Hi, friends. This week I decided to review Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. It’s a few years old now, but this one has been on my TBR list for a long time. So, while I waited for my next shipment of books to come in, I decided to finally read it and do a review! For my perfect book-themed cocktail, I have chosen to make a sangria. I chose sangria because I wanted to make a cocktail that could match the colour of the cover of this novel and because it worked into my punny title. Read on to find out how I made this sangria and to see what I thought of one of the most popular novels of the past few years.
Sangria Recipe
- 5oz Rosé
- 1.5oz Apricot Brandy
- 1oz Peach Citrus Juice
- 1oz Apple Juice
- 0.75oz Sweet Tea*
- ~1 scoop Fruit
*Sweet tea is optional.
In a wine glass with ice, add all ingredients and mix. I decided to only make a glass of sangria for the photos, but if you want to make a pitcher you can. To do so, just multiply all the ingredients by 4! I also chose to use rosé because I wanted my drink to have a similar hue to the cover of the book. But you could easily substitute white or red wine in the recipe. I was visiting my mom while I made this one and she asked for white wine in hers and really liked it! The juice and fruit you use are also completely up to you for this drink.
I used peach citrus juice and apple juice because peaches and apples both grow in North Carolina which is where the book takes place. And I added strawberries and raspberries as my fruit because they looked pretty. My special, optional ingredient for this week’s recipe is sweet tea. I struggled this week trying to find something I felt connected with the novel that would work in sangria. For awhile all I could think of was marshmallow vodka because Kya lives in a marsh, but I really didn’t like that idea. Then, after sweet tea was mentioned a few times in the book, I decided that it would work well enough in a sangria! And I think it actually worked perfectly, so I hope you enjoy it.
Synopsis
Set in the marshland of North Carolina, Where the Crawdads Sing is the story of Kya and her life of abandonment and loneliness. After her family leaves her, Kya survives for years alone in the marsh. Because of this, Kya is called the “Marsh Girl” and is ostracized from the small town of Barkley Cove. But Kya is not what she seems. Over the course of the novel, we watch Kya develop from a young child who can’t read to a smart, sensitive woman. But, despite her growth over the novel, Kya is still seen as an outsider. So, in 1969 when town golden boy Chase Andrews is found dead, suspicion falls on the mysterious Marsh Girl…
Review
“The marsh is all the family I got.”
I was really excited to read Where the Crawdads Sing since it’s been on the NY Times Bestseller List for two years and has had such amazing reviews. And, I have to say, it did live up to the hype. It’s a beautiful story with standout characters, plus it’s undeniably well written. Owens really came out strong with this debut novel. And, though I feel like there is a lot that can be said about this novel, there have been tons of reviews already written about it. So, I’m just going to get straight to the point.
My biggest positive for this novel is the writing. Owens has unbelievable talent. All I could think while reading was how beautifully descriptive the novel is. The descriptions completely transport you into the world of the book. And, they made it easy to picture every area Kya explored. The descriptions of the marsh, specifically, are wonderful. These scenes are the true marks of Owens’ writing talent. Because of this descriptive talent, I found it easy to get caught up in this book. I would read and read and it wouldn’t even feel like reading because I could imagine it so fully. Any book that has me reading for hours without realizing has done something right, and this one continuously had me up all night.
My other big positive of this novel is Kya. She is one of the best written characters I’ve ever seen. Throughout the novel I became so attached to her that my heart ached whenever hers did. She is such a fleshed out and unique character it’s hard not to love her. The side characters, no matter how minor, are also great. Owens has a way of writing characters that are realistic, sympathetic, and complete. I felt like I knew everything I needed to know about each character, nothing more and nothing less. All of these characters, Kya especially, added to the appeal of the novel. And, because I desperately wanted to know Kya’s story, I found it hard to put the book down. It’s quite rare to truly care about what happens to both the main and side characters, but Owens’ characters had me itching to know everything.
I really liked Where the Crawdads Sing, but it honestly wasn’t perfect. My main problem is that I noticed a few inconsistencies in the novel. Although they weren’t terrible and didn’t ruin it, they did take me out of the story a little bit. I actually don’t have any other glaring problems with the novel, but online I have seen people complain about Owens use of dialect and the believability of the story. But, neither of these things stood out to me as problems. And, honestly, if it’s a work of fiction I don’t mind some not completely accurate elements. So, if you’re a stickler for geographical accuracy and want your books to be exactly like real life keep these complaints in mind. If not, I think you’ll enjoy the novel as much as I did.
Overall, I think Where the Crawdads Sing is a touching novel that lives up to the hype. And, even though it’s not perfect, it’s a gripping story. It also stirred a range of emotions within me, from happiness and hopefulness to sadness and frustration. So, if you want a beautiful book that makes you feel something, I recommend this one. I think my feelings about it are best summed up with this quote from the novel: “I wasn’t aware that words could hold so much. I didn’t know a sentence could be so full.” I think this quote nicely describes how it feels to read anything you enjoy. So, on that note, I hope you enjoyed this review. And, whether you’ve already read Where the Crawdads Sing, want to, or never will, I still, as always, recommend trying my sangria—or any sangria (honestly you can’t go wrong).
My Rating
Thanks for reading! And, if you haven’t yet read my previous reviews, I recommend reading Simple Truths I Never Told You, The Perfect Guest List, and My Dark and Stormy Vanessa if you liked this one!
Teghann
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