- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
- Genre: Fiction
- Category: Women’s Stories, Coming of Age, Self Education
Where the Crawdads Sing
The premise
The premise of this book, the context of the story is most unique and unusual. Set in the marshes of South Carolina, the young protagonist survives an abusive father and then, solitude. Abandoned as a very young child, not having the basics of food and clothing or family comfort, she nonetheless survives. A small step at a time, this little girl navigates the complex adult world of money and trade in order to provide for her at the most basic level – food, candles, gas for her boat. She spends her childhood surviving like this while staying under the radar to avoid being approached by Social Services and taken away from her beloved shack by the marshes.
This premise is unique in how it tugs at your heart and is undeniably the strongest part of the story.
The Plot
This is where the book falls short in my opinion. After setting the most wonderful scenes before your eyes, the author seems at a loss on what to do with the lives and events in that setting. The events in the book come across as less than convincing. The courtroom drama and the ‘who dun it’ twists, in the end, fail to engage.
Recommendation
Read it for the setting, the beautiful language will transport you to the marshlands and you may even feel the sea breeze in your hair. Get to know the characters but be forgiving to the plot.
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Airak 
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