It's time for a review: Where The Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens

A couple of months ago, I read and reviewed The All-Girls Filling Station's Last Reunion, by Fannie Flagg, based on a recommendation from my friend, Joyce.  I now have another recommendation from Joyce...but it's a different Joyce!  This one is called Where The Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens.  I've gotten many recommendations over the years from a big variety of people.  But this might be the first time I've doubled up on a name.  Okay, moving along, here's what WTCS is about:

For years, rumors of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast.  So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl.
But Kya is not what they say.  Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand.  Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved.  When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life - until the unthinkable happens.

Delia writes beautifully.  That might be why it took me a while to get into it.  You all know that I'm not that (or, at all) literary.  But once I made the connection, I was off and running.  I had a bunch of emotional reactions:

Unnnnhhhh
Smile/tears
Smile/laughter/tears
Smile
Chills (multiple)
Tears
Emotion (not very specific)
What!?  OMG!

Did it get to me?  Uh, yeah.  There is also a moment about 20 pages from the end where I actually put my hand over the page so that I wouldn't accidentally prematurely see what happens.  And on top of all that, I learned a bunch of stuff about how a lot of wildlife mate.  Now, I can't swear that this was something that drew me to the book.  I mean this could have been TMI!  But, in fact, it wasn't.  Delia blends great writing with unforgettable characters who draw you in.  And if I also learned something along the way, then so be it.

This is one of those books that crosses genres and would be enjoyable for just about any reader.  On Goodreads, the genres listed are Fiction, History/Historical Fiction, and Mystery.  That covers most people, doesn't it?  Regardless of how you answer this question, I definitely recommend Where The Crawdads Sing.  If it's good enough for Reese's Book Club, then it's good enough for all of us...right?