#19 in Contemporary fiction
Where the Crawdads Sing
- 386
- Pages
- about 7 h
- Reading time
- NYT bestseller · 193 weeks on the list, peaked at #1
- Reese's Book Club
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About the book
Where the Crawdads Sing is a 2018 coming-of-age murder mystery novel by American zoologist Delia Owens. The story follows two timelines that slowly intertwine. The first timeline describes the life and adventures of a young girl named Kya as she grows up isolated in the marshes of North Carolina. The second timeline follows an investigation into the apparent murder of Chase Andrews, a local celebrity of Barkley Cove, a fictional coastal town of North Carolina. By April 2023, the book had sold over 18 million copies. A film adaptation was released in July 2022.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 8.2 across 1,787 ratings. With that many, the reader vote carries 91% of the weight and the score stays at 8.1 — the Contemporary fiction average of 7.6 barely moves it.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.6 | 101 | 6% |
| Google Books | 7.0 | 9 | 1% |
| Hardcover | 8.2 | 1.7K | 94% |
Reader voices
The most-liked reviews on Hardcover (credited to their authors).
“There are books that entertain, and there are books that quietly rearrange something in you while you're not looking. Where the Crawdads Sing is the latter — a story so perfectly steeped in the place of origin you can smell the salt marsh and hear the wings of egrets cutting through the morning mist. Delia Owens writes with the patience of someone who's listened to the world long enough to learn its secrets. Her language hums with reverence for nature, yet she never forgets the human ache that sits in the center of every creature, Kya most of all. The protagonist is not written as some ethere…”
“This book tried to be a coming-of-age, romance, AND murder mystery book. I only care about the coming of age part to be honest, that's where most of the heart of the books is, telling a story of a deeply wronged child. The romance part was icky, authors need to stop writing love story between an adult and a minor. The murder mystery and the twisted ending was whatever. This could have been a 3/5 book, but then I remember that one page where the author decided to use racial slurs about 10 times for literally no reason, adding nothing to the story. Stop doing that, especially if you are white …”
“Loved the book from start to finish, easy 9.5/10.”
Frequently asked
What is Where the Crawdads Sing rated?
8.1 out of 10, from 1,787 reader ratings across 3 independent sources.
Is Where the Crawdads Sing worth reading?
Readers give it 8.1/10 from 1,787 ratings, which puts it ahead of 67 % of the Contemporary fiction shelf.
How long does it take to read Where the Crawdads Sing?
About 7 hours at an average reading pace — 386 pages.
Where does Where the Crawdads Sing rank?
#19 in Contemporary fiction on the current snapshot.
Was Where the Crawdads Sing a bestseller?
Yes — 193 weeks on the New York Times list, peaking at #1. Sales are shown here but never scored.
How long is Where the Crawdads Sing?
It has 386 pages — longer than 51% of the ranked books in Contemporary fiction.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Contemporary fiction — with scores between 8.1 and 8.2, closest to this book.
