Helpful Score: 8
This book is like some of those dishes that send a cheftestant home on "Top Chef": Great ingredients, the fish is cooked perfectly, the sauce is interesting, but the whole thing just doesn't come together.
The premise is great: A family has been running a second class alligator show on an island off the ocast of Florida. The family is like a jar of mixed nuts: the mother was an 18 year old runaway who fell in love with an older man and bought into his eccentric lifestyle; the father sees himself as the chief of a tribe of tough-as-nails warriors; the oldest son fancies himself a genius; the oldest daughter is probably schizophrenic; and the youngest daughter is naive (at best).
However, the plot is a mess. The characters take actions that make no sense. The book is an attempt at American magic realism. Now, we can leave the discussion of whether such a genre would ever succeed (is it possible for America to have mystical side? I don't think so), but even if it were possible, this book doesn't have the correct balance of mystical/reality. Instead, there seems to be a lot of coincidences, not magic, moving the story along. For example, the rescue towards the end of the book is completely manufactured, AND you will see the plot twist coming a mile away - as soon as the World of Darkness's new floatplane attraction is described. Also, the end of the book seems completely rushed - the reader will endure pages and pages of descriptive text about a two minute walk through the swamp, but when it comes to wrapping up the story, the author seems to have run out of ink. I don't really understand where they are exactly at the end, or how the characters feel about where they are at the end. While I didn't expect, particularly in this book, to have all my ends tied up, I felt completely cheated by the end of the book. (more on this is SPOILER section below).
What the book does succeed as is a number of excellent short stories surrounded by random plotting - the Dredgeman's Revelation is a great story buried amid the dreck, as is the story of Mamma Weeds.
NOW SPOILER ALERT: DONT' READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU THINK YOU WILL READ THIS BOOK: The thing that bothered me the most about this book, even more than the whole ridiculous Birdman section, was the fact that no one (including the author) seemed horrified by the father's behavior throughout this book. No one seemed to acknowledge that he abandoned his family which led to a series of disasters including attempted suicide, child abduction and rape. I understand that the suthor seemed to want the reader to see that the father was flawed, but that his family loved him anyway. Maybe they would only love him in an attempt to keep what was left of their family together, but at some point, a parent's abdication of his responsibilities reaches a point where they no longer deserve their child's love - certainly that point was reached here. I would compare this to Jeannette Walls' book "The Glass Castle" which asks the question: Is a woman crazy if she still loves the father who pimps her out? Maybe she is not crazy, but then that woman will lose the respect of the reader. So if Ava still loves her father after he left her and sister without food, money or supervision, to be preyed upon by child molesters, can we feel anything but pity for foolish deluded Ava? I don't think this was what the author was aiming for. I think she was aiming for us to leave this book with respect for tough little survivor Ava, and all I feel is pity for this pathetic misguided child.
The premise is great: A family has been running a second class alligator show on an island off the ocast of Florida. The family is like a jar of mixed nuts: the mother was an 18 year old runaway who fell in love with an older man and bought into his eccentric lifestyle; the father sees himself as the chief of a tribe of tough-as-nails warriors; the oldest son fancies himself a genius; the oldest daughter is probably schizophrenic; and the youngest daughter is naive (at best).
However, the plot is a mess. The characters take actions that make no sense. The book is an attempt at American magic realism. Now, we can leave the discussion of whether such a genre would ever succeed (is it possible for America to have mystical side? I don't think so), but even if it were possible, this book doesn't have the correct balance of mystical/reality. Instead, there seems to be a lot of coincidences, not magic, moving the story along. For example, the rescue towards the end of the book is completely manufactured, AND you will see the plot twist coming a mile away - as soon as the World of Darkness's new floatplane attraction is described. Also, the end of the book seems completely rushed - the reader will endure pages and pages of descriptive text about a two minute walk through the swamp, but when it comes to wrapping up the story, the author seems to have run out of ink. I don't really understand where they are exactly at the end, or how the characters feel about where they are at the end. While I didn't expect, particularly in this book, to have all my ends tied up, I felt completely cheated by the end of the book. (more on this is SPOILER section below).
What the book does succeed as is a number of excellent short stories surrounded by random plotting - the Dredgeman's Revelation is a great story buried amid the dreck, as is the story of Mamma Weeds.
NOW SPOILER ALERT: DONT' READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU THINK YOU WILL READ THIS BOOK: The thing that bothered me the most about this book, even more than the whole ridiculous Birdman section, was the fact that no one (including the author) seemed horrified by the father's behavior throughout this book. No one seemed to acknowledge that he abandoned his family which led to a series of disasters including attempted suicide, child abduction and rape. I understand that the suthor seemed to want the reader to see that the father was flawed, but that his family loved him anyway. Maybe they would only love him in an attempt to keep what was left of their family together, but at some point, a parent's abdication of his responsibilities reaches a point where they no longer deserve their child's love - certainly that point was reached here. I would compare this to Jeannette Walls' book "The Glass Castle" which asks the question: Is a woman crazy if she still loves the father who pimps her out? Maybe she is not crazy, but then that woman will lose the respect of the reader. So if Ava still loves her father after he left her and sister without food, money or supervision, to be preyed upon by child molesters, can we feel anything but pity for foolish deluded Ava? I don't think this was what the author was aiming for. I think she was aiming for us to leave this book with respect for tough little survivor Ava, and all I feel is pity for this pathetic misguided child.
Helpful Score: 7
Up until the ending a wry and darkly funny account of life in a family of alligator wrestlers and carnival hucksters on the fringe of what passes for normal society in swampy Florida - land of reptile farms and bizarre theme parks. Loved the early chapters that set up the central conflicts of the story, but as the three siblings seek their way off the family island the story veers off course and just becomes increasingly depressing. I'm not sure what the point was at the end, and almost felt betrayed on behalf of characters so well fleshed out that they really deserved better from their author. Four stars for a strong start, but three stars overall for the weak finish.
Helpful Score: 6
Since this was an NYTimes bestseller perhaps I'm just out of touch...BUT... I was hoping this would be an involving serio-comic tale,instead I wound up with a queasy feeling from reading continuous descriptions of depressing grossness and dysfunction. Characters were muddled and I found them all unsympathetic and rather repulsive. If it was funny I missed it altogether..also missed the point of the whole thing. Disappointed in the authors reluctance/inability to create a satisfying ending for any of her characters (or for the reader!)Glad when it was OVER & it left a bad taste so unpleasant I had to grab something friviolous and light to allieviate my grumpy mood and annoyance at myself for reading this damn thing all the way to then end. I do not recommend this book. There are many many other things to read to interest and uplift the mind and provoke constructive thought/humour/ discussion.
All in all I'd rather clean the cat box than read this book again & wish I had done so in the first place!
All in all I'd rather clean the cat box than read this book again & wish I had done so in the first place!
Helpful Score: 5
Great setting and character development through the first half of the book. Throughout the build up and climax, I suspected the ending to come but hoped it would be something different. The ending was predictable and fell short for all characters. The darkness that plagues the characters is not really resolved or explained by the conclusion of the story.
Helpful Score: 5
Could not get into this book at all...despite the hype, I found it boring and tedious...didn't even finish it.
Helpful Score: 2
Ava Bigtree and her family, the Bigtree tribe, live on one of the Ten Thousand Islands near Florida. They live in Swamplandia!, an alligator wrestling attraction that they all operate and perform in. This isolated area and unusual upbringing is all Ava knows until her mother's premmature death. Following her mother's death, Swamplandia! isn't able to pull in the tourists as it was before. Ava's father is delusional regarding the future of Swamplandia! and her sister, Osceola, is dating a ghost. That leaves Ava and her brother, Kiwi, to try to save their home. Kiwi runs off to the mainland to try and help with his father's debt. Shortly after Kiwi leaves, Ava's father heads out for a "business trip" leaving Ava and Osceola alone on the island to care for the alligators. Oscelola announces that she is eloping with her ghost boyfriend, Louis Thanksgiving, and disappears into the swamp. Ava leaves Swamplandia! on a search for her sister with a Birdman as her guide.
I'm not going to lie. I was disappointed with this. After reading St. Lucy's Home For Girls Raised By Wolves, I was left wishing Karen Russell had more for me to read; now I almost regret that wish because Swamplandia! just doesn't live up to St. Lucy's Home For Girls Raised By Wolves. Karen Russell is an extremely gifted writer. I'm just surprised at how much better she is at the short stories than the novel. She can write with this lacy language and spookiness in her stories that leads to an overall beautiful creepiness. In her short stories this is stunning, but in Swamplandia! it was just weird.
Swamplandia! is written in the same vein as Kelly Link's work. It's written wonderfully and I can't say enough for the character development, the writing, and the plot overall. Russell establishes the story, but doesn't seem to know where she's going with it. The swamp as the location helps with the meandering of her storytelling, but by the end, she's grasping at straws. Perhaps it's because she extended one of her short stories into novel length (with bits and pieces of her other stories from her previous book in here, too)? Perhaps I'm too finicky? I can't say.
I can say that this isn't bad - but it's not nearly as great as her previous book
I'm not going to lie. I was disappointed with this. After reading St. Lucy's Home For Girls Raised By Wolves, I was left wishing Karen Russell had more for me to read; now I almost regret that wish because Swamplandia! just doesn't live up to St. Lucy's Home For Girls Raised By Wolves. Karen Russell is an extremely gifted writer. I'm just surprised at how much better she is at the short stories than the novel. She can write with this lacy language and spookiness in her stories that leads to an overall beautiful creepiness. In her short stories this is stunning, but in Swamplandia! it was just weird.
Swamplandia! is written in the same vein as Kelly Link's work. It's written wonderfully and I can't say enough for the character development, the writing, and the plot overall. Russell establishes the story, but doesn't seem to know where she's going with it. The swamp as the location helps with the meandering of her storytelling, but by the end, she's grasping at straws. Perhaps it's because she extended one of her short stories into novel length (with bits and pieces of her other stories from her previous book in here, too)? Perhaps I'm too finicky? I can't say.
I can say that this isn't bad - but it's not nearly as great as her previous book
Helpful Score: 2
I just didn't like it. My boyfriend and I read it together and we both felt a real sense of disappointment. Did we just not "get" the hype? Were we missing something? I felt disjointed most of the time like it was really two novels spliced together - one trying to work its way under the magical realism genre and the other a sort of coming of age humorous one. The result for me was muddled, and maybe I just don't like magical realism or maybe Russell was working just a little too hard at making this a quirky novel. It hit me hardest when I realized what was happening to Ava....and didn't care. Yup, I just didn't care what really happened to any of these characters and, in the end, that's not the way to endear the reader. Oh well.
Helpful Score: 1
More like "A Thousand Acres" by Jane Smiley or "The Prince of Tides" by Pat Conroy than the fantastic romp promised by the garish colors and the exclamation point on the cover promise. This is a coming-of-age story for three teens who find themselves tossed out of the nest following their mother's death from cancer. The story is itself a kind of swamp -- full of the smell of death, languid, lulling, the buzz of insects marking the passage of time, but everywhere you look the stubborn strength of life bursting through.
This one was quite a ride! It takes place in the world of Carl Hiaasen and in many ways, it reminded me of a Hiaasen novel with its quirky characters and the ecological problems in Florida, however, there the similarities end. This book was very murky and creepy and did not contain any of the humor of a Hiaasen story. It reminded me more of "To Kill a Mockingbird" or "Night of the Hunter" given that both of these novels were set in the South and told from the perspective of a young person. Overall, the story kept me interested -- especially Ava's sojourn in the swamp in search of Oceola and her adventures with the "Bird-man". In the last half of the book, the chapters alternated between Ava's story and Kiwi's life as a mainlander. Kiwi's story to me was less interesting and I was anxious to get on with Ava's adventure to the "underworld". One other picky comment was that I thought the author was a little wordy and pretentious -- I don't think a 12-year old girl who had not gone to school would be using some of the language that was used. But overall, I would recommend this one!
Interesting writing and premise but ultimately didn't give me enough entertainment to justify the length of the book.
Haunting and captivating!
My reasons for the low review are spoilers.
I finished this about a week ago and honestly I still don't know if I loved it or hated it. But I am still thinking about it. It's strange and horrible, but has some really magical passages, as well.
Not really worth the hype, though the portrayal of Floridiana and the whole "attraction" mentality found there in is excellent. I know this area intimately - even pre Disney. Author seems to be looking to mimic "Ultimate Jest", which is a flawed premise to start with. As in why would you want to? I've read both cover to cover, but find I could have spent the time more profitably.
I really wanted to enjoy this book based on industry hype; alas, I did not. When I dread opening a book I know the story is not for me. I've lived in Florida my entire life and recall attending these gator farm shows as a kid. So I could envision much of Swampladia and the rag-tag kids in the story. Even back in the late 50's, those families were on the fringe. But this family is too outrageous for me to enjoy.
Karen Russell has a vivid imagination and some talent in putting it on paper. But after two of her books, I will steer clear of her writing. She's too dark for me.
Karen Russell has a vivid imagination and some talent in putting it on paper. But after two of her books, I will steer clear of her writing. She's too dark for me.
I loved this book so much. It was the most satisfying read I've had in ages.
My 13 year old daughter just couldn't get into this book. After reading the reviews on here, I'm glad she didn't! I was going to read it after her, but decided to pass it on. Hopefully someone out there will enjoy it!
This book was nothing like I expected. I was thinking it would be a light hearted and funny story. That is not the case but I enjoyed it for all of those reasons. The story grabbed my attention right away but then petered out toward the middle. I spent a lot of time reading thinking "What the heck is going on?" but it was worth sticking it out through the slow middle part. The characters are fun and it's unlike I've ever read before. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good story but be warned that it is not a typical story. Several of the people in my book club didn't like it and I can see why but those are all the reasons I did like it!
