Book Club Worthy: Where The Crawdads Sing

I have yet to read a novel more than once. But after meeting the unforgettable "Marsh Girl" in Delia Owens' Where The Crawdads Sing, I just may succumb to reading a novel twice! Why? This engrossing love story/mystery is superb in characterization, dialogue and setting. Owens, with her debut novel, is highly skilled at conflict, resolution, plot development and flashback. Most impressive is how she constructs a picturesque, rural setting that is just as important as the colorful characters who live there. 

What takes place in the coastal marshes of North Carolina's outer banks is more than entomology, its landscape portrays ecology, evolution and social behaviors that mimic human nature. The citizens of Barkley Cove prove that diversity and acceptance is about more than skin color, it's about differences. Social injustice and prejudice is center stage as vulnerable marsh dwellers are forced to endure jeers, sneers, and outright insults.

I am intrigued and invested in the outcome of the "Marsh Girl" who lives in primal solitude. Her emotions are so prolific, readers will root for her well-being from beginning to end. Ultimately, she reminds us that love is just as complicated among humans as with other species … where only the strong survive. 

Wade through the poetic pages of one of the most provocative novels ever written with a jaw dropping conclusion that blindsides. 

Title: Where The Crawdads Sing
Author: Delia Owens
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Genre: Fiction (2018)
Core Value: Diversity
Book Club Worthy Rating: 5

Book Club Worthy Rating Scale: 1-5

1 = not recommended

2 = worth reading but not in a group setting

3 = worth reading in a group setting

4 = recommended

5 = highly recommended