Page 2 | Where the Crawdads Sing *may contain spoilers

Waggily · 06/03/2021 19:30

I thought it was awful. The whole plot revolved around how beautiful she was. I don’t understand how it got such good reviews.

DappledOliveGroves · 06/03/2021 19:34

I thought it was a disappointment. None of it rang true - she somehow could read a full sentence after her first lesson learning to read? She could fend for herself entirely and not starve to death? And the ending was just a let down - we were supposed to believe that a girl that terrified of authority and suicidal and self-harming in prison would have deliberately chosen to murder Chase Andrews without thinking of the repercussions?

Original poster

Wallabyone · 06/03/2021 21:46

I'm glad I'm not the only one who missed the reason why it's so admired! I actually bought it for my friend before I got it for myself and she's enjoying it at the moment.
Thanks for the recommendations too; I've had The Secret History on my shelf for several years but haven't yet read it.

OP posts:

5foot5 · 14/03/2021 17:24

Loved it. Recommended to DD who also enjoyed it. I will definitely read it again

ineedtostop · 14/03/2021 17:38

Oooh The Secret History definitely! Must have read it 20 years ago and have often wished for something that grabbed me as much since then.

EduCated · 14/03/2021 17:45

I really enjoyed the atmosphere of it, but found the majority of the storyline almost secondary to the descriptions.

SJaneS49 · 15/03/2021 07:47

It’s good to read that other people thought it was a load of pony. Not just me then!

Inthevirtualwaitingroom · 15/03/2021 07:51

eventually i got into it, and then i couldnt put it down, but then i put it down and struggled to finish it, and i didnt like the ending. i lent it to a friend who just loved it
so many people love this book

garlictwist · 18/03/2021 11:01

I've just finished it too. Loved the descriptions of the marsh and the wildlife, it was really evocative and I enjoyed the start of it very much. I felt that the end became a little mawkish and (dare I say it) chick litty.

I also think it's highly unrealistic that Kyra would have grown up as literate and sociable as she did given her childhood but accept that it's fiction.

Lionessloudmouth · 18/03/2021 11:03

I loved it

toastofthetown · 21/03/2021 10:46

I was really disappointed by it. I went in with high exceptions, and while I enjoyed the atmosphere and the writing style, the plot didn't work for me. It was far fetched, and the twist in the end just felt hollow to me. I've been looking forward to reading Hamnet, so a bit 😬 that someone found it disappointing, who also didn't like Crawdads. Maybe if I lower my expectations I'll enjoy it more! I did love The Secret History though.

SJaneS49 · 21/03/2021 11:22

As someone who loved Hamnet and thought it was beautifully written but disliked Crawdads and thought it was a massively overhyped, thinly plotted piece of doo-dah, I wouldn’t start Hamnet with preconceptions you’ll dislike it @toastofthetown!

WhereHaveAllTheGoodTimesGone · 21/03/2021 14:57

@Wallabyone

I just finished this book. It took me a while, because I couldn't really get into it. Then I did, and read it all, and I'm just a bit 🤷🏻‍♀️ about it! Am I missing something?! It was ok, nothing awful but also nothing brilliant. Why is there such hype about it? I didn't think it was really well written, and the plot was fairly predictable.

Also, any brilliant book recommendations would be gratefully received. I'm currently reading Skellig to my eldest and thoroughly enjoying it (I've read it a couple of times already).

I loved it but it isn't flawless by any means. I couldn't believe how the heroine lived in such squalor and still was so beautiful and clean. I t wasn't believable but I found it a good read.

WhereHaveAllTheGoodTimesGone · 21/03/2021 14:58

@toastofthetown

I was really disappointed by it. I went in with high exceptions, and while I enjoyed the atmosphere and the writing style, the plot didn't work for me. It was far fetched, and the twist in the end just felt hollow to me. I've been looking forward to reading Hamnet, so a bit 😬 that someone found it disappointing, who also didn't like Crawdads. Maybe if I lower my expectations I'll enjoy it more! I did love The Secret History though.

couldn't put Secret History down. Also enjoyed The Goldfinch.

Flavabobble · 31/03/2021 14:40

Just finished it. It was “ok”. I saw the ending coming at the first mention (of several) of the fireflies killing their mate. That was hammered home. Her whole family abandoning her annoyed me.
The writing put me in mind of Catherine Cookson and Ruth Hamilton.

museumum · 31/03/2021 14:44

I liked it, but I don't read or believe 'hype' so I went into it just based on the jacket blurb and quite enjoyed it.
Same for midnight library which I've just read and enjoyed - all the online reviews say 'over hyped' but if you read it for it and without prejudging based on other people's reviews you can better judge for yourself.

pangolina · 16/04/2021 11:55

I loved it!

StColumbofNavron · 19/04/2021 20:17

@Flavabobble

Just finished it. It was “ok”. I saw the ending coming at the first mention (of several) of the fireflies killing their mate. That was hammered home. Her whole family abandoning her annoyed me. The writing put me in mind of Catherine Cookson and Ruth Hamilton.

See I think Catherine Cookson was a great writer and despite the predictability of her stories far superior to this. She is my guilty pleasure though so accept my opinion is step by by biased.

LadyEloise · 21/04/2021 14:28

@MirandaGoshawk
I agree re your recommendation for Joseph O' Connor's Star of the Sea.
It was a great read.
I haven't finished Where the Crawdads Sing yet.

banivani · 21/04/2021 14:36

I agree -- it was really interesting at first and very gripping, and then it just became a John Grisham novel? The last bit felt like it was written with the cinema rights in mind. Right down to the beautiful main character. And the "epilogue" part was very poor.

CreatedANewName · 21/04/2021 20:08

I've not totally given up on it but it didn't grab me as much as I'd expected from all the reviews.

RightOnTheEdge · 21/04/2021 20:19

I listened to it on audible and enjoyed it. I think if I had read it I might have got bored with it but I think it was easier listening to all the descriptive stuff and the narrator's accent gave it it bit more atmosphere.

I enjoyed it but didn't love it enough to read it again I don't think.

Chocolatefrenzy · 22/04/2021 19:26

A lot of my book group have read it and rave about how good/wonderful it was etc, I just found it a bit whimsical. Don’t get the fuss tbh

HappydaysArehere · 29/04/2021 00:51

As said earlier on this thread I had been disappointed by Hamnet and because of reading negative reviews I left the Crawdads on the shelf. However,I have just finished it and I loved it. Loved the descriptions of nature and how rejection, isolation and loneliness could affect a person.
You may have to suspend belief in some respects but I found myself really engaging with the heroine. Loved her resourcefulness and intense focus on nature. I didn’t find it difficult to imagine her learning to read with the help of Tate. She so wanted to read and when she had some help she was able to fully focus on attaining this skill. Yes I loved it.

HappydaysArehere · 06/05/2021 20:36

Had the Crawdads but left it for awhile as the criticisms put me off. However, picked it up to give it a go and really enjoyed it. Read Hamnet and was really disappointed. Underwhelmed by Girl, Woman and Other. Loved The Louding Girl. Just shows how we differ in our opinions about books.