Customer Reviews

Swamplandia! (Vintage Contemporaries)

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(45)
3 star:		(45)
2 star:		(38)
1 star:		(21)

 

 

In truth, I picked up Karen Russell's "Swamplandia!" as a bit of a lark. The gaping maw of a ferocious alligator on its cover propelled instinct number one. Heck, who doesn't love gators? But, ultimately, what sold me was an endorsement by the wizard of comic mayhem himself--Carl Hiaasen. Hiaasen has, almost single-handedly, defined an entire eccentric Florida community of malcontents and misfits in the underbelly of polite society. And if he were willing to embrace Russell's Bigtree clan, that was certainly enough of an incentive to propel me on a trip to "Swamplandia!" Swamplandia! references an isolated wildlife park in the Florida swamps that is a product of days gone by. Struggling to keep the park solvent, we're introduced to the eccentric Bigtree clan. Opinionated father Chief, his introspective son Kiwi, ghost loving daughter Osceola, and gator wresting youngest Ava are still reeling from the untimely death of the family's matriarch who was also the undisputed star of their business enterprise. Each child has their own way of coping, or not coping, with the enormous void left by their mother's absence and the family is starting to splinter emotionally.

"Swamplandia!" is a novel infused with eccentricity. The quirks within the family itself are enough to populate a John Irving novel (and that's pretty quirky!). But like Irving, Russell has grounded her characters with an underlying sadness, yearning, and even hope that intimately connects the reader to their struggle. When a rival amusement park opens, everyone is desperate to keep the tourists rolling in. Kiwi sets off to the city and ends up working at the new attraction in an effort to raise funds for their diminishing empire. Chief then leaves for an extended, but undefined, period and the girls are left to their own devices. Oscoela, however, seems to have a tenuous grasp on reality and is soon committed to a courtship with the ghost of a long-dead sailor. It's left to little Ava to come to terms with Oscoela's condition which leads to an excursion across the barren swamps.

I know, by now, you're probably asking yourself "what the heck is he talking about?" That's alright, though, I'm being purposefully vague not to reveal too much of what transpires. The novel settles into the format of alternating chapters hosted by Kiwi and Ava. Kiwi's exposure to mainland culture is played for big laughs but his coming to terms with himself as a man is one of Russell's greatest achievements. Ava's chapters, meanwhile, play out as an adventure tale wrought with mystery and danger. But is that peril real or imagined? Might it be just the impetus to reconnect the family? Or is it already too late? The story brings things to a convenient, but satisfying, conclusion in which the Bigtrees must ultimately face the realities they've been avoiding.

Karen Russell's tale has been praised for its originality, but its central themes are common throughout literature. In some ways, Ava's world view reminded me a bit of Scout in "To Kill A Mockingbird." The strength of Ava is what will keep the reader invested. The colorful language, the offbeat locales, and the satiric edge (I especially loved the wickedly funny new theme park!) are all wonderfully enticing. But it's the characters that have to sell it. Eccentricity for the sake of eccentricity is the death knell of any entertainment, so I was appreciative that Russell was able to balance her outrageous tale with identifiable humanism. Sometimes the story was uneven and the final denouement lacked some conviction, but overall "Swamplandia!" proved to be an undeniably appealing destination. KGHarris, 1/11.

I had high expectations of this novel based on the buzz; I'm a lover of southern gothic and thought this would be right up my alley. It's the story of the Bigtree family, a "tribe" who runs the alligator-wrestling park Swamplandia! in an island chain off of Florida. Having the island to themselves except for the tourists, the Bigtrees inhabit a very different sort of world; they have a museum filled with family artifacts, children who are homeschooled and rarely set foot on the "mainland," and a mother who wrestles alligators. Things hum along nicely until their mother, Hilola Bigtree, succumbs to cancer, throwing the entire family into a tailspin.

After Hilola's death, Ava, the youngest, narrates the downward spiral of her family: oldest brother Kiwi goes to work at a rival theme park in a desperate attempt to alleviate the family's financial distress; middle sister Osceola discovers a book of spells and starts dating ghosts, and their father, Chief Bigtree, disappears to the mainland. Ava becomes determined to do something to save her family and especially her sister, who disappears on a journey to the Underworld to marry her ghost boyfriend. Ava ventures after her, into a journey that is more fraught with danger than she could have imagined. This journey is fraught with tension but it takes a sudden dark, disturbing turn that, without giving away any spoilers, felt like it had broken away from the original spirit of the book. The transition from magical realism to harsh, ugly reality was just too sudden to me.

The writing is very descriptive and quite lovely, but at times it almost feels like too much--or perhaps just feels misplaced, as sometimes it felt like you had to wade through a great deal of description to get to the plot. The switching of chapters between Ava and Kiwi's perspective also felt a bit jarring at times; it felt you'd just gotten into one storyline when you were yanked back into another. The novel itself has a very original feel while also recalling some other great works of literature; Ava's character is sometimes reminiscent of Scout from "To Kill a Mockingbird." Unfortunately while there were moments I couldn't put the book down, there were also moments I wanted to walk away from it forever, which made for a disjointed reading experience. Overall this scores major points for originality, but the originality is compromised by the uneven character and pace of the novel. It was worth the read, but didn't quite live up to the hype for me.

I started this book intending to love it, but by the time I reached the end, I felt as dirty as the swamp itself. I loved the unique setting and basic premise, loved the characters, and enjoyed the first part of the book. But in the end, this combination of The World According to Garp meets Angela's Ashes didn't work for me. Fundamentally, Swamplandia! is three short stories of a common origin that have been tenuously woven together. The story of Kiwi, the eldest brother, who leaves the family horror to face a new (equally horrific) life in the city could have worked for me, if he had been the POV character, but he floats through his own life as a victim until he is stricken by luck. His sibling, Osceola could also have starred in her own short story, although the tale she stars in is clearly a ghost story. But Ossie's story isn't about Ossie, it's about something that happens offstage, decades previously, and although that tale is fascinating, Ossie floats along on the periphery and we never really get to know her. The person we do come to care about most, the youngest child, Ava has a character arc that goes from strong and proud to permanent victim. I appreciate the writer's tug on my emotions, but the payoff didn't make the trip worth the journey.

The setting and the back story history of the dredge men is fascinating and lushly brought to life, yet the interwoven tragedies of these three siblings' emotions is stark and under-portrayed. This is a book where the innocent are punished repeatedly and the criminals all continue to thrive without repercussions. John Irving's Garp successfully held thrall with similarly fascinating characters, and Frank McCourt's memoir was similarly devastating, but in the end, both tales brought the reader to a conclusion that resonated. After all the horrors that these characters endure, I came away wishing I'd never met them. Additionally, the editing is rife with mysterious punctuation and duplicate paragraphs, something I've never encountered in a hard-bound book. I can see why the publishers loved the writing, but as a reader, the story failed me.

When it comes to buying music have you ever read multiple rave reviews about an album or cd and, without hearing a note, bought the cd? And then when you got it home realized that you really don't like the singer's voice? That is what happened to me with this book. There are many here who have ably described what this book is about, and honestly it sounds great to me also. But I just don't care for Karen Russell's style all that much. She certainly has a singular voice since I can't think of another author to compare her with. I can appreciate the talent that she has, but it does not resonate with me. With all the rave reviews there is a good chance that you will disagree. But there does seem like there are a few reviews here that feel the same as me. I suggest you read a sample of her work before you rush out and get this book.

Karen Russell's Swamplandia! has been getting a lot of buzz (they're even going to make an HBO miniseries from it). And for the first 83% of the book, I was on board, I was loving it. The premise (the dissolution of the Bigtree family of alligator wrestles following the death of their matriarch) is amazing; the writing is great (orate, lush, and surprising); the characters are intriguing. The rival Hell-themed amusement park is inspired in its details. I even love the exclamation point in the title.

But there is a scene 83% of the way through the book that almost made me want to give up, and the book never recovered from this moment (a rape scene, whose details I will omit for the sake of preventing spoilers). I understand that powerful literature deals with dramatic, often profoundly repulsive moments. These moments change the lives of their participants forever. But the scene seems to have very little emotional weight for the victim. But maybe that's the point? The language that Russell uses for the scene is unpleasant -- almost voyeuristic -- though not graphic, and I didn't want to read it.

And then, the plot of the novel goes to pieces. There is no resolution for the story of the Bigtree clan; no monumental showdown between father and son, children and parents, bank and alligator farm, dream and reality.The denouement plays out too quickly, in just a few pages. The resolution doesn't seem motivated by the forgoing story. We were acquainted with exceptional characters; they never learn that they aren't exceptional, but they become ordinary anyway. This basic plot movement, though dark and dispiriting, could be very powerful. And Russell doesn't deliver on it at all.

Read Swamplandia! 83% of it is amazing. Stop before the end and imagine a better one.

This novel roped me in so well. I fell in love with little Ava. I was cheering for her and wanted so much for her and her family. The story is pouring with innocent naivete, and I can't help myself from just becoming enthralled with the beautiful thoughts coming from the child's narration.

The harsh introduction into the reality of the 'outside' world from the swamp hurt me along with Kiwi and Ava and Ossie. These children knew so little outside of their environment, and I pitied them with their resourceful individuality under adults who, seemingly unknowingly, left them lacking the information about mainlanders.

The first half of the novel is innocent and full of good intentions and brimming with a good, imaginative story. I was ready to continue and could hardly wait for how their adventures would end.

But then the novel takes a different, darker turn. The mood changes abruptly and is left as such for a long time. All those suspicions become the worst possible scenario, expected yet unexpected, and definitely unwanted. The dark reality of the world eats those children up, and it really makes me sad. The childlike optimism is lost and one is left in a murky depression.

I loved this book. It really is good and well written. But I feel deceived and depressed. I wanted things to turn out differently so much. So it's definitely good that it emitted so much emotion out of me, but I probably would not have bought it had I known how sad it would make me - how far it would drop me from my light-hearted expectations for a child's adventures into a dark alligator pit.

So yes, it's good, but I took it too personal.

This review has no spoilers...

Now that I'm done with this novel, I'm not sure I'm glad I read it. And it's as much my fault as it is that of its marketing.

First, I want to make it clear that author Karen Russell does indeed have prodigious talent. She writes with passion and energy, and there is not a page of this book that doesn't carry her florid stamp upon it.

It also has a great cover, and my paperback edition's dappled, textured surface makes it a pleasure to hold. And inside that cover are five pages of glowing reviews.

To be sure, one of the reasons I picked up this book was the teaser on the back cover: "As (the narrator) sets out on a mission through the magical swamps to save them all, we are drawn into a lush and bravely imagined debut that takes us to the shimmering edge of reality." So I should have been prepared for a "bravely imagined book." And, well, I got that...but I can't help but feel it has some major flaws.

First: as to her talent, there is much to applaud; there is an ethereal aura of fantasy to much of this. As her debut work it is remarkable...her words have a magic to them all of their own, an alluring quality that makes the words on the page seem more like ripples in a small sea, rushing by you as you read. She knows how to turn a phrase, and the florid, fecund swamp is a rich field for her to plumb, yielding a bounty of surreal images and dark magic.

Here is one remarkable passage out of a million: "What rolled through Louis' mind were like the shells of thoughts, a series of O!s, round and empty, like the discarded rinds of screams."

Or, "I would vanish on the mainland, dry up in that crush of cars and strangers, of flesh hidden inside metallic colors, the salt white of the sky over the interstate highway, the strange pink-and-white apartment complexes where mainlanders lived like cutlery in drawers."

Russell gives us the narrative mind of Ava, a spirited thirteen-year-old who is rooted within the detritus of the eponymous family-run theme park in the swamps of southwestern Florida, a park that is crumbling in so many directions that it is difficult to keep up. When her mother falls terminally ill, the holes in the fabric of her family begin to unravel into ruin. Her father submerges himself into the financial morass in order to stave off bankruptcy; her brother rebels and escapes to become part of their competitor; her sister believes she can elope with a specter and live in the underworld; and it has been left to Ava to rescue whomever she can.

Herein lies my biggest problem with the work: while I have no qualms about recommending her lyrical prose and her ability to transform the Florida swamps into a supernatural quagmire that deals out life and death in equal portions, I felt at times that the story took second place to the author's stretching her prosaic legs. There's no doubt that "Swamplandia!" is a terrific literary work; I simply felt her beautiful prose masks problems with the plot.

For instance: in Chapter Six Russell suddenly splits the story into two narrative threads. This seemed, well, odd to me...I could gather no real reason why this additional character's thread was followed and not any others'...they ALL keep secrets and are wounded by the family business. Additionally, this thread is told in third person, while the rest of the book is in Ava's first person.

Another problem with Ava's narrative is a simple one: from what perspective of age is Ava telling us this story? Is she twenty, an looking back? Is she an adult?

In addition, by the story's end there are several major threads that are left dangling, though I am reluctant to list them and spoil the book for others. Suffice it to say that Justice with a capital J is not dealt out, that much of the ending is unresolved, and so is the fate of key characters.

And, speaking of the ending, I felt there was a BIG problem with plotting, and a coincidence that bordered on the ridiculous -- when I read it I wanted to shout, "Come on!!"

I realize life can be like that, but there is considerable effort to paint an imagistic picture of this family, and just dropping the ball at the end did little for me. And note this, too: the tale turns grim, very grim, and you should be prepared. It's not at all what I was expecting, and I felt this harrowing development was never really explored any further than the very fact that it happened -- but with no aftermath. There was no closure or consequence for this event...it felt like the author just ran out of steam.

I do believe that this book is a singular achievement for the writer, and there are many who will admire her talent. Ultimately, this forms the basis of the praiseworthy comments meted out by those who will and those who already admire her, and while the book didn't work for me, I never felt the five pages of praise were "wrong." What you want out of the book is up to you, of course; I simply did not enjoy it as much as they did.

Just finished reading this book, which I finally decided to purchase for my Kindle because the New York Times announced that it was one of their top 5 literary fiction picks of 2011. I loved "The Art of Fielding" and "The Tiger's Wife," which were among their other picks, so figured this one would fall into the same high quality story-telling, writing, character development, plot, etc. While Russell's writing was definitely strong, the basic story was hard to digest. Each kid's travails really pushed past the limits of credulity, especially young Ava. The pathetic dad should probably have been arrested for child endangerment, abandonment, neglect. Compare this dad to the one in "Salvage the Bones," a much better 2011 book that somehow didn't make the Times' list but won the National Book Award. Despite the crushing poverty in his coastal Mississippi home, he risked his life for his kids, loving each one for their unique attributes. Maybe I was just disappointed in the Chief, whose damaged and mourning children were left to fend for themselves in the swamp, the mainland, and the world of ghosts and dreams. Sort of sad.

Let's start out by stating that this is, indeed, a very good first novel. Actually, bordering on being a great first novel. The "seduces you before you've turned the first page" comment is an absolute truth. I enjoyed this book. I really enjoyed this book. However, there are flaws.

As an independent bookstore owner, and, thus, a bookseller looking for the next great book to recommend, I have a hard time recommending this book to the majority. All the time I was reading 'Swamplandia!' people/customers kept asking me "what's going on?" with the novel. To which I would respond 'more than I can describe.' It's kind of like the movie "Lost In Translation." A movie I very much enjoyed, but actually goes nowhere and, for the most part, does very little. Did I love this movie? Yes. Very much so. Did I love 'Swamplandia!' Pretty much, for the most part. And here are the reasons that 'Swamplandia!' will forever be carried in my shoppe, but not on the top level shelf of recommended books:

Though narrated by a wonderful character in thirteen year old Ava BigTree, when not in first person, Ava speaks with a vocabulary and education of a college graduate. This, however, is easy enough to get past.

Next, when Kiwi, Ava's big brother, leaves Swamplandia!, the story that follows his tale is, obviously, not Ava's narration, but that of an outside narrator. Now, had it been from Kiwi's perspective, it would have made a bit more sense, and would have made the ending a little easier to accept.

Okay, so I have alluded to the ending. But, not just yet. As you move into the mystical mangrove swamps of the Ten Thousand Islands you get the feeling that something less than pleasant is going to happen. After a while you get the feeling that maybe, just maybe you were wrong... only to find out, yep! You were right in the first place. Now, I understand exorcising demons from the past. But why must they populate just about every other novel that I read? So, thanks Ms. Russell for leading me down a wonderful trail of mysticism, in which you totally had me enthralled, only to pull the rug out from my feet and leave me on my back lying on the hard wood floor of uncomfortable reality. Something J.K. Rowling figured out with kids. It's not that kids don't want to read, it's just that kids don't want to read novelizations of after school specials. Something adult authors, for the most part, are yet to figure out.

Now, to the ending. Let me first state that I was pretty okay with the outcome. I understand that life for the most part does not come with a happy ending. Hooray and big cheers for those of you that get one. I'm pulling for you, really. So, was there a happy ending? Kind of, maybe, maybe not. It's based on your perspective. And, I'm happy that Ms. Russell left it that way. It's not Hollywood, but it's nice, somewhat believable. However, what leads to the ultimate ending is a little too quick, a bit too convenient. What, I guess, was to be the big climactic scene, and this involves a 'gator by the way, went too quickly. I felt a little cheated. I felt Ms. Russell forced it just to get it finished. I have to admit that I felt a little let down.

Now, I read a lot of novels yearly. Some great, albeit very few. Some very good ones. And many just plain good, entertaining ones. Anything less, I don't finish. Why finish a bad steak? And where does 'Swamplandia!' rate. Well, I finished it. And, I'm happy that I read it. I enjoyed it very much despite its flaws. 'Swamplandia!' is a very good novel. You kind of wish it was written after Karen Russell had a few novels under her belt, but not too many to become a jaded writer. As I stated in the beginning, it's a very good first. And, I'm looking forward to her next.

Is 'Swamplandia!' for everyone? As a bookseller, I would have to say no. However, if you want a happy marriage between Katherine Dunn, Daniel Wallace, and Rebecca Wells (odd, but true) then this might just be the author to keep an eye on.

I find Karen Russell to be a fascinating writer, but not for successful writing. I first came across her work when Granta Magazine published her short story, "St Lucy's Home for Girls who were raised by Wolves." I was quite taken and transported by the subject matter and style, and thought I had come across someone enormously gifted. On the strength of the story, I purchased the collection. It didn't stand up. Every story was propelled by some magical-realist conceit, and none of them displayed the talent of the title story. When "Swamplandia!" was offered for review, I jumped on it, only to be disappointed once again - albeit, in degrees. There are sections of this book that read like a dream, but as a whole, the book fails in plot and pace.

The idea is compelling; Karen Russell's ideas/original impulses are always compelling. In this case, the challenges that face a family that run an alligator-wrestling amusement park in the Everglades. I had visited one of these parks when I was a kid, and my memory of the Seminole third-world squalor disguised as Florida tourism lingers. Karen Russell actually captures the environment very well. And her characters are a very interesting mixed bag of eccentrics: Hillola Bigtree, the matriarch and Esther Williams of alligator wrestlers whose death overshadows all; Chief Bigtree, the patriarch of failed ideas; Oceola, the budding spiritist; Kiwi, the rebellious but big-hearted teenage boy; and Ava, the tween narrator who moves us through the swamp after missing sisters, and ghosts, and in the company of the Bird Man - a fabulous creation. So, there's no problem there, the characters are all fascinating. The problem is with the plot. Three-quarters of the way through the book I was still wondering where we were going with this thing, and at the conclusion I could only summon a half-hearted, "Oh."

The book is a mess, an interesting mess, but a mess none-the-less, with a major sub-plot involving Kiwi, that goes absolutely no where in alternating chapters.

The acknowledgement page reads like the cast of an epic emergency room mission to save the book, so I wonder what kind of mess the editors had before they got to work on it. Their work was probably heroic, but, the patient didn't pull through.

Two stars for an interesting idea, good characters, and patches of beautiful writing. I could be a half-star more generous.