“Where the Crawdads Sing” originally a brilliant book written by Delia Owens, was adapted with excellence to film. The film is true to the novel. I actually felt the film clarified some questions I had about the characters and what happened to them.
Kya, played by Daisy Edgar-Jones embodied the essence of the character in the book. In fact, I would say that all the actors portrayed the characters in the book perfectly.
The ending is a jaw dropper, to say the least, though it is not like one is actually perplexed by the disclosure. I will not do a spoiler alert, it would ruin the whole story for you, book, or film.
The setting is exquisite and you understand through Kya’s eyes and your own, why she loves the marsh, and why she lives there her entire life.
I highly suggest you read the book first. I’m not sure why, after all the film is the book. Maybe it is because I did it that way and found the film enhanced the book. I am sure it would do the same the other way round.
One thing I will tell you is that the book starts off at the beginning of Kya’s story, however, the film uses flashbacks to tell Kya’s eventual circumstances. Both ways bring Kya’s viewpoint to light. I was wondering how is this going to be made into a film by starting at the beginning of Kya’s journey. The film makers took a leap and fast forwarded her life, only to flashback to the beginning to tell her story. I felt it was very cleverly done, and really the only way it would make perfect sense to be made into a highly successful film.
This film and the book are both 5 star achievements. I highly recommend both; read the book, and watch the film. You will treasure each of them in their own right.
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