Swamplandia! Audiobook

" I liked it, didn't love it by any means. The writing is colorful and it starts out in a unique setting, I liked the interplay between reality and imagination, and that made me want to like it more. Parts of it drag on, it definitely needed editing. I am still debating whether to give it 2 or 3 stars. "

" Not my favorite book. Liked the detailed descriptions, though. "

" I think that when a writer delivers you to a place where you at once feel at home and connected to the story, you have the recipe for a great tale. Swamplandia! is this kind of place. The story is fun and zany but Swamplandia! is a place I will miss, maybe even more than the characters. "

" I almost didn't finish this book, which is rare for me. I got very tired of the prose, which is very descriptive and, I'm sure, quite beautiful, but left me frustrated. I wanted less prose, more plot. The characters were well drawn, but it seems like it took forever to get them to do anything. "

" I chose to read this book for two reasons: 1) the cover and 2) the title of the author's previous book. Ha! I think you CAN judge a book by its cover sometimes. The book provided an interesting look into the lives of a very different family living a very different life. "

" Big disappointment. Short-listed for the pulitzer, I expected more. Ho. Hum. "

" I first discovered Karen Russell through her short stories in Vampire in the Lemon Grove. This novel is just as wonderfully written. There are wonderful elements of mystery, weird, emotional and coming of age. It does not resolve itself completely at the end, but that is part of what I love about her writing - it leaves me thinking about the characters and the social implications of their stories. Highly recommend. "

" I didn't finish this novel. I read the first several pages, put it down for a few days, and when I tried to find my place again realized I didn't remember anything about the story. So I began it again and decided I was just not interested. "

" Ugh, I didn't care what happened to the characters and didn't finish it. "

" I was looking forward to reading this, based on the numerous positive reviews and mentions, but thought it was over-rated. "

" The prose is lovely. The story is hard to take. "

" Jamie left this at my house. There is one good thing about this book, but I only want to talk to you about it after you've read it. "

" Very good but not as wonderful as all the critics have gushed, in my opinion. "

" Enjoyable, really imaginative, with beautiful writing, but found the descriptions of the environment to be so detailed they were hard to comprehend at times...and thus hard to get through. "

" lost interest in this book.....that it was nominated for a Pulitzer is shocking ... "

" I really like Karen Russell's short stories, so I expected to like this. But, it was too long for me. It fell apart in the middle and by e end I no longer cared about the characters. For me, Karen Russell's writing is better in small bites. I am still interested in reading her new book. "

" Good start and good setting, but last half fails and rape is blinked at. "

" A very good book! I am likely going to read Karen Russell's other work now. "

" The blurb on the back says that Russell is, "unfairly talented." That is true. "

" I started off thinking that this book would be great but ended up absolutely hating it. "

" Some of the sentences were perfection. Beautiful writing, loved the story, but it is tooooooo slow! "

" I liked this a lot, despite reviews I'd read earlier saying how "twee" this was. I found all of the characters really interesting, loved the lush setting and fascinating history of the area as well. "

" What a fun tale, both hilarious and, at times, heart rending. "

" Wasn't sure I'd like this, but not the surreal, magical realism type book I'd thought it to be. Instead it is a gorgeously written novel of a Florida gator wrestling family that falls into despair-- thrilling and filled with love and longing "

" I liked the alligator wrestling in the swamp, but just wasn't that interested as the book progressed. May be my fault. I think it's well written, just not for me right now. "

" The praise, "vividly worded, exuberant in characterization....a dazzling level of linguistic invention," should have warned me. I couldn't get past the first 10 pages. Too overblown: wordy, flowery, blowsy. "

" Wow, this was different! I really enjoyed it though and as always when I read something like this, am amazed at how some people can string words together. I need to read this again and jot down some of those strings! "

" Magic realism is not my cup of tea, but I thought I'd give this book a try because of all the good reviews. I should have trusted my instincts. "

" At times the prose was beautiful. At times, the narrative seemed to be developing into rewarding complexity. In the end, my over all feelings about the book can be summed up in two words: too cute. Still, I'm glad to have read it for the moments of crystalline prose. "