"Between the Wines" Book Club: Reflections on 'Where the Crawdads Sing'

We are "Between the Wines". We are independent, smart women whose conversations range from literary criticism to life advice (and back again), usually over good food and a bottle - or two -of something chilled. This  July, as we melt through a Dalmatian heatwave with dreams of ice and cold showers, our determination to read, debate, and laugh together hasn’t wavered.

Over plates of food and plenty of wine, we’ve made a habit of roaming across eras, continents, and genres without fear or prejudice. One month, we’ll be lost in Lessons in Chemistry; the next, we’ll be deep in the tangled family histories of Homegoing, or puzzling over the weirdness of One Hundred Years of Solitude.

We’ve read Women of the Post, Archer’s Voice, and anything else that caught our collective curiosity. We like variety. We rely on the international nature of our group - voices and perspectives from Croatia, the UK, Peru, South Africa, Australia, Canada - to find what will resonate with each of us next.

And because we’re usually too busy talking, laughing, and topping up our glasses to write anything down, I decided it was finally time to start keeping notes about what we actually say. These reflections are imperfect, occasionally irreverent, and definitely our own.

Where the Crawdads Sing

The small core group gathered in Kaštel Lukšić - wine in hand, obvs - to dive into Delia Owens’s Where the Crawdads Sing, a novel that transported us into the haunting isolation of the North Carolina marshes and the extraordinary life of Kya Clark.

We met over generous plates of Greek-inspired food (the lamb is a local miracle), fresh feta salad, lepinje, lamb done two ways, and watermelon for dessert. Our conversation meandered as much as the marsh paths in the story, touching on survival, resilience, and everything in between.

Our reading choices have been nothing if not varied - the last time we met we escaped into Archer’s Voice, which was the perfect light beach read. This time, we were ready for something deeper and more demanding.

A Portrait of Strength and Independence

What struck many of us most was Kya’s fierce independence. Despite being abandoned by everyone she loved - her mother, her siblings, even her first love - she survived alone from childhood. Some of us found it almost unbelievable, but also deeply inspiring, that a young woman could sustain herself so completely. She didn’t wait for anyone to rescue her; she simply learned to endure.

Family, Abuse, and the Trap of Poverty

We talked about the heartbreaking reality of Kya’s mother leaving and never waving goodbye - an image that stayed with us as a symbol of finality and loss. The book touched on how poverty and violence kept her mother trapped. We reflected on how women in similar circumstances often had no access to birth control and were forced to have more children, making escape even harder. It was a reminder of how education and independence are not only liberating but also lifesaving.

The Role of Education

Kya’s journey into literacy became one of the most powerful threads in the story. With Tate’s help, she discovered reading and writing, eventually publishing her own books on the marsh’s wildlife. For us, this was a testament to the transformative power of knowledge. As one of us put it, education was the thing that finally allowed her to define her own life instead of merely surviving it.

Love, Betrayal, and Survival

We also talked about Chase and Tate. Chase’s relationship with Kya felt more like conquest than love. He was fascinated by her because she was “wild,” but never really respected her. In contrast, Tate saw her intellect and her potential, though he, too, left her when she needed him most. Some of us felt it was remarkable that she was acquitted, given how strongly the community was biased against her, and we debated whether she was lucky or simply clever enough to survive even that.

The Marsh as a Character

The setting itself felt like a character - swampy, beautiful, and unforgiving. For some, it was hard to picture at first, but over time, the descriptions brought it vividly to life. We learned more about Southern cooking, including grits (which sparked a whole aside about breakfast traditions), and imagined how the isolation of that place shaped every moment of Kya’s story.

Final Impressions

Although some found the book difficult to get into, by the end we agreed it was worth the effort. It left us thinking about resilience, the impact of early trauma, and the way society judges those who don’t fit in. Above all, it was a story about a woman who found her own way in a world determined to leave her behind.

Next, we’re heading in a completely different direction again with Until August by Gabriel García Márquez - proof that we love variety almost as much as we love good food and good company. Živile!