"Let's face it, a lot of times love doesn't work out. Yet even when it fails, it connects you to others and, in the end, that is all you have, the connections. Look at us; you and I have each other now, and just think, if I have kids and you have kids, well, that's a whole new string of connections. And on it goes."

This book was fascinating to read in a time where I am in solo quarantine, and when some would say the earth is “returning to itself” due to limited interaction. For my preferences, Where the Crawdads Sing is a bit light on the mystery component (as if Delia Owens is less comfortable telling that tale), and much too light on female friendships (even one of which could have been a valuable romantic counterpart in this story.) The last third of the story could have been interspersed between the flashback components, so that the life after the verdict didn't go by at breakneck speed.

However, I really enjoyed this meaningful tale about the depths of loneliness, the retreat of nature, and the pitfalls that end-all be-all romantic relationships can leave us in!