Swamplandia! by Karen Russell

-

A Book to Sink Your Teeth Into

Swamplandia! by Karen Russell is about a family struggling to keep their business and each other together after their mother passes away.  The twist is that mom was the star attraction at Swamplandia! a daring alligator wrestling show on a small island off the Florida coast.  Top off their grief and financial famine with some major competition on the mainland and their fight seems to pull them down to an alligator death roll.

I love this book! It was binge-worthy—difficult for me to set down.  The author entangles a smart and sophisticated writing style with bright, witty characters in a unique setting with an original plot. The 13-year-old narrator, Ava, drew me into their world of swimming with and wrestling alligators in a washed-up tourist trap where she’s hoping to fill her mother’s shoes.  In the meanwhile her sister is obsessed with ghosts, while her brother joins enemy forces, and the father leaves them to try and save it all.

This book was quirky and fun, and while one disturbing part burst my bubble of joy, other bubbles buoyed this book way up.  I thought it was a delicious treat that I think most readers would like to sink their teeth into.

Sharp, imaginative, captivating. 

Happy Reading,
Annette

This book met one of the 2015 Book Challenges:  Read a book set on an island.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Short Stories by O. Henry

-
Image
Candy for the Mind O. Henry is pen name of William Sydney Porter, who wrote over 600 short stories in his lifetime. Often funny, sometimes touching, always witty and imaginative, each story ended with a surprising twist. One of his most famous stories is The Gift of the Magi ,   where a young, penniless couple sacrifices something dear to their hearts in order to buy the perfect Christmas present for each other. The ending has a sweet twist to it, kind of like an Oh, Henry! candy bar, which supposedly pays tribute to the beloved author. Read it here: https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/1-the_gift_of_the_magi_0.pdf There is almost an endless selection of books containing his short stories. While there are too many stories to list, below are some of my favorites. Lost on Dress Parade is about a young man who saves his money for ten weeks so he can go out and pretend to be a rich man for one evening.  Outside the restaurant he meets ...
Read more

Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

-
Image
 Remains of the Day This book immediately struck me as a character study. I didn’t expect much action, and predictably, didn’t get much.  Mostly it was about getting inside a stuffy, dignified butler’s head, listening to his internal dialogue, his thought process, and his many recollections of a thirty-year career, annnnnnnnnnd—I LOVED IT!!  ðŸ’— It had such depth and insight that I couldn’t wait to return each day to see what Mr. Stevens would reveal and what the outcome of his quest would be.  I was not disappointed.  In fact, the book stirred me more than I expected.  Yes, those tears fell freely when I wasn’t looking.  It snuck up on me—all of it, all of Mr. Stevens’ days that he shared moved me in some way.   I’m not sure this book is for everyone.  "Boring" is how one friend described it as he politely set it aside. BUT I truly believe if my friend got into his Zen mode and picked it up again, he might—if not quit...
Read more

Liebster Award

-
Image
Ich Liebe the Liebster Award!   In July Marianne from Let’s Read blog nominated me for the Liebster Award , an award given to smaller blogs.   I was extremely honored, especially coming from Marianne, whose book review blog I just love.   My beautiful mother passed away at the time Marianne nominated me, and although I already had posts scheduled in advanced, I wasn’t in the mood to do much, even the simple rules of the award below…until now.   Rules for the award: 1.    Thank the amazing blogger who nominated you.  (check) 2.    Answer the 11 questions the nominator provided (answer on your blog.) (check, see below) 3.    Nominate 11 other bloggers who have less than 200 followers. 4.    Post 11 different questions for your nominees to answer on their blogs. (check, see below) 5.    Contact your nominees to let them know that you've nominated them.  (check...
Read more