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empoleon's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A captivating and deceptively depressing read:
Karen Russell's take on the Florida swamps quickly had me glued to the page. She has a way of describing Swamplandia! and the surrounding areas that make it easy to visualize and be immersed in. Ava and Kiwi as narrators are delightful. You can grasp the magnitude of their grief in the desperate actions they undertake, and I found myself constantly rooting for them to win. However, the pair, along with the middle sibling, Osceola, and their father, are submerged in the devasting loss of their mother, which is clear throughout the book. Sometimes the book tricked me into thinking that there would be a sort of magical conclusion to their woes, that maybe their mother would immerge through the bushes, but this was not the case. Instead, the novel emphasizes the loss of innocence that comes with unimaginable loss and the sudden need to grow up. There is one terrible scene that shifts the focus of the book (trigger warning: sexual assault) and makes clear that this is not a magical realism book but a tragedy. I felt that the build-up to this scene was (mostly) done well and very intense. I could feel the imminent danger the character was in and felt helpless to stop it. I felt there were moments when the author meandered in the swamp for a little too long, but after the horrific scene, I understand better why the author did this. It was as if she was putting the reader in the character's shoes, showing that the passage of time was as slow as for the character.
I honestly don't know how to feel after reading this book. I think the tragedy of the Bigtree children will stick with me for a while.
Karen Russell's take on the Florida swamps quickly had me glued to the page. She has a way of describing Swamplandia! and the surrounding areas that make it easy to visualize and be immersed in. Ava and Kiwi as narrators are delightful. You can grasp the magnitude of their grief in the desperate actions they undertake, and I found myself constantly rooting for them to win. However, the pair, along with the middle sibling, Osceola, and their father, are submerged in the devasting loss of their mother, which is clear throughout the book. Sometimes the book tricked me into thinking that there would be a sort of magical conclusion to their woes, that maybe their mother would immerge through the bushes, but this was not the case. Instead, the novel emphasizes the loss of innocence that comes with unimaginable loss and the sudden need to grow up. There is one terrible scene that shifts the focus of the book (trigger warning: sexual assault) and makes clear that this is not a magical realism book but a tragedy. I felt that the build-up to this scene was (mostly) done well and very intense. I could feel the imminent danger the character was in and felt helpless to stop it. I felt there were moments when the author meandered in the swamp for a little too long, but after the horrific scene, I understand better why the author did this. It was as if she was putting the reader in the character's shoes, showing that the passage of time was as slow as for the character.
I honestly don't know how to feel after reading this book. I think the tragedy of the Bigtree children will stick with me for a while.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Cancer
melissahawco's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Cancer, Terminal illness, and Death of parent
Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis and Grief
zotty's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Cancer, and Death of parent
madbarron's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death of parent, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Rape
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The Bigtree family and their alligator themed amusement park begin to fray and unravel following the death of mother Hilola, the park’s star alligator wrestler. It explores family and loss in meaningful ways and 13 year old Ava is a loveable, memorable character. Overall though this was too quirky for my taste.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Cancer and Death of parent
runefactories's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Child abuse
Moderate: Cancer and Death of parent
Minor: Cultural appropriation
alexalily's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death of parent, Kidnapping, Medical content, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Terminal illness, Cancer, Grief, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Medical content, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Cursing, Dementia, Vomit, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Classism, and Cultural appropriation
annadirknowitzki's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I bounced off this for reasons I can’t articulate. It was a slog to finish, I was regularly distracted by writing style choices that just came across as pretentious and unnecessary. Something about the ending being wrapped up neatly irked me as well, it’s not happily ever after, but maybe the trauma porn version of that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Cancer
snazzy_suze's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
A vivid and compelling story. What initially seemed to be a coming-of-age mystery became much more sad and dark than I anticipated.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Cancer and Death of parent
Minor: Suicide
glitterhobbit's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
*Contains Spoilers!*
Honestly not sure how I feel about this book. Very dark and disturbing, and not what I expected at all. The novel meandered a lot and the ending felt abrupt. Be warned that this contains a graphic depiction of rape. (Part of the reason why I’m struggling with how to feel about this book. Really hated that part and it was such a shock and so late in the story. Very disturbing. I tried skim-reading it. Ugh.) The novel itself was honestly just unpleasant to read. It was disturbing.
One thing is for sure though—Karen Russell is really a stunning writer. I mean just a great writer. Her prose is so good.
Honestly not sure how I feel about this book. Very dark and disturbing, and not what I expected at all. The novel meandered a lot and the ending felt abrupt. Be warned that this contains a graphic depiction of rape. (Part of the reason why I’m struggling with how to feel about this book. Really hated that part and it was such a shock and so late in the story. Very disturbing. I tried skim-reading it. Ugh.) The novel itself was honestly just unpleasant to read. It was disturbing.
One thing is for sure though—Karen Russell is really a stunning writer. I mean just a great writer. Her prose is so good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Mental illness, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Cancer, Grief, and Death of parent