Book notes | Where the Crawdads Sing
In Delia Owens’ novel Where the Crawdads Sing, we meet a young girl named Kya living in a shack in the marshlands outside a small coastal community in North Carolina. By the age of 10 her family, one-by-one, has abandoned Kya and left her to fend for herself.
As the poor, uneducated, and strange “marsh girl,” Kya is an outcast in the community. Unable to fit into school, Kya grows up not knowing how to read books, but she is fluent in reading the natural world around her.
As she grows into young womanhood, two young men enter her life. Tate Walker, a shrimper who was a friend of Kya’s brother, is intrigued by Kya’s love and knowledge of the marshland. He befriends her and teaches her to read, but then goes off to college. Chase Andrews, is a handsome, smooth-talking, football hero and local lothario who is intrigued by Kya’s wildness and beauty. When he is found dead at the foot of a fire tower, possibly murdered, the evidence gathered by the sheriff’s office makes Kya the prime suspect.
To quote the inside cover of the book: “Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder.”
During our discussion, UMRA Book Club members said they enjoyed the book primarily because of the lyrical prose as the author described the natural environment of the marsh and surrounding area. One reader commented that the author’s descriptions of the North Carolina marsh area made her, the reader, feel that she was there. Some found events in the book hard to believe but didn’t mind because the book was written so well. One person did not care for the book at all primarily because of the murder mystery aspect of it. Overall, though, we thought it was an excellent book.
— Beth Bedell, Book Club member
Book Club to meet May 15
Fri, May 15 2020, 2pm
Beth Bedell will lead the discussion of Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens when the UMRA Book Club meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 15.
Here are the books and discussion leaders for our summer reading:
JUNE Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes; discussion leader Laura Ericksen.
JULY The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See; discussion leader Paula Knutzen.
AUGUST The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri; discussion leader Mariah Snyder.
Contact Pat Tollefson at [email protected] for more information.
Upcoming Events
We are fortunate to have UMRA member and former Minnesota Landscape Arboretum director Peter Moe to lead this approximately 3.7-mile hike at the Arboretum on Monday, May 6. Plan to have lunch together after the hike at the Eatery café inside the Oswald Visitor Center.
This session will continue the discussion begun in the May 8, 2023 session. See that article for details.
If you currently live in your own home or apartment, have you looked ahead to when you might want to consider a senior living option? Do you have any idea what those options might be? How much they cost? What they provide? UMRA’s May 14 workshop will provide an overview of the world of senior living and the basic information you need.
You’re invited to join the final Family History Interest Group meeting for 2023–24. This will be an opportunity to ask questions related to family history, share insights, talk about recent projects, and suggest topics for next year.
Stephanie Daily will lead the discussion of Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by best-selling author Mary Roach when the UMRA Book Club meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 17.
The May 20 hike will start at the Historic Lift Bridge in Stillwater and go along the river to the new bridge, cross over and then back on the Wisconsin side, a total of approximately 5 miles. Most of the route is paved. We will eat lunch after at Brian's Bar and Grill in Stillwater. Car pooling will be available.
Climatologist and meteorologist Mark Seeley joined the U of M faculty in 1978 and has been a weekly commentator on Minnesota Public Radio since 1992. We are honored to welcome him as our guest speaker for UMRA’s May Luncheon Forum and 2024 Annual Meeting. He is always entertaining and informative.
UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club welcomes back, for the second time, author Julie Schumacher, U of M Regents professor of creative writing and English, for a conversation about her novel The Shakespeare Requirement.
We are in for a treat on June 3! Lynn Anderson, will lead us on trails at two parks near her Monticello home. Bring a bag lunch and we will gather in Lynn's yard along the Mississippi River for eating and socializing after the hike.
Get out to the ballpark with fellow UMRA members for the annual U of M Day at Target Field as the Minnesota Twins take on the Oakland Athletics on June 14 at 7:10 p.m.
Please join us at 9:30 on June 17, 2024 for a walk around Lake Como in St. Paul before attending the UMRA Summer Social and Picnic starting at 11 at the Como Pavilion. A perfect opportunity to get in a walk before we gather to celebrate summer.
Picnic under the covered, open-air Como pavilion, gaze at the water, spy some birds, catch up with friends and former colleagues, and meet new members. We’ll have lunch with plenty of time for visiting and then compete in teams as we are challenged by our Quiz master(s)!
Healthy aging, mindfulness, fighting ageism, and more will be the focus of the third annual Age-Friendly University Day to be held on the U of M Twin Cities campus.