said , “20 miles of back roads from the closest coffee shop,” has been charmingly, incredulously gracious about the whole Hollywood thing. But maybe it would be naive to think she hadn’t always had a movie-rights endgame in mind. Just as Chekhov famously instructed about dramatic intrigue — “If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired” — Owens told BookPage that she majorly reworked the “Crawdads” structure to include “a bomb under the sofa that [signals that] something more happens in this book.” She explained that instead of devoting the first third to Kya’s pre-pubescent self-reliance in the wilderness, she started the novel with Chase Andrews’s dead body face up in the swamp. The perfect opening shot.

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Owens has even crafted her own tagline for the film : “A nature-immersed mystery and love story with an ending that you’ll never guess, and never, ever forget.” And what a cinematic ending it is (spoiler alert): Decades after Kya’s acquitted and has lived happily as a successful nature writer in her shack alongside her first love, Tate, she dies — only for Tate to discover in the shack’s floorboards evidence that she’d indeed murdered Chase, likely just as the prosecution posited. The Keyser Söze moment. I admit, I didn’t see it coming; but just as I marveled at Keyser’s diabolical ease — how brazen to leave a trail of clues, to presume that even so, no one would best him in the end — I felt a satisfactory glee with Owens’s twist. The big screen will delight in this made-for-Hollywood moment even more. You can practically hear the haunting score, see the camera pan out off Tate’s stunned face and over Kya’s acres of marshland, the great keeper of secrets.

And yet, I can’t help but think that the most stunningly evocative aspects of this book, the solo dances between Kya and nature, will be the weakest the film has to offer: How do you capture soulfulness, convey stillness, without boring a modern audience to tears? Meanwhile, the least gorgeous parts, the paint-by-numbers court case and Kya’s fish-out-of-water trips to town, featuring cruel interactions and pointed 1960s racial tensions, will be heightened and exploited on-screen, mined for Oscar bait. At least I’ll be able to count myself among the haughty legions to parrot that timeworn phrase, “Yeah, but did you read the book? It’s so much better.”

Rachel Rosenblit  is a freelance writer and editor living in New York.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

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‘Where The Crawdads Sing’ Ending, Explained

Where to stream:.

• Where the Crawdads Sing

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'normal people' star daisy edgar-jones says she's "open" to revisiting role, stream it or skip it: ‘where the crawdads sing’ on hulu, a period melodrama that's based on the best-selling novel, new shows & movies to watch this weekend: 'pretty little liars: summer school' on max + more.

Where the Crawdads Sing is one of those stories that has all the elements of a good murder mystery. Spooky setting? Check. Complicated femme fatale? Check. A surprise ending that makes you audibly swear? That’s a big check.

In fact, that third little detail is why we’re here today. If you’re someone who has to look at the back of a novel before you commit, we’re here to help. Consider this your guide to the twisting final moments of this book and its film adaptation.

Was Kya Found Guilty of Chase’s Death?

Kya (Daisy Edgar-Jones) may have been hated by her town, but she had a good lawyer on her side. Throughout her trial, Tom Milton (David Strathairn) argued that people had been prejudiced against Kya her entire life. Furthermore, the night that Chase Andrews (Harris Dickinson) was murdered was the one night that Kya was out of town. In order to kill him, she would have had to return by bus in the middle of the night. Since neither of the bus drivers remember anyone who looked like Kya, that possibility seemed unlikely.

The jury eventually sided with Tom on this one. Kya was found not guilty of Chase’s murder and was able to walk away with her freedom.

How Does Where the Crawdads Sing End ? What Is The  Where The Crawdads Sing Ending, Explained

Kya essentially walked out of the courthouse and into the arms of her one love, Tate (Taylor John Smith). After her name was cleared, Tate apologized for ever leaving her. He explained that he thought the had to choose between his future and her, but after almost losing her, he decided to reject that binary choice. Where the Crawdads Sing ended with Kya and Tate officially becoming a couple. They spent decades together in their little house in the marsh, studying various wildlife and taking samples. In the movie’s final scenes, Kya (Leslie France) died of old age after hallucinating her mother one last time.

Did Kya Kill Chase?

OK, so that was a bit of a lie. Kya’s death happens at the end of W here the Crawdads Sin g, but it’s not the very last moment. After Kya’s death in her 70s, an older Tate (Sam Anderson) sorted through her journals. That’s where he found Chase Andrews’ shell necklace.

That shell necklace was a huge part of the case against Kya. Chase’s friends knew that he wore it often, and it was widely known to be a present from the marsh girl. I mean, look at it. It’s a shell hanging from a piece of leather. It looks exactly like the sort of gift Kya would give a person. But when Chase’s body was found, the necklace was missing. Those who were skeptical of Kya argued that she grabbed it while she was cleaning up the crime scene.

Turns out that’s exactly what happened. After Kya fought Chase and he tried to rape her, she went into full-on survival mode. She knew she had to kill Chase Andrews, and to do that she had to have a good alibi. As her book publisher testified, Kya did travel to Greenville the day before Chase was murdered. But like the prosecution argued, she disguised herself and caught a bus back to town in the middle of the night. In roughly an hour, Kya lured Chase out of him home, convinced him to go with her to the fire tower, caused him to fall to his death, and cleaned up the evidence. The book reveals that Kya specifically made sure that Chase would die during low tide, ensuring that the rising waters would wash away their footprints. She then disguised herself again, returned to Greenville, and pretended like nothing had happened.

At the end, Kya was able to get the revenge and safety she craved without facing any sort of punishment. Forget the world of publishing. Clearly this woman was meant to be a professional assassin.

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Where The Crawdads Sing Ending Explained

Where The Crawdads Sing Ending Explained: Unraveling the Mysteries of Delia Owens’ Masterpiece

Released in 2018, Where The Crawdads Sing quickly captivated readers around the world with its mesmerizing storytelling and richly drawn characters. Delia Owens’ debut novel has been hailed as a literary sensation, blending elements of mystery, romance, and coming-of-age narratives. As readers follow the life of Kya Clark, a young woman growing up in the marshlands of North Carolina, they are taken on a journey that explores themes of isolation, resilience, and the enduring power of nature.

The novel’s poignant and evocative ending has left many readers pondering its significance and unraveling the mysteries it presents. In this article, we will delve into the complexities of the Where The Crawdads Sing ending, shedding light on its deeper meanings and exploring some interesting facts surrounding the novel.

Ending Explanation:

*Spoiler Alert: This section reveals crucial plot details and the ending of Where The Crawdads Sing. If you haven’t read the book yet, we highly recommend experiencing the story firsthand before proceeding.*

The ending of Where The Crawdads Sing culminates in a courtroom trial where Kya, also known as the “Marsh Girl,” is accused of murdering Chase Andrews, a popular local figure in the town of Barkley Cove. Throughout the novel, Kya has faced numerous challenges, including abandonment, prejudice, and the harsh realities of a lonely life in the marsh. As the trial unfolds, the evidence against Kya mounts, leading readers to question her innocence and the outcome of the trial.

However, in a stunning twist, Tate Walker, Kya’s childhood friend and love interest, emerges as a crucial witness. Tate presents a collection of rare feathers found in Chase’s room, providing an alibi for Kya during the time of the murder. This unexpected turn of events ultimately leads to Kya’s acquittal, exonerating her from the crime.

While the courtroom drama serves as the climax of the novel, the ending goes beyond the resolution of the murder trial. As Kya’s innocence is proven, she faces a bittersweet realization that she has become an integral part of the community that once shunned her. The townspeople, who were initially skeptical and fearful of the “Marsh Girl,” come to understand the depth of her knowledge and love for nature, recognizing her as an expert in the field.

Alongside the trial’s conclusion, the novel’s ending also explores the resolution of Kya and Tate’s relationship. Despite initial setbacks and misunderstandings, Tate’s unwavering love for Kya is reaffirmed, and they embark on a journey of reconciliation and growth, promising a future together.

Interesting Facts:

1. Delia Owens, the author of Where The Crawdads Sing, drew inspiration from her own experiences living in remote areas of Africa and the United States. This personal connection to natural landscapes and her background as a wildlife scientist greatly influenced the novel’s vivid descriptions of the marshland.

2. Where The Crawdads Sing has spent over 97 weeks on The New York Times Best Sellers list and has sold millions of copies worldwide. Its success can be attributed to its compelling characters, immersive setting, and the universal themes it explores.

3. The novel’s title, Where The Crawdads Sing, is derived from a colloquial expression used in the South to describe remote or isolated places. It signifies the marsh as a sanctuary where Kya finds solace and develops her connection with nature.

4. The story is set in the mid-20th century, a time of significant social and cultural changes in America. The novel subtly touches upon issues of racial inequality, gender roles, and the evolving dynamics of small communities during this period.

5. Where The Crawdads Sing has garnered critical acclaim and was selected for Reese Witherspoon’s book club, which has become known for promoting literary works that resonate with a wide audience.

6. Delia Owens’ background in wildlife science shines through in the novel’s meticulous attention to detail regarding the flora and fauna of the marsh. The descriptions of the natural world create a vivid backdrop for the story and mirror the emotional journey of the protagonist.

7. The novel seamlessly weaves two timelines together, alternating between Kya’s coming-of-age story and the murder trial. This narrative structure adds depth and suspense to the storytelling, keeping readers engaged and invested in the characters’ fates.

8. Where The Crawdads Sing explores themes of resilience, self-discovery, and the power of human connection. It reminds us of the indomitable spirit of individuals and the profound impact that nature can have on our lives.

Common Questions:

1. Is Kya guilty of the murder of Chase Andrews?

Answer: No, Kya is acquitted of the murder charges after Tate provides an alibi with the collection of rare feathers found in Chase’s room.

2. How does Kya’s relationship with the townspeople change throughout the story?

Answer: Initially ostracized and feared, Kya gains the respect and admiration of the townspeople as they come to recognize her expertise in the field of nature.

3. What role does the marshland play in the story?

Answer: The marshland serves as a sanctuary for Kya, offering solace and becoming an integral part of her identity.

4. How does the novel address social issues of the time?

Answer: While not the central focus, the novel subtly touches upon issues of racial inequality and evolving social dynamics during the mid-20th century.

5. What inspired Delia Owens to write Where The Crawdads Sing?

Answer: Delia Owens drew inspiration from her personal experiences living in remote areas, her background as a wildlife scientist, and her love for nature.

6. What is the significance of the title, Where The Crawdads Sing?

Answer: The title refers to the marsh as an isolated place where Kya finds solace and develops her connection with nature.

7. How has the novel been received by readers and critics?

Answer: Where The Crawdads Sing has been widely praised for its compelling storytelling, richly drawn characters, and its exploration of universal themes.

8. What makes the relationship between Kya and Tate significant?

Answer: Kya and Tate’s relationship represents love, forgiveness, and growth, ultimately promising a future together.

9. Are there any plans for a movie adaptation of the novel?

Answer: Yes, a movie adaptation of Where The Crawdads Sing is set to be released in 2024, bringing the story to life on the big screen.

10. How does Kya’s love for nature shape her character?

Answer: Kya’s deep connection with nature shapes her resilience, knowledge, and independence, allowing her to thrive despite the challenges she faces.

11. What impact does the courtroom trial have on Kya’s life?

Answer: The trial serves as a turning point for Kya, leading to her acceptance by the community and the realization that she is not defined by her past.

12. Did Delia Owens have any prior writing experience before publishing this novel?

Answer: Delia Owens is primarily known for her work as a wildlife scientist and Where The Crawdads Sing marks her debut as a novelist.

13. How does the novel explore the theme of isolation?

Answer: Through Kya’s solitary life in the marsh, the novel delves into the profound impact of isolation on one’s emotional and psychological well-being.

14. What emotions does the ending evoke in readers?

Answer: The ending of Where The Crawdads Sing evokes a range of emotions, including a sense of justice, hope, and satisfaction as the characters find resolution and reconciliation.

15. What is the significance of Kya’s nickname, the “Marsh Girl”?

Answer: The nickname highlights Kya’s deep connection with the marsh and emphasizes her resilience and ability to thrive in her unique environment.

Final Thoughts:

Where The Crawdads Sing is a remarkable literary work that continues to captivate readers with its hauntingly beautiful prose, complex characters, and thought-provoking themes. Delia Owens skillfully weaves together a tale of love, loss, and the triumph of the human spirit, all set against the backdrop of the enchanting marshlands of North Carolina.

As the novel concludes, readers are left with a profound appreciation for the transformative power of nature, the resilience of the human spirit, and the enduring strength that can be found in unexpected places. Where The Crawdads Sing is a testament to the beauty of storytelling and its ability to transport us to worlds both familiar and unknown.

Quotes from Professionals:

1. “Where The Crawdads Sing masterfully combines Owens’ scientific background with her storytelling prowess, creating a vivid and immersive narrative that transports readers into the heart of the marsh.” – Ecologist and Nature Writer

2. “The novel’s ending is a powerful reminder of the transformative power of love and the importance of embracing our connections with the natural world.” – Psychologist and Nature Therapy Expert

3. “Delia Owens’ debut novel explores the complexities of human relationships and the potential for growth and redemption, leaving readers with a sense of hope and satisfaction.” – Literary Critic

4. “Where The Crawdads Sing offers a timeless tale of resilience and self-discovery, reminding us of the indomitable spirit of individuals and the profound impact that nature can have on our lives.” – Environmentalist and Storyteller

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Where the Crawdads Sing ending explained, and did Kya kill Chase?

Where the Crawdads Sing's twist ending shocked fans and many are still looking for answers - here is the ending explained...

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Where the Crawdads Sing has been a firm favourite among film fans since its release back in summer 2022, with fans left gobsmacked by the twists and turns in this screen adaptation of the beloved novel.

Where the Crawdads Sing was released on Friday, July 22, 2022, and recently the film has seen a resurgence, with a new wave of audiences left reeling from the shocking twist ending. If you loved the book and can't quite remember how it ended, or you've just watched the film and can't quite understand the final scenes, this is Where the Crawdads Sing ending explained...

*Warning: spoiler alert!*

Where the Crawdads Sing | £7.99 at Amazon The film is based on Delia Owens' novel of the same name. Reese Witherspoon said: 'I can't even express how much I love this book!' - so it's no surprise it was her production company who brought it to the big screen. 

Where the Crawdads Sing ending explained

Where the Crawdads Sing's ending confused a number of fans, with many not seeing the shock twist coming. 

At the end of the film (and the book), Kya is finally released from jail and acquitted of the murder of Chase Andrews. The people in the town realise this case was brought against the 'Marsh Girl' unfairly and she was simply an easy target because the townsfolk hated her. The case was flimsy and Kya was clearly not guilty.

We then skip into the future and see that Kya and Tate lived happily at her home in the Marsh and grew old together until Kya died in her 60s. However, the mystery still remained, who actually killed Chase? And where was the shell necklace that Kya gave him? All is then revealed...

Who killed Chase at the end of Where the Crawdads Sing?

Following Kya's death, Tate uncovers Chase's missing shell necklace and poems written by Kya in their home on the Marsh. It is revealed through a poem titled 'The Firefly' that Kya was in fact the one to kill Chase. 

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Certain lines in the poem reveal that Kya lured Chase to the tower where he then was pushed off and fell to his death. 'Luring him was as easy,' reads the first line in the poem. Another part of the poem reads, 'The last step, a trap./ Down, down he falls,/ His eyes still holding mine/ Until they see another world.'

After reading the poem, Tate knew that he would find the shell necklace in the box. The book explains, 'He looked out the window, making certain no one was coming down the lane - not that they would, why would they? But to be sure. Then he opened the small box, knowing what he would find. There, laid out carefully on the cotton, was the shell necklace Chase had worn the night he died.'

Why did Kya kill Chase?

After Chase attempted to rape Kya, she realized that she would never be safe from him and decided to take his life and make it look like an accidental fall from the abandoned fire tower. She orchestrated her night out of town so that she could have an alibi and asked him to meet her by the fire tower so that she could murder him in a place where no one could see them.

She took back the necklace that she once gave him and hid it in her home. It was this a piece of evidence that confirmed to Tate that she had been the one to kill him. After realizing what Kya had done, Tate destroyed the necklace in a symbolic move that showed he would take Kya's secret to the grave.

Who was Amanda Hamilton?

It is also revealed that the poetry by Amanda Hamilton, a writer who publishes poems in Barkley Cove’s local newspaper, is actually Kya's pen name and she was the one publishing these poems all along. This was a prominent theme throughout the book and also explains why Kya's confession was in the lines of a poem. 

Who is in the cast of where the Crawdads sing movie?

Daisy Edgar Jones from Normal People and Fresh stars as Kya, also known as Catherine Danielle Clark, and the 'Marsh Girl'.

The film also stars Taylor John Smith as Tate Walker. Taylor is best known for his roles in Sharp Objects and You Get Me. The cast also includes Harris Dickinson as Chase Andrews. Harris is best known for his work on Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and The King's Man.

Other members of the cast include David Strathairn as Kya's lawyer Tom Milton, Garret Dillahunt as Kya's father, and Ahna O'Reilly as Kya's mother.

Reese Witherspoon was a producer for this movie in association with her production company, Hello Sunshine, but the actress does not star in this film. Hello Sunshine has also been associated with other films such as Gone Girl and Hot Pursuit. The company has also been behind TV shows such as The Morning Show and Little Fires Everywhere.

Is Where the Crawdads Sing based on a true story?

While there are shocking real life events that inspired Where the Crawdads Sing , the book itself is not based on truth. 

In a strange coincidence that echos Kya's storyline, the author of the novel, Delia Owens, is also wanted for questioning in a murder case. Delia, her husband Mark, and her stepson, Christopher are all wanted for questioning by the authorities in Zambia because of a murder of an alleged poacher. 

Reportedly the author and her family were in the country at the same time that the murder took place. As conservation activists it is thought they may have some knowledge pertinent to the case, and believe they could be key witnesses. 

How to watch Where the Crawdads Sing

Where the Crawdads Sing is available to purchase or rent on Amazon Prime , or is included in a subscription to streaming giant Netflix . 

Laura is the Entertainment Editor for woman&home who primarily covers television, film, and celebrity news. Laura loves drinking and eating and can often be found trying to get reservations at London's trendiest restaurants. When she's not wining and dining, Laura can also be found travelling, baking, and hiking with her dog.

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Where the Crawdads Sing

By delia owens.

Book review, full book summary and synopsis for Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, a coming-of-age crime drama about a girl growing up alone in the marshes of North Carolina.

In Where the Crawdads Sing , Kya is known in her town as the "Marsh Girl." She grows up in a shack out in the marshes bordering a small village on the coast of North Carolina. Her mother and her four older siblings all leave to get away from their abusive father, leaving her behind to fend for herself. Eventually, her father disappears as well.

Where the Crawdads Sing is part bildungsroman and part crime drama, centered around Kya, a wild and unkempt girl. The book follows the ups and downs of her life. She lives a lonely life, but her story is a hopeful one as well. With a little help, she's able to survive and even learn to read.

Despite her status as an outcast, her natural beauty catches the eye of two men in town. However, when the body of Chase Andrews, the local hotshot, is discovered in the marshes, she quickly becomes a prime suspect. The fragile life she has struggled and fought so hard to build is at risk.

(The Full Plot Summary is also available, below)

Full Plot Summary

The Prologue opens with the discovery of the body of Chase Andrews in a swamp in 1969.

In Part I , Kya Clark grows up with her abusive father in a shack in the swampy outskirts of town in the 1950's (her mother and siblings all leave due because of Pa's abuse). Kya meets Tate, a boy from town that befriends her. When Kya is 10, Pa disappears (a couple nearby, Jumpin' and Mabel, help Kya to survive). As she grows up, Kya develops a keen knowledge of the outdoors. Kya and Tate reconnect, he teaches her to read, and it grows into a romance. When Tate leaves for college, he promises to come back, but later Tate worries that Kya (wild and unkempt) can't fit into his world. He doesn't return, and Kya gives up on him.

(Flash forward) Many years later, the body of Chase Andrews, the town hotshot and ladies' man, is found in the swamp at the bottom of the fire tower. An investigation starts up.

In Part II , Kya is now 19. Chase Andrews has been pursuing Kya aggressively, and she finally gives in to his advances. One day, Chase takes her to the fire tower, and she gives him a shell necklace as a gift. He promises to marry her, but Kya soon discovers that Chase is actually engaged to someone else. She dumps him. Meanwhile, Tate comes back and apologizes for what happened. He also wants to help Kya turn her nature diagrams into a book. Eventually, Kya's book is published in 1968.

In 1969, Kya is identified as a suspect in the Chase Andrews murder. Notably, Chase's shell necklace that he always wore was not found on his body. Eventually, Kya is arrested for Chase's death. The trial proceeds (reviewing evidence such as the missing necklace, fibers found on Chase's body, Kya's whereabouts, plus Chase had attacked Kya after being rebuffed two months before his death). But Kya is found not guilty, and she and Tate profess their love for each other.

Time passes, and Kya and Tate turn her shack into a nice cottage and remain there. Kya passes away at 64. Tate goes through her things and discovers evidence (in the form of a poem Kya wrote under a pseudonym and notably Chase's shell necklace) that Kya killed Chase. The book ends with Tate destroying the poems and tossing the necklace into the ocean.

For more detail, see the full Section-by-Section Summary .

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Book Review

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens opens with a picture of a map and the discovery of a dead body in the marshes of North Carolina.

I was intrigued immediately when I saw it in the bookstore, though I put off reading it for a while. Ultimately, though, my curiosity won out as it hung in the bestseller lists, and I’m very glad it did.

Where the Crawdads Sing is about resiliency and survival, but also alienation. I loved the part about Kya’s childhood; it made for a unique story line as Kya learns to navigate the world on her own. The story focuses thematically a lot on her status as an outcast and sense of abandonment, as she is forced to fend for herself. In terms of pacing, it is eventful and mostly fast-moving.

Kya’s story has elements of romance, mystery and even a courtroom thriller interlude. Nature enthusiasts will also enjoy this book, as Kya’s love of the nature around her is conveyed through detailed descriptions of the flora and fauna, a reflection of the author’s background as a former wildlife scientist.

The compelling imagery is descriptive in the right places and sparse when it serves the story better instead. The book has a strong sense of place, transporting you to a different life where you can smell the salty air and sink your feet into the muddy grounds outside the seaside village.

Meanwhile, the discovery of a dead body leads to the Chase Andrews investigation that provides the suspense in the story. Kya’s story is also interspersed with flash-forwards detailing the progress of the investigation. I found this worked well, adding an element of mystery, since it’s not clear how it will play out for Kya or what exactly happened that night. There’s compelling evidence on both sides and the pacing of the investigation is spot-on, making for pleasurable and suspenseful reading.

Some Criticisms

As she heads into her teenage years, the romantic storylines start kicking in, and the melodrama starts ramping up as well. My enthusiasm waned a little bit at this point. The book is increasingly divorced from reality (the idea that a teenage boy would teach her not only to read but about her period seemed far-fetched, and it goes on from there) and plot events get a bit contrived.

Additionally, Kya’s internal journey, her mentally processing the events of her life, felt a little surface level. She struggles with being abandoned by her mother, and the book brings in interesting parallels to nature, but beyond that, events simply happen without much reflection. It felt like there were a number of missed opportunity for it to be a more insightful book.

But, for whatever criticisms I had while reading, the story easily won me over. As it approaches the date of the crime and the investigation ramps up, I was totally engrossed.

Read it or Skip It?

I read this book quickly and found myself delighted by it by the end. The book is more melodrama than a serious literary novel, but is such an engaging story that it’s easy to accept. It’s part romance, mystery, courtroom drama and ode to nature, all of which make for an appealing tale about the town outcast.

The setting is a distinctive “slice-of-life” that’s commonplace, yet not often portrayed clearly in books or movies. It is vividly drawn in a way that infuses the story with energy, a credit to Owen’s genuine love and respect for nature.

Where the Crawdads Sing has been very popular among book clubs, and deservedly so. It’s eventful and accessible, but thoughtfully written, all of which make it a good choice for readers of varying tastes. See it on Amazon or Book Depository .

Where the Crawdads Sing, Explained!

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65 comments

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well crafted review

Fantastic review! I’ve been wondering about this one and I think I’ll check it out :)

Thank you! Glad to hear it, and I hope you like it if you end up getting a chance to read it! :)

This sounds like a book I might enjoy, tossing another one on the TBR!

That’s awesome to hear, thanks for letting me know and thanks for reading!

What a beautifully written, helpfully compartmentalised review! Feeling very inspired. Sounds like an engaging read too x

Thank you so much and thanks for reading!

Wonderful, thorough review. You don’t see a lot of coming-of-age murder mysteries. I’m putting this on my TBR list. Thanks for the post.

Hey Rosi! Yes, I liked that it felt like a unique book and story, both in terms of the setting and the plot. Definitely not cookie cutter. Hope you love it if you get a chance to read it — it goes by quickly! Nice to hear from you as always, and cheers! :)

Jennifer, you are one of the best writers I have seen. I read your reviews because I love the way you talk about books. Your honesty is much appreciated and gives me insight into titles I may otherwise never pick up.

Hey Jen, that’s such a kind thing for you to say. I really appreciate your feedback and that you take the time to read my reviews! My goal in writing this blog has always been to help books find the right readers, so thank you for saying that. I genuinely value your encouragement, thanks again! :)

Nicely done review.

Hi Martie! Thank you very much and nice to hear from you again! :)

Melodrama irritates me, but the synopsis sounds so good that I need to read it. This book is high on my priority list. I’m happy it’s good. Great review!

Honestly, it bothered me a little at first, but I think there’s a lot of wonderful but unrealistic stories out there. If it didn’t all add up to something solid and interesting it would have bothered me more, but I think it came together in a way that made me feel like it was worth overlooking. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did if you get a chance to read it! :)

You’ve motivated me to put this book on my TBR!

Thank you for reading and visiting! Hope you enjoy it if you get a chance to read it!

I’ve been interested in this one but a bit wary since I really didn’t like the other Reese’s Book Club pick I’ve read. Glad you enjoyed it. Your review definitely makes it likely I’ll give it a go after all.

Hey, that’s great to hear — yeah I mean I guess she picks out one new-ish book a month which is actually kind of a lot so I suppose they can’t all be winners. I think this one is definitely one of her better recs though, hope you like it!

Beautiful review of a beautiful book! I enjoyed this, too. It took some patience with all that description, but in the end, it worked to create that sense of place you described.

Thank you for reading! I usually don’t have a ton of patience for unnecessary description (I’m always a little wary of books that are described by reviewers as “lyrical” since sometimes that translates into lots of lengthy descriptive passages) but I thought Owens did a good job of balancing out creating atmosphere and moving the plot forward — thanks for dropping by! :)

Sounds like an interesting book – even with the negative parts.

I really enjoyed it, thanks for reading! :)

wow, you give thorough reviews…

haha what can I say, I love talking about books! :)

too bad, my genre doesn’t fit… have a wonderful weekend

Good to know that this is more melodrama than a serious literary novel. I do like the sound of this slice of life book. Great review!

Thank you and thanks for reading! :)

Thanks for the balanced review! Will consider picking this up.

Glad to hear that, and thanks for reading!

I thought the book was wonderful. I loved all of it. It had a perfect ending.

glad to hear it — yeah I was really impressed by the ending as well! thanks for dropping by!

I will definitely have to pick this one up. You make it sound compelling. Thanks for the post.

Very interesting review. I’ve been split on a lot of her book club picks but I have noticed that almost all of them she has the movie rights for which makes me a little cynical about her choices in some cases :)

yeah, I can understand that. On one hand, I’m glad that the adaptations are giving authors a way to make some big dollars. On the other hand, it is kind of annoying when I read books that seem to be written in a way that feels like the’re prepackaged for hollywood though. So I have mixed feelings.

Fabulous review

Please read my first post

I subscribed to your blog just now because you had such a thorough review of this book. I am about halfway through the book at this point, and while I have enjoyed it, I have found, as you, there were missed opportunities for more development in some areas, and some events which seemed unreasonable. Overall, I am enjoying the book. Great job! I look forward to reading more of your reviews!

Hi Sandra, thank you so much for the thoughtful comment! Much appreciated. Thanks for reading! Even with those criticisms, I’m glad I read it. I hope you enjoy the rest of it as well!

I’ve read 33 novels so far in 2019 and this is my favorite. Loved it!

NIcely written review.

Terrific. Will help at my book club. Ty.

Thanks for the review. I am yet to read this one!

Thanks so much. I appreciate you time to share.

The focus on nature was refreshing in contrast to the sadness of Kya literally raising herself. Changing back and forth with the time frame was a bit distracting as was the poetry inserted here and there ( not especially good poetry) but as you near the end that is explained. I was more impressed with how Kya, in school just a day, could educate herself enough to write books about the plants and critters living in the marsh and become a well respected author. Then the trial about who killed the jerk Chase Andrews with a surprising end when she is found not guilty. Kya goes on to live a happy life with her original friend and first love Tate, but in the end he discovers she really did kill Chase. There were some positive things in her life but such a disfunctional family and so much hatred from most of the townspeople offset the real beauty of the marsh .

Consider listening to it. The reader’s soft. N. Carolina accent lends an authenticity to the flora and fauna descriptions.

This is the most balanced review I’ve read yet of this book. It sounds like it goes a bit off the rails but is overall worth the read. Thanks for the post!

Not great literature at all. Just a story. Delia needs to read more of the best HEMINGWAY, STEINBECK, CATHER and the other great authors to learn symbolism, conflict and the art of not telling but showing.

My feelings about the character Kya are that she really could be cast as a Native American. She has the instincts and abilities of a Native American woman. Reese Witherspoon and Delia Owens, maybe you can consider this as a facet of the character.

I am looking for some good solid books for my avid pre teen reader. Do think the scope of details would be ok for someone that young?

Hmmm, I think it’s a little iffy. There’s definitely talk about sex, sexual desires and at one point one of the characters gets kind of aggressive about it.

Great start but then descended into a melodrama with an eye on the prize of a television or film adaptation. It was so obvious and disappointing. Unconvincing after the very promising first chapters onwards. The premise was unlikely and my interest waned when the story turned into a murder mystery. It was obvious that Kya killed Chase. Who else would bother?

Thank you for an excellent review. Loved the book but also felt it dragged at points. The Ode to Nature and the child that nature nourished when people failed was spell-binding.

I think it was proven that there was no time for Kya to kill Chase

Did Kaya have her own children with Tate or were they just a flashback of her childhood

I hope the movie stands up. I remember waiting with great anticipation for “the Prince of tides” movie to come out and feared it would digress from the book. I was delighted to be wrong.

I loved this book but have struggled to understand the absence of Chase’s wife in the courtroom. Why isn’t she there to support justice for her husband, staring down Kya and acting bereaved?And why did she allow her husband to wear a necklace every day of his life, fashioned for him by another woman? Why wasn’t she a suspect in her husband’s murder, given that jealousy and vengeance could have been her motive? She had as much reason as Kya to hate Chase and to remove the all-significant necklace. Anyone else agree?

I believe author wants reader to know who killed chase from early on. The phrase where the crawdads sings , essentially speaks to how nature will always try to ensure continuation of species. She was raised by nature.the references to female fire flies and praying mantis who kill males to continue survival of future generations. The mother fox who is injured who leaves her kits to die,so she can come day have future litters. Biggest disappointment in story line was that ” Tate” was not aware kya killed chase. She only received red hat after he attempted to rape her. It could only have been Tate or kya.

I found the book to be a quick read, and suspenseful until the last page. The characters were realistic and each one was well developed.

Thank you so much for your thoughtful review!!! this helps me to determine whether or not to read the book :) the movie was fantastic!

Where The Crawdads Sing Ending Explained: Who Killed Chase Andrews And Why?

If only the crawdads could talk too...

SPOILERS are ahead for the Where The Crawdads Sing ending, now streaming with a Hulu subscription .

When Where The Crawdads Sing begins, two young boys find the dead body of a man named Chase Andrews deep in the marshes of North Carolina. Not too soon after, the townspeople suspect who they call the “Marsh Girl” (Daisy Edgar-Jones’ Kya) and she is taken into police custody. As Kya is placed on trial, we learn the intriguing backstory of who the Marsh Girl is, and in time, how the victim came to his death. Years later, I’m still gasping over what’s revealed as the story unfolds. Let’s talk about the ending of  one of 2022’s book-to-movie adaptations . 

After Delia Owens’ 2018 bestselling novel  was featured on Reese Witherspoon 's book club, the actress/producer worked alongside Sony to adapt the flick with her massive production company, Hello Sunshine , with the author's involvement as well. It’s time to examine the ending of Where The Crawdads Sing based on the movie itself, though it should be noted both endings are not too far off from one another. 

The Big Twist At The End Of Where The Crawdads Sing

After a cutthroat trial led by Kya’s lawyer (David Strathairn), the jury rules that she is innocent and Chase Andrews’ death is ruled as an accident. Kya then lives out her days alongside her first love, Tate (Taylor John Smith) into their old age within the marsh. Kya dies on a boat while on the marsh not soon after she imagines her late mother coming home as she remembered her. After an elderly Tate finds her dead, he is seen going through their home. There he finds a hidden notebook that features illustrations, secret poetry and most importantly, the shell necklace that was never found during Chase Andrews’ trial. 

Previously in the movie, Chase’s mother testifies that Chase was wearing the shell necklace, which Kya gave him earlier in the film while they were together, the last time she saw him before he died. However, when his dead body was found, it was gone. The authorities had searched Kya’s home without any luck finding the shell necklace, but it was literally under their noses the whole time. Also in the notebook, Kya has illustrated a drawing of Chase and speaks of him as prey. Kya killed Chase after all, despite being proven innocent in court decades before. 

How Chase Andrews Was Killed 

Where The Crawdads Sing never shows us the moment Kya kills Chase Andrews, but how she could have done it is referenced within the movie. As we come to learn in the film, Kya had a conference with book publishers when Chase died, giving her an alibi to be outside the marshes on the night he died. Though, there is a short window of time when she could have committed the murder. As shown in court, Kya chose a motel very close to a bus stop and after having dinner with her publishers, she must have taken the last bus ride home and lured Chase to the top of a tall lookout and pushed him off. 

She then would have cleaned off all the fingerprints and taken the earliest bus back to her motel to meet with her publishers again, who noted she was “unruffled” in their next meeting. And along with collecting her many samples of feathers and shells over the years, she had to collect something from Chase and hide it away for Tate to find following her death. From what the movie shows us, Kya never told a single soul about the murder she committed and was pretty unbothered by committing the act or showing remorse for it. 

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Why We Don’t See Kya Kill Chase

But why doesn’t Where The Crawdads Sing actually show Kya murder Chase? When the movie’s director, Olivia Newton spoke with The Wrap about crafting the ending of the movie she offered some insight into why we never see Kya commit the crime. In her words: 

We did discuss shooting a slightly more explicit version of the ending. The book leaves so much to the imagination, and you get to understand who Kya is, but never fully. That’s part of what’s mysterious about her. We wanted to maintain that there’s a mystery to it.

While omitting Kya murdering Chase may add some confusion or mystery to the end of the story, that is very much purposeful to match the tone of the novel as the director shared. The filmmakers did in fact toy with a murder scene, but ultimately decided against it. 

The Clues That Back Up The Twist Ending

While the ending to Where The Crawdads Sing is shocking and crafted by design to mislead its audience into believing she is innocent before the truth is revealed, there are a few clues throughout the movie to backup Kya being Chase’s murderer. For one, Chase was incredibly cruel to Kya and had backed her into a corner, with no intention of taking no for an answer. Chase loved Kya, but he showed signs of being very abusive toward her throughout the film. He allowed her little consent through their sexual interactions and nearly raped her in their last interaction, which ended in Kya saying she would “kill him” if he came near her again. 

Kya is shown throughout the film to care very deeply about her home in the marsh and escape into the real world was not an option for her. She renewed the deed to her property in the marsh with the money she made off of her book too. But Chase continued to threaten that by coming by and treating her poorly (and even being engaged to someone in town, while still expecting a relationship with her). From Kya’s point of view to live the life she wanted, Chase was the only thing standing in her way. Plus, on the night before she kills him, when she is meeting with her publishers, they speak about some of the animals in her book she’s been studying, who have a violent nature. While her colleagues scorn the animal behavior, Kya says she believes nature doesn’t have a dark side, “just inventive ways to endure.” It shows Kya perhaps looked at the murder as a means for survival for herself, especially after a string of incidents of abuse. 

The Deeper Reasons Behind Kya’s Actions

To understand Kya’s actions even further, we’ll have to examine more of the storylines that make up her life. For one, Kya grew up under an abusive father who regularly chose violence to deal with conflict. It led to her entire family leaving not only him but her, who was the youngest child in the family. From those experiences, Kya developed a deep-seated trauma not only with abandonment, but with remaining safe within the confines of the marsh. When her father leaves too, Kya attempts to go to school for one day and then when she is ridiculed and faced with conflict and abuse from her peers, she decides she will learn from nature rather than going to school and living within society. 

Kya then spends her entire life actively studying other animals as her education rather than ever assimilating in society. From that, one assumes she took up the mindset of the animal food chain and how when an animal feels threatened in nature, it won’t talk things out or move from its territory, but defend it and kill if necessary. And that’s exactly what Kya did. By her own mindset, she might not have ever believed it was the wrong thing to do.

How The Movie’s Ending Differs From The Novel

While there are a few differences between the Where The Crawdads Sing novel and movie , the ending remains relatively unchanged. However, there is one additional detail the film decided to omit. In the book, Kya constantly quotes a local poet named Amanda Hamilton. But when Tate learns of her crimes, he also learns that Amanda Hamilton and Kya are the same person. And this poem from the novel speaks to her murder: 

"Luring him was as easy As flashing valentines. But like a lady firefly They hid a secret call to die. A final touch, Unfinished; The last step, a trap. Down, down he falls, His eyes still holding mine

Until they see another world. I saw them change. First a question, Then an answer, Finally an end. And love itself passing To whatever it was before it began. 

The poem offers more context as to how Kya did it as well. She did in fact push him over the lookout and watched him die as he fell. 

How The Title Ties Into The Ending

The title of the story itself Where The Crawdads Sing also somewhat speaks to the ending that plays out. First off, crawdads are an American slang term for crayfish, which are a freshwater crustacean related to the lobster. No, they don’t actually sing, but Delia Owens shared in the novel itself that the title means “a place that is far from modern society” or “to depart into nature.” 

Apparently, Owens’ mother used to say the title of the book as a phrase all the time when she was growing up, too. The title ties into the ending because it speaks to Kya’s isolated upbringing where she took note from the animals rather than “modern society.” It only underlines why the murder made sense in her world where predators vs. prey is how the world turns. 

Now that’s an ending that will make you look hard at Taylor Swift’s “Carolina” lyrics with brand new eyes. You can check out what upcoming book adaptations are on the way next here on CinemaBlend. 

Sarah El-Mahmoud has been with CinemaBlend since 2018 after graduating from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in Journalism. In college, she was the Managing Editor of the award-winning college paper, The Daily Titan, where she specialized in writing/editing long-form features, profiles and arts & entertainment coverage, including her first run-in with movie reporting, with a phone interview with Guillermo del Toro for Best Picture winner, The Shape of Water. Now she's into covering YA television and movies, and plenty of horror. Word webslinger. All her writing should be read in Sarah Connor’s Terminator 2 voice over.

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The Long Tail of ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’

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By Alexandra Alter

• Dec. 21, 2019

In the summer of 2018, Putnam published an unusual debut novel by a retired wildlife biologist named Delia Owens . The book, which had an odd title and didn’t fit neatly into any genre, hardly seemed destined to be a blockbuster, so Putnam printed about 28,000 copies.

It wasn’t nearly enough.

A year and a half later, the novel, “ Where the Crawdads Sing ,” an absorbing, atmospheric tale about a lonely girl’s coming-of-age in the marshes of North Carolina, has sold more than four and a half million copies. It’s an astonishing trajectory for any debut novelist, much less for a reclusive, 70-year-old scientist, whose previous published works chronicled the decades she spent in the deserts and valleys of Botswana and Zambia, where she studied hyenas, lions and elephants.

As the end of 2019 approaches, “Crawdads” has sold more print copies than any other adult title this year — fiction or nonfiction — according to NPD BookScan, blowing away the combined print sales of new novels by John Grisham, Margaret Atwood and Stephen King . Putnam has returned to the printers nearly 40 times to feed a seemingly bottomless demand for the book. Foreign rights have sold in 41 countries.

Industry analysts have struggled to explain the novel’s staying power, particularly at a moment when fiction sales over all are flagging, and most blockbuster novels drop off the best-seller list after a few weeks.

For the past several years, adult fiction sales have steadily fallen — in 2019, adult fiction sales through early December totaled around 116 million units, down from nearly 144 million in 2015, according to NPD BookScan. In a tough retail environment for fiction, publishers and agents frequently complain that it has become harder and harder for even established novelists to break through the noise of the news cycle.

“Crawdads” seems to be the lone exception. After a burst of holiday sales, it landed back at No. 1 on The Times’s latest fiction best-seller list , where it has held a spot for 67 weeks, with 30 weeks at No. 1.

“This book has defied the new laws of gravity,” said Peter Hildick-Smith, the president of the Codex Group, which analyzes the book industry. “It’s managed to hold its position in a much more consistent way than just about anything.”

The novel is resonating with a swath of American readers at a moment when mass media are deeply fragmented and algorithm-driven entertainment companies like Netflix and Amazon feed consumers a stream of content tailored to their particular tastes. “Crawdads” instead seems to appeal to a wide demographic of American readers. According to a survey of nearly 4,000 book buyers conducted by the Codex Group, respondents who read “Crawdads” came from across the political spectrum, with 55 percent identifying as progressive, 30 percent as conservative and 15 percent as centrists.

For a book about a girl who is isolated in the wilderness and wrestling with loneliness, “Crawdads” has had an oddly unifying effect in a time of rapid technological advances and constant social media connectivity. And its success has upended Ms. Owens’s own solitary existence. This fall, she went on her fifth tour for the novel, with appearances in Georgia, Oklahoma, Kansas, Alabama, Florida and New York, where a talk at the New York Botanical Garden reached capacity, with an additional 100 people signing up for the wait list.

“I have never connected with people the way I have with my readers,” she said in an interview. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

Like the movie industry, publishing has become a winner-take-all business, with a handful of blockbusters commanding all the attention and sales, so surprise breakout hits have become increasingly rare. But “Crawdads” had several things going for it. The plot seemed tailored to appeal to a wide audience, with its combination of murder mystery, lush nature writing, romance and a coming-of-age survival story. The novel also got an early boost from independent booksellers, who widely recommended it, and from the actress Reese Witherspoon, who selected “Crawdads” for her book club and plans to produce a feature film adaptation of the novel, and appeared in a bubbly video with Ms. Owens on Instagram this year.

But even those factors fail to fully account for why the book took off as it did, and continues to sell so robustly.

One of the most surprising things about the success of “Crawdads” is that sales began to accelerate months after it came out — an anomaly in publishing, where sales typically peak just after publication, aided by the initial advertising and marketing around a title.

This past January, six months after its release, the novel hit No. 1 on The Times’s fiction best-seller list. That same month, it appeared at the top of Amazon Charts’ Most Sold and Most Read fiction lists, and maintained its dominant position for the next 16 weeks, the longest streak that any book has occupied the top of both Amazon weekly lists. In February, it began selling well at big box stores like Sam’s Club, Costco and BJ’s Wholesale Club. By March it had sold a million copies; two months later, it had sold two million.

“I’ve never seen anything like this in 30 years,” said Jaci Updike, president of sales for Penguin Random House, who has overseen strategies for best sellers like “The Da Vinci Code,” “The Girl on the Train” and “Gone Girl.” “This book has broken all the friggin’ rules. We like to have a comparison title so that we can do sales forecasts, but in this case none of the comparisons work.”

The combination of word-of-mouth buzz and the novel’s prominence on the best-seller list set off a self-fulfilling cycle: The book’s visibility drove sales, and sales drove visibility. Merriam-Webster added “crawdad” to its list of the top 10 words of 2019, noting that searches for “crawdad” on its online dictionary spiked by 1,200 percent this year.

“Once it took off, it fed on itself and it’s been remarkably resilient,” said Kristen McLean, the executive director of business development at the NPD Group .

No one seems more caught off guard by the book’s success than Ms. Owens.

“I never really thought I could write a novel,” she said.

Ms. Owens began working on it a decade ago, when she got the idea for a story about a girl who grows up alone in the marshes of North Carolina in the 1950s and ’60s after her family abandons her, and becomes an outcast who is later charged with murdering a young man.

Though the story is invented, Ms. Owens said she drew on her experience living in the wilderness, cut off from society. “It’s about trying to make it in a wild place,” she said.

For most of her life, she lived as far away from people and as close to wild animals as she could get. Growing up in Georgia, Ms. Owens spent most of her free time outside in the woods. Inspired by Jane Goodall, she studied zoology at the University of Georgia and later got her doctorate in animal behavior from the University of California, Davis.

In 1974, she and her husband at the time, Mark Owens, set off to study wildlife in Africa. They set up a research camp in the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, where they spent their days closely observing lions and hyenas, studying their migration patterns and social behavior.

The Owenses later became renowned for their foundation’s work in Zambia, where they provided job training, microloans, health care and education to villagers. But they also generated controversy. Mr. Owens, trying to stop poachers from killing elephants and other wildlife, turned their base camp into “the command center for anti-poaching operations” — which Ms. Owens thought was risky, according to her account in their memoir “The Eye of the Elephant.”

In 1995, one of the anti-poaching missions ended in tragedy when a suspected poacher was apparently shot and killed, an incident that Slate reported on this past summer and that The New Yorker wrote about in 2010 . Mark and Delia Owens, who weren’t present at the shooting, left the country and haven’t been back since. After returning to the United States in 1996, they settled in northern Idaho, on a secluded 720-acre ranch. Several years ago, after more than 40 years of marriage, they divorced, and this year, Ms. Owens moved to the mountains of North Carolina, near Asheville.

Mr. Owens wasn’t available to comment, according to the Owenses’ friend and former lawyer Bob Ivey, who confirmed that there were never any charges filed and that there haven’t been any recent developments in the case.

Ms. Owens said she had nothing to do with the shooting and was never accused of wrongdoing but declined to elaborate on the circumstances.

“I was not involved,” she added. “There was never a case, there was nothing.”

She brought the conversation back to her novel and likened her experience to the ordeals faced by her fictional heroine Kya Clark, who is subjected to vicious rumors and ostracized.

“It’s painful to have that come up, but it’s what Kya had to deal with, name calling,” Ms. Owens said during an interview in New York this fall. “You just have to put your head up or down, or whichever, you have to keep going and be strong. I’ve been charged by elephants before.”

Later that evening, Ms. Owens, who still seems unaccustomed to the spotlight, invoked charging elephants again, when she took the stage at the Botanical Garden and faced a crowd of more than 400 people. Looking slightly unsettled, Ms. Owens compared the experience of addressing the audience to the adrenaline rush she felt many years before when, in an effort to escape an elephant that was rushing at her, she jumped into a crocodile-infested river.

“I’ve lived in remote settings for most of my life,” she told the crowd. “There are more people in this room than I would see in six months.”

Follow Alexandra Alter on Twitter: @xanalter .

Kitty Bennett contributed reporting.

Follow New York Times Books on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram , sign up for our newsletter or our literary calendar . And listen to us on the Book Review podcast .

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Heartspoken

How to strengthen connection in a digital world...at home and at work

Book Review: Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens is the perfect pick for a delicious summer reading experience. Here’s my Heartspoken book review.

Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Reviewed by elizabeth h. cottrell 5 stars out of 5.

This amazing book checked all the boxes of top-quality fiction for me:

• exquisite writing 
• vivid, well-drawn characters
• a fast-paced story with exciting elements of mystery and danger
• the satisfying emotions of love, hope, and redemption

Right off the bat, the author’s lyrical and rich descriptions of the coastal marsh are the kind readers crave and to which writers aspire:

“…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.”

Don’t you just feel like you’re there, experiencing that incredible scene? The marsh is almost a character itself, wild and mysterious and powerfully beautiful.

Kya is a dubbed the Marsh Girl by her unkind tormenters. Born in an isolated cabin in the coastal marsh of North Carolina, she escapes into the wild to get away from her father’s abusive rages caused by PTSD and fueled by alcohol. Her mother flees, seemingly abandoning 5-year-old Kya and her four older siblings. One by one the siblings escape too, leaving Kya utterly alone to deal with her father and his demons.

The story alternates between that time in 1952 when her mother left and the year 1969 when the body of Chase Andrews is discovered at the base of an old fire tower in the swamp. As the book progresses, the reader discovers how these two lives—Kya’s and Chase’s—intersect. We also learn how Kya, who was taught to read by Tate, was able to combine her love of words with her meticulous study of swamp wildlife to become a true authority, albeit without formal education. She and Tate become fierce protectors of their beloved ecosystem.

Besides the author’s remarkable descriptive skill, she shows a depth of knowledge about the spectrum of human emotion in her characters’ behavior and dialogue. It all rings true. 

“But loneliness has a compass of its own…”

“Biology sees right and wrong as the same color in different light.”

In expressing the impact of reading poetry for the first time, Kya says to Tate (in her swamp dialect, “I wadn’t aware that words could hold so much. I didn’t know a sentence could be so full.”

My heart was full when I finished this book. What better endorsement for a book to enrich the #HeartspokenLife.  

If you’re interested in other Heartspoken Book Reviews, CLICK HERE .

Reader Interactions

May 26, 2019 at 7:08 am

I read this book last month also, Elizabeth. I was riveted long after I came to THE END. Oh, and I loved the ending!

May 26, 2019 at 9:52 am

Yes, the ending was worthy of a big sigh and a full heart!

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Word of Mouth

Submitting a book for review, write the editor, you are here:, where the crawdads sing.

Kya is just six years old when her mother leaves, never to return. Her father is a mean drunk and a gambler who regularly beats her mother, and sometimes inflicts similar abuse on her and her four brothers and sisters. Soon after their mother’s abrupt departure, her three older siblings disappear. Then one day, her brother, whom she loves dearly, also decides to leave. So Kya is left alone with her father, who, when he isn’t consuming alcohol, takes her fishing and teaches her how to steer a boat. Yet that soon changes, as he becomes violent and starts drinking again. One day he leaves and doesn’t return.

So, when she is just 10, Kya is left all alone in the marsh. She learns fairly quickly how to take care of herself, but her life is a hard, lonesome and sad one. All this time, Kya longs for human interaction. She is fortunate enough to befriend local gas seller Jumpin’ and his wife, Mabel, along with a boy named Tate, who teaches her to read, write and count. Tate has opened up a whole new world to Kya, and she starts to record the wildlife of the marsh. Nonetheless, for residents of Barkley Cove, a small town on the North Carolina coast, Kya is just a “Marsh Girl.” Thus, when Chase Andrews, a young local, is found dead, Kya is the first and only suspect.

"What Owens has done is pure magic. She has managed to write a story that has resonated with me and that I will remember for a very long time."

WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING has it all --- beautiful characters, a wonderful plot and magnificent descriptions --- and provides in-depth insight into the marsh’s flora and fauna. Author Delia Owens is also masterful at describing life in the small town, whose citizens are highly distrustful of those who live on its outskirts, and provides a fine critique of how easily people jump to conclusions.

Although the novel contains elements that I am not very fond of --- a child who is abandoned and rejected, detailed descriptions of nature, a non-linear narrative (the story goes back and forth between 1952 and 1970, describing Kya’s life from her childhood to her early 20s) --- it made me cry and turned out to be a fantastic read. While wiping away my tears, I was frantically turning pages to find out what would happen next and if Kya would finally get her happy ending.

What Owens has done is pure magic. She has managed to write a story that has resonated with me and that I will remember for a very long time. It is so obvious that she cares deeply for both Kya and nature; the connection between this beautiful girl and the marsh in which she lives is palpable. WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING is absolutely worth reading, and I give it my highest possible recommendation.

Reviewed by Dunja Bonacci Skenderović on August 17, 2018

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

• Publication Date: March 30, 2021
• Genres: Fiction , Women's Fiction
• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
• ISBN-10: 0735219109
• ISBN-13: 9780735219106

Reading Ladies

Where the crawdads sing [book review].

September 28, 2018

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Genre/Categories: Women’s Fiction, Southern Fiction, Coming of Age, Family Life, Survival

Living in the marsh outside a quiet, small town on the coast of North Carolina, Kya Clark, later known as the “Marsh Girl,” is abandoned by her entire family and learns to survive in the marsh on her own from the age of ten. One by one her older siblings abandon the family, her mother leaves when Kya is about seven, and finally, her father, a difficult, unreliable, and drunk man, leaves when she’s ten. Kya attends school for one day after a truant officer catches her. On that day, she is teased by the students, knows she’s hopelessly behind academically, and never returns. Preferring the isolation and safety of the marsh, she learns what she can through observing nature. Although she can survive on her own, she begins to long for companionship as she reaches her teen years. Two boys from town attract her attention. One of them turns up dead, and she is suspected of murder. The other becomes a life long supporter and friend. A coming of age story with a fair share of tragedy, mystery, and grit, this is an unforgettable read you’ll want to devour and recommend.

Amazon Rating: 4.8 Stars

My Thoughts:

While I loved Where the Crawdads Sing , this story might not be for everyone and comes with trigger warnings for some child neglect and abandonment.

What I loved most: structure and style. Where the Crawdads Sing is atmospheric and engaging from the first page to the last. In addition, it’s an easy reading narrative that flows well and is pleasingly balanced between character-driven and plot-driven. The author creates an amazing sense of place and a memorable and unforgettable character. As a bonus, the author’s background as a wildlife scientist enables her to include many fascinating scientific facts and details about the marsh.

This story came to me at the right time as I was in the mood for an intriguing, well written, page-turner, and Where the Crawdads Sing did not disappoint! It will most likely appear on my best of 2018 list.

Along with an emphasis on science and the marsh habitat, the author creates vivid and colorful local characters that enhance the story and includes a surprising plot twist at the end (which I have mixed feelings about).

Kya Clark is certainly a most compelling character . Resourceful, brave, cunning, a gritty survivor, and clever, Kya creates a life for herself despite the most difficult and disheartening circumstances. There is a person in town that she learns to trust and who becomes as important to her as a father. He watches out for her the best that he can which is difficult because he’s African-American and is dealing with issues of hate and segregation in his own life. He understands Kya and respects her freedom and her need to live her life on her terms even though she’s so young. Despite Kya’s ability to create a life for herself as a wildlife artist and illustrator and is eventually able to trust herself to love, there is a plot twist at the end that will force you to reevaluate Kya and the decisions she’s made.

Themes in Where the Crawdads Sing include belonging, abandonment, survival, trust, coming of age, family, and caring for others. There’s a great deal to reflect on or to discuss (if this is a book club pick) as the story unfolds.

The Ending: I have mixed feelings about the morally ambiguous ending. If you consider the author’s premise that Kya learned life’s lessons from marsh creatures, I guess the ending falls into perspective. However, I wonder if this is enough of a justification for Kya’s actions. Definitely a great topic for book club!

Recommended for readers who are looking for an engaging and unique story with a strong female protagonist. It would make an excellent book club selection because of the various discussion possibilities.

Triggers/Content Considerations: child neglect and abandonment.

My Rating 4.5 (rounded up to 5 Stars

Where the Crawdads Sing Information Here

Meet the Author, Delia Owens

She has won the John Burroughs Award for Nature Writing and has been published in  Nature ,  The African Journal of Ecology , and many others.

She currently lives in Idaho.  Where the Crawdads Sing  is her first novel.

Have you read Where the Crawdads Sing or is it on your TBR? Who is the most memorable character in your recent reads?

Happy Reading Book Worms!

“Ah, how good it is to be among people who are reading.” ~Rainer Maria Rilke

“I love the world of words, where life and literature connect.” ~Denise J Hughes

“Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad ones.” ~Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

“I read because books are a form of transportation, of teaching, and of connection! Books take us to places we’ve never been, they teach us about our world, and they help us to understand human experience.” ~Madeleine Riley, Top Shelf Text

My Fall TBR

I’ll be updating my Fall TBR list as I complete each read, so check this link often!

Looking Ahead:

This week I’m reading an ARC of The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain (pub date: 10/2). It’s different from my usual genres: heavy on science fiction (time travel), a bit of hisfic (as the characters travel between 1970 and 2018), and some suspense. I would characterize this as an escapist read! Full review coming soon.

I’m also ready to begin The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris  because my library hold came in. (taking a deep breath for this heavy read)

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28 comments.

[…] Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (debut author) (pub date: 8/14) I’ve read almost all glowing reviews of this one! It’s my most anticipated fall read which I’ll be reading and reviewing soon because my library hold just became available! ***Update: 5 Stars. Unforgettable character. (Full Review Here) […]

Such a wonderful post, Carol! I found Kya completely memorable, too! I loved your Crawdads review! It’s definitely worthy of five stars! I’m rushing off to work, and I’m going to think on another memorable character.

Thank you for stopping in and commenting! I love all the unforgettable characters we meet through reading!

[…] Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens Fiction/Family Life 5 Stars. Full Review Here. […]

Hi Carol– this is not a book I would pick up just based on it’s cover description– But your hearty recommendation makes it intriguing. I have it on my library list! thanks.

I think it’s worth trying….the story is unique and it’s well written and engaging…..but it may not be for everyone! I’ll be eager to hear what you think if you read it!

I just finished this book, and it was very intriguing–that plot twist at the very end has been on my mind too much ever since! Loved all the marsh wildlife and biology information. And right, not for everyone.

Thanks for commenting Ruth!

[…] Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens […]

[…] Using my five senses, can I envision a place? The time period? The atmosphere? The season? When I close my eyes and stop to think about the story, can I place myself in the story? What do I see, hear, touch, feel, taste, smell? What details do I notice? If I’m having difficulty in answering these questions, this might mean a low rating for this element of the story. How important is the setting to the story? Is the setting an important aspect of the story or could the story have taken place in any location or in any time period? Sometimes the setting can be as important in a story as a character. An example of this is Where the Crawdads Sing. […]

[…] that are too high and it ends up a disappointing read. The last book I read with a lot of buzz was Where the Crawdads Sing and it lived up to the buzz. What’s the last book you chose based on the buzz? Did you enjoy […]

[…] the most views day after day, week after week, and month after month is the review I wrote of Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. This title is also the most used search term that leads readers to my blog. When my bookish […]

[…] Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens 5 Stars […]

[…] viewed post: Where the Crawdads Sing (day after day, week after week, and month after month, this is the most searched for and viewed […]

[…] Where the Crawdads Sing (Fiction) by Delia Owens and The Scent Keeper (Fiction) by Erica Bauermeister (especially for readers who are interested in unique coming of age stories) […]

[…] Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (contemporary fiction, against the odds, *trigger: child abandonment) My review. […]

[…] popular post: Where the Crawdads Sing Review (week after week and month after month since the pub date, Crawdads has been my number one search […]

[…] My Summary: Living in the marsh outside a quiet, small town on the coast of North Carolina, Kya Clark, later known as the “Marsh Girl,” is abandoned by her entire family and learns to survive in the marsh on her own from the age of ten. One by one her older siblings abandon the family, her mother leaves when Kya is about seven, and finally her father, a difficult, unreliable, and drunk man, leaves when she’s ten. Kya attends school for one day after a truant officer catches her. On that day, she is teased by the students, knows she’s hopelessly behind academically, and never returns. Preferring the isolation and safety of the marsh, she learns what she can through observing nature. Although she can survive on her own, she begins to long for companionship as she reaches her teen years. Two boys from town attract her attention. One of them turns up dead, and she is suspected of murder. The other becomes a life long supporter and friend. A coming of age story with a fair share of tragedy, mystery, and grit, this is an unforgettable read you’ll want to devour and recommend. My Review. […]

[…] Most viewed post: Where the Crawdads Sing  […]

[…] Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (contemporary fiction, against the odds, *trigger: child abandonment) My review of Crawdads here. […]

[…] most viewed posts. In 2017 (blogged for 6 months): 2017 Really Recommendable Reads (views); in 2018 Where the Crawdads Sing (495 views); in 2019 Where the Crawdads Sing (7,777 views)….I’m […]

[…] a few of these great reads, and today I’m eager to share my review of the page-turning Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens….a story of […]

This sounds like it would be perfect for me, but there’s something that just makes me not want to bother… can’t put my finger on it, I’m afraid. (Too much hype, maybe?)

I’m sure it’s the hype! Maybe in a few years!

[…] and resilient, Yona is a complicated character and survivalist. At times, she reminds me of Kya in Where the Crawdads Sing. As she overcomes her shyness around people, Yona becomes a strong and wise leader and saves many […]

[…] swamp setting in Where the Crawdads Sing comes to mind when I think of atmospheric settings. Also, unforgettably atmospheric is the dust […]

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