Swamplandia!

This was a great book, BUT it was so steeped in sadness. I think the writing was great, but it left me feeling drained. I am not sure I would recommended it unless you want to feel real real bad about life.

Somewhat exhausting but at times interesting. Too much wondering and being lost too little finding themselves.

Beautifully written and imaginative story about a family that falls apart after the mother dies. Great descriptive writing set in the disappearing swamps of Florida.

Imaginative novel about an eccentric family who raises and trains alligators for their tourist attraction called Swamplandia! See my full review at Bentley's Book Buzz: http://blogs.bentley.edu/bookbuzz/2011/02/27/swamplandia-by-karen-russell/

A major disappointment. It was boring and really could not connect with the narrative.

"Swamplandia!" is both a brave and apt title. While it might leave a reader wondering just what the heck this book is about and who has the nerve to use such a silly and obvious term it also brings to mind just what Swamplandia! suggests: the rugged and wet world of the Florida backwoods mixed with unique novelty and charm. The story managed to convey that same aura in what is both a whimsical...more

"Swamplandia!" is both a brave and apt title. While it might leave a reader wondering just what the heck this book is about and who has the nerve to use such a silly and obvious term it also brings to mind just what Swamplandia! suggests: the rugged and wet world of the Florida backwoods mixed with unique novelty and charm. The story managed to convey that same aura in what is both a whimsical and mournful tone of a family's legacy. Swamplandia! is the Bigtree family-owned theme park, famous for its alligator-wrestling headliner Hilola Bigtree. But when she dies of cancer, the family looses not only their star but their mother and their bond. Struggling to keep tourists and bills paid, the family slowly falls apart. Brother Kiwi wants to face reality and move to the mainland to earn real money. Dad "The Chief" makes plans for the new-and-improved show. Sister Ossie starts communicating with the dead and dating ghosts. The youngest, our heroine Ava, just tries to survive it all. But she finds herself doing a lot more when her father leaves to find money, her brother runs away, and Ossie tries to elope with a ghost. Russell is a strong, delightfully wordy writer who uses magical similes and descriptions to tell the adventures of both Ava and Kiwi. The writing is pure addiction, with lovely patterns and plenty of personality. She gives her story a certain thoughtfulness, skillfully weaving together the grey area between what is real and what possibly is or is not with a deep affection for her characters. There is family love, mourning, and an alligator theme park world. The story is at once charming and heartbreaking, though the promise of happiness always remains. The ending is more or less convenient, which may bother some readers, though the process toward that ending is well-crafted. I personally had trouble with the mix of Ava's first-person perspective and Kiwi's third-person--I prefer one or the other. As for these two separate stories, I didn't quite grasp an understanding of how they fit together as I became more interested in Ava's surreal search for her sister than Kiwi's teenage theme park employee adventures. Even so, one might call that merely an example of "something for everyone". Swamplandia! is indeed as strange and interesting as such a title promises, a unique and ever-so-quirky story with plenty of heart. It's a page-turner in the classic sense, and stays with you.   hide

not everything I hoped for