2012), Swamplandia by Karen Russell (October 15

Can't beat the swamp writing, but even Fitzgerald had to get to the point. I'm a reader and not a writer so take my critique with a grain of salt. Overall, good stuff, but some self-indulgence, in my opinion

I read (and enjoyed) Karen Russell's short story collection and was pleased with the haunting, moody quality of the tales. I particularly loved the short story on which Swamplandia! is based. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy the direction the book went. A few chapters in I began to compare the novel to one of my all-time favorites, Geek Love. By the mid-point, I knew I was I was mistaken. The quaint eccentricities of a family run alligator farm had so much potential. So did the rival theme-park sub-plot. Unfortunately, the potential is lost in the rendering. The ghost love story (and his useless backstory), the brother's experience on the mainland and the albino reptile are clunky, cliched, contrived and distracting.

The redeeming feature is Russell's prose. Several reviewers have ridiculed her as an emo writer's workshop escapee but occassionaly a turn of phrase or description rang with sublte profundity. She has good style and technique.

I am willing to give the author another chance and will try her next output but I can't really recommend this one in good faith. Swamplandia! failed.

This book was selected by my book club; I probably would not have read it otherwise. The imagery was good, but I felt the story line was lacking and predictable in many instances. The ending had too many coincidences, to tie up everything in a nice little bow. Overall, an average read.

I jumped into "Swamplandia" after reading a few blurbs on Facebook and a review in the paper. Who could resist alligator wrestlers?

Karen Russell has taken the literary world and shaken things up with her first book "St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves" and now "Swamplandia."

What I liked best about "Swamplandia" is the very unusual, wildly imaginative story of the Bigtree clan. They make their living with an alligator wrestling business that is slowly going bust. Mom has died, Chief Bigtree is in debt, and the three kids are more or less on their own.

A teen might think a life without parents is devoutly to be wished, but that feeling soon passes. Brother Kiwi heads out on his own to try to regain some financial security. Maybe he can help his father. Maybe he can finish high school. Maybe he can actually go to Harvard. Kiwi's story is told third person, which for me, worked best in this book. His story, with the terrible nicknames and gross out jokes of his colleagues at work rings very true.

Older sister, Osceola, falls into a world of ghosts and spiritualists because she has nothing else once the tourists quit coming. She is stuck is a swamp with only her imaginary life to keep her entertained. It does not exactly keep her sane. Her beyond-weird beliefs and adventures, a sort of American magical realism, left me skeptical.

The main narrator is Ava, thirteen years old, motherless, determined to bring her family back together. Ava's voice varies between believable (when she is talking about her chores with the alligators and her loss of her mother) but less so when she is reciting history or using words like "autonomic--a reflexive ejection." She sets off on an adventure across the swamp and the saw grass, along with her red Seth (the family name for alligators) without once thinking maybe this is not such a good idea, especially with her chosen companion (no spoiler here).

As the adventure turns more and more hopeless, dark, and bleak, Ava learns what it means to survive. Kiwi learns what it means to be a man. Osceola, will we ever really know what she learned?

I liked "Swamplandia," I admired the vision, the history, the quick touches of environmentalism without didactic hammering. I wasn't confident in Ava's voice or in Ava's choices. Yes, read this book and give Russell the latitude to entertain, surprise, and teach us about a vividly created part of America that is not long for this world.

Beautifully written, intriguing and haunting. Parts are so funny and others so devastating but sadly I think a lot of women can relate. I would recommend this book but beware that it's not completely light hearted.

An odd collection of disparate elements that are never brought together by a unifying theme, or by a meaningful plot, or by developing characterization, or by well structured development. It begins well with its focus on an interesting family of Florida alligator wrestlers, the descriptive writing is impressive, but the novel soon degenerates into separate plot streams, coincidence, and fantasy which is unclearly character driven or literal, unresolved and undeveloped violence. In short, it is a poorly presented mess that promotes skim reading for its last three fourths.

I thought the characters portrayed universal feelings of morning in their own unusual way. The setting in the swamps of the Everglades with the characters fantastical thoughts and views of the world and how it related that to their life in a naive way
was moving. I liked that the family came together at the end but was saddened that their old home and way of life only now stood as a memory.

Absolutely right up the alley of fans of the American Gothic genre, but also for those who appreciate the wit and masterful surrealism of Russian authors like Bulgakov Does that sound too effusive? I'll explain.

The story has a voyeuristic appeal because, well, how many of us get an up close view of a family struggling to keep it together while living at an alligator park? Secondly Russell does an amazing job of luring you into her characters hearts and that which they even manage to hide from themselves. I fell in love with all of them, even the "bad guys" because Russell managed to highlight their humanity without any unnecessary fluffing. I look forward to reading more from this new-to-me author.

I did generally like the premise of the book, but the climax was mushy and a non- event. The end felt contrived and convenient. The issues of each character suppressed or drugged away. Not really a message that I can get behind.

Overall, a very beautfifully written, touching story about family. The characters are strong, especially the 13 girl protagonist. It did get a little slow for a few chapters in the middle, but the ending made up for it in a lot of ways. Recommended reading!

I'm stretching my review to three stars because there are some places in this book where I laughed out loud or fell in love with the lanuage and main character's insights and expressions. Swamplandia also took me to a locale about which I know very little. Often, though, the author overdoes it with her description and repetition, and the ending is a bit far-fetched. I kept thinking, "enough already!" Swamplandia was a pick for our book club, and it did give us quite a bit to talk about.

St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves:Swamplandia!::The Lovely Bones:The Almost Moon

(The first two are books by Karen Russell; the second two are books by Alice Sebold.) In both cases, the authors prove that they are wonderful writers capable of producing masterpieces. Then they follow up with colossal disappointments.

Gosh, I feel kind of guilty for writing that because I adore Karen Russell's collection of short stories (I gave it five stars on Goodreads!), and even have the publication date of her follow-up collection marked on my calendar. And I was so excited for this book that I bought it before it was available in paperback or as a used book.

The problem with this book boils down to this: Russell cannot leave any leaf undescribed. If Ava takes two steps forward, Russell has to describe the foliage, the color of the sky, the shadows in the water, the sound that the wind makes in the water, the distinction between that and the sound the wind is making in the trees, how fast Ava's heart is beating, what birds are making songs, what the songs sound like ... it seems more like a creative writing exercise for a fiction writing class than an actual story.

The cover may be somewhat unfortunate even though I like it because it may suggest that this is not a serious piece of literature--and might suggest that it is yet another Carl Hiaasen-type of satire. (I don't mean to disparage our South Florida legendary satirist, but he is not the writer Karen Russell is, not even close. On the back he endorses this wonderful novel: "I can't recall the last time I came across a character who shines as brightly as Ava..." Indeed!) Even the title itself may be off-putting, again suggesting that it might be something akin to Mr. Hiaasen's not-very-well-done satire, "Star Island."
Of course there is much to satirize here in Florida.
The reader will immediately realize that Lewis Carroll has influenced Karen Russell greatly. Ava is Alice in the swamps.
But this is not a satire, or at least it is not a second-rate-type satirical novel.
Ava is the youngest of three children, living in Swamplandia!, a theme-park of sorts, located somewhere in the Everglades on the Gulf side, an island unto itself where for several years tourists have floated out on a ferry to experience the star of the show, Ava's mother who high-dives into a large pond--or a small lake--of alligators. Naturally there is a gift shop! And a restaurant of sorts. And naturally it is hokey. Very hokey, begun by Ava's grandfather, fashioning themselves as native Americans. They are not!
The opening is so wonderfully crafted, so much so that the next few pages might seem less so. But as the story unfolds, told retrospectively by Ava, we experience the end of Swamplandia! Ava's mother, only 36-years-old, dies of ovarian cancer. And her father is sent off to a docked craft where they send the oldsters, in this case with dementia. And rapidly tourists numbers decline. And then we experience Ava's older siblings, a brother who runs away, nearly 18, and wanting so much to attend a good college in the north. But he has been badly "home schooled" since there were no other options. And Ava's sister seems to have become obsessed, in this case with boyfriends who are ghosts. And the father, "Chief," is completely worthless.
And as the story unfolds the reader experiences, but not humorously, so much of the horrors that have been inflicted on this state.
My understanding is this: this novel may have been short listed for this year's Pulitzer Prize in Literature--the year when it wasn't awarded. And I can say this: this novel should have received that prize.

One thing you will glean from Swamplandia! is what Florida's swampland looks like. Karen Russell overwhelms many of the pages with copious descriptions of the flora, fauna and wildlife, often to the extent that the story seems to be more about the setting than the characters themselves.

Perhaps that's because she has less to say about them. The plot revolves around three children coping after the death of their daredevil mother sends the family's alligator wrestling sideshow into a tailspin, which their father responds to by leaving their Florida island for the mainland for undisclosed reasons.

He leaves behind a teenage daughter, Osceola, who, inspired by a book on the spiritual world, begins to believe she is dating a ghost. The oldest, son Kiwi, decides to go to the mainland to infiltrate the new amusement park that sped up the death of the family business, and perhaps make money to keep the family dream alive. Meanwhile, plucky Ava is left to deal with her mentally unstable sister, who abandons Ava for a (possibly) fictional lover. This leads to Ava taking off with an eccentric drifter to find Osceola in the Underworld.

The mix of fantasy and reality is imbalanced, as the reality manages to be not quite real enough, oft-mundane, and relies on fortuitous plot twists. Ava's journey is somewhat more interesting, as her first person narratives are more compelling, but rather than take the fantasy elements to their limits, Russell decides to go in a more predictable and disappointing route.

At times, I enjoyed Russell's turns of phrase, but I often felt she was precious and show offy. Moreover, the overall novel seemed to be a bunch of parts stitched together than really didn't form a coherent whole. The attempt to stitch the narrative back to some semblance of a heartwarming conclusion is forced, because there's no notion that this family together is better off than they were apart.

One thing you will glean from Swamplandia! is what Florida's swampland looks like. Karen Russell overwhelms many of the pages with copious descriptions of the flora, fauna and wildlife, often to the extent that the story seems to be more about the setting than the characters themselves.

Perhaps that's because she has less to say about them. The plot revolves around three children coping after the death of their daredevil mother sends the family's alligator wrestling sideshow into a tailspin, which their father responds to by leaving their Florida island for the mainland for undisclosed reasons.

He leaves behind a teenage daughter, Osceola, who, inspired by a book on the spiritual world, begins to believe she is dating a ghost. The oldest, son Kiwi, decides to go to the mainland to infiltrate the new amusement park that sped up the death of the family business, and perhaps make money to keep the family dream alive. Meanwhile, plucky Ava is left to deal with her mentally unstable sister, who abandons Ava for a (possibly) fictional lover. This leads to Ava taking off with an eccentric drifter to find Osceola in the Underworld.

The mix of fantasy and reality is imbalanced, as the reality manages to be not quite real enough, oft-mundane, and relies on fortuitous plot twists. Ava's journey is somewhat more interesting, as her first person narratives are more compelling, but rather than take the fantasy elements to their limits, Russell decides to go in a more predictable and disappointing route.

At times, I enjoyed Russell's turns of phrase, but I often felt she was precious and show offy. Moreover, the overall novel seemed to be a bunch of parts stitched together than really didn't form a coherent whole. The attempt to stitch the narrative back to some semblance of a heartwarming conclusion is forced, because there's no notion that this family together is better off than they were apart.

Swamplandia is about the disintegration of a family after the mother's death, the trials that pull them all apart, and the way that same disintegration ultimately binds them back together. Russell writes beautifully and the tale, though dark at times, is lightened considerably by the sheer aesthetics of her writing. The negative reviews surprise me. I wish I had another book this good to read next.

Been on best seller lists, Nominated for Orange Award
But not for me

This book is inhabited by screwball characters a la Garp or almost anything by John Irving (replace bears+wrestlers with alligators+ghosts). It has larger-than-life characters with complex family relationships (Franzen style). It has a wonderful exotic setting ... "Swamplandia!" is an alligator theme park beset by financial difficulties. The author has a lyrical, descriptive, writing style.

But for me ... I just didn't get it. I just didn't engage.

While it is all vividly brought to life, it was too much of a scatter gun approach, too much jam packed into the narrative. This made it like a rich brocade that was threadbare in places. And one of those places was the climax of the narrative, so having stuck with it, I didn't even feel rewarded at the end (the ethereal rape scene lacked poignancy because it was so surreal ... and yet still tainted my memories of the book).

Too many characters. Not enough depth to the separate narratives that followed either Kiwi or Ava. And enough with the ghost story (how did that barge story add anything but more pages???).

I do not understand why Swamplandia got such attention. I felt it was poorly constructed as a novel, with the rape scene as either the whole point of the story - or an unnecessary violence.
Granted the writing was really good. I could read the sentences over and over again - but the story sucked.

"Swamplandia" is, and will remain, one of my favorite books. Well written, but above all, the best characterization of a young girl, born and raised in the deepest part of the Florida Everglades. Using her newly discovered talents, this girl navigates these Everglades on her own, and not only survives, she triumphs.. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in excellent characterization, or, particularly, a primitive part of the Everglades, home of alligator circuses!

Great language. Weird story line. Beautiful descriptions. I see why the author was nominated for the Pulitzer, and understand why she did not receive it. At times she got caught up in her own ability to describe, and the story got tedious.