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Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Ronit Zafran
Original language
English
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WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING

Delia Owens

A stunning debut novel from a New York Times-bestselling nature writer, about an unforgettable young woman determined to make her way in the wilds of North Carolina, and the two men that will break her isolation open.

For years, rumors of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Berkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. She's barefoot and wild, unfit for polite society. So in late 1968, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark.


But Kya is not what they say. Abandoned at age ten, she has survived on her own in the marsh that she calls home. A born naturalist with just one day of school, she takes life lessons from the land, learning from the false signals of fireflies the real way of this world. But while she could have lived in solitude forever, the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. Drawn to two young men from town, who are each intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world - until the unthinkable happens.


In WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING, Owens juxtaposes an exquisite ode to the natural world against a heartbreaking coming-of-age story and a surprising murder investigation. Thought-provoking, wise, and deeply moving, Owens' debut novel reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.


For Fans of Barbara Kingsolver.


Delia Owens is a zoologist and the author of three acclaimed nonfiction books about her work as a wildlife scientist in Africa, Cry of the Kalahari, The Eye of the Elephant, and Secrets of the Savannah. She has won the John Burroughs Award for Nature Writing, the most prestigious award in that field, and many other awards; been published and featured in scores of magazines; appeared on major national television dozens of times; and received significant press and publicity in every medium. This is her first novel.

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Published 2018-08-14 by Putnam

Book

Published 2018-08-14 by Putnam

Comments

Delia Owen's gorgeous novel is both a coming-of-age tale and an engrossing whodunit.

A mystery, a courtroom drama, a romance and a coming-of-age story, Where the Crawdads Sing is a moving, beautiful tale. Readers will remember Kya for a long, long time.

Lyrical . . . Its appeal ris[es] from Kya's deep connection to the place where makes her home, and to all of its creatures.

With prose luminous as a low-country moon, Owens weaves a compelling tale of a forgotten girl in the unforgiving coastal marshes of North Carolina. It is a murder mystery/love story/courtroom drama that readers will love, but the novel delves so much deeper into the bone and sinew of our very nature, asking often unanswerable questions, old and intractable as the marsh itself. A stunning debut!

Both a coming-of-age story and a mysterious account of a murder investigation told from the perspective of a young girl...Through Kya's story, Owens explores how isolation affects human behavior, and the deep effect that rejection can have on our lives.

included in 10 Essential August Reads roundup: "Spell-binding...Crawdads is a story lovingly told - one that takes its time in developing its characters, setting, and story. You'll want to relax and take your time with it as well, and when you're done you'll want to talk about it with another reader." Read more...

Reminiscent of Barbara Kingsolver, this Southern-set period novel unfurls a whodunit against a typical coming-of-age tale, when a mysterious "Marsh Girl" becomes the primary suspect of a grisly crime.

A lush debut novel, Owens delivers her mystery wrapped in gorgeous, lyrical prose. It's clear she's from this placethe land of the southern coasts, but also the emotional terrainyou can feel it in the pages. A magnificent achievement, ambitious, credible and very timely.

WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens (Putnam) is the September pick for Reese Witherspoon's book club! Read more...

Where The Crawdads Sing carries the rhythm of an old time ballad. It is clear Owens knows this land intimately, from the black mud sucking at footsteps to the taste of saltwater and the cry of seagulls.

A nature-infused romance with a killer twist.

Evocative . . . Kya makes for an unforgettable heroine. Read more...

.[a] richly atmospheric debut.

Slow down and let this lush nature-focused story unspool....A mystery will pull you along, but stay awhile in the descriptions of shifting tides, shell collections, and the mottled light of coastal Carolina.

WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING debuted last week at #9 on the Print Hardcover Bestseller List, and this week it's up a spot at #8 for the week of September 30, 2018. It also debuted now on the Combined Print & Ebook Bestseller List at #14.

This lush mystery is perfect for fans of Barbara Kingsolver.

...a compelling mystery with prose so luminous it can cut through the murkiest of pluff mud. Read more...

Fierce and hauntingly beautiful... An astonishing debut.

A painfully beautiful first novel that is at once a murder mystery, a coming-of-age narrative and a celebration of nature.... Owens here surveys the desolate marshlands of the North Carolina coast through the eyes of an abandoned child. And in her isolation that child makes us open our own eyes to the secret wonders - and dangers - of her private world.

This beautiful, evocative novel is likely to stay with you for many days afterward..absorbing. Read more...

Broke my heart piece by piece and then slowly put it back together...if you loved the Great Alone by Kristin Hannah, you will love this book.

Where the Crawdads Sing is a moving character study and a beautiful coming of age story that is easily one of my favorite reads of the year, and likely one of my favorites of all time. I can't recommend Kya's story enough. It was about human connection, love and heartbreak, redemption, and beyond anything else, hope. Read more...

The New Southern Novel.. [a] lyrical debut.

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