Swamplandia!

By: Karen Russell

Narrated by: Arielle Sitrick, David Ackroyd

From the celebrated 29-year-old author of the everywhere-heralded short-story collection St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves (“How I wish these were my own words, instead of the breakneck demon writer Karen Russell’s...Run for your life. This girl is on fire” - Los Angeles Times Book Review) comes a blazingly original debut novel that takes us back to the swamps of the Florida Everglades, and introduces us to Ava Bigtree, an unforgettable young heroine.

The Bigtree alligator-wrestling dynasty is in decline, and Swamplandia!, their island home and gator-wrestling theme park, formerly number one in the region, is swiftly being encroached upon by a fearsome and sophisticated competitor called the World of Darkness. Ava’s mother, the park’s indomitable headliner, has just died; her sister, Ossie, has fallen in love with a spooky character known as the Dredgeman, who may or may not be an actual ghost; and her brilliant big brother, Kiwi, who dreams of becoming a scholar, has just defected to the World of Darkness in a last-ditch effort to keep their family business from going under. Ava’s father, affectionately known as Chief Bigtree, is AWOL; and that leaves Ava, a resourceful but terrified 13, to manage 98 gators and the vast, inscrutable landscape of her own grief.

Against a backdrop of hauntingly fecund plant life animated by ancient lizards and lawless hungers, Karen Russell has written an utterly singular novel about a family’s struggle to stay afloat in a world that is inexorably sinking. An arrestingly beautiful and inventive work from a vibrant new voice in fiction.

©2011 Karen Russell (P)2011 Random House

Critic reviews

“[Russell] has thrown the whole circus of her heart onto the page, safety nets be damned. . . . Russell has deep and true talent.” ( San Francisco Chronicle)

“Vividly worded, exuberant in characterization, the novel is a wild ride. . . . This family, wrestling with their desires and demons . . . will lodge in the memories of anyone lucky enough to read Swamplandia!” ( The New York Times Book Review)

“The bewitching Swamplandia! is a tremendous achievement.”( Entertainment Weekly)

Interesting. Not my favorite

It kept me interested throughout, but just wasn't the outcome I hoped so strongly for. Hard to listen to at some points, but features real life struggles for many people/families.

Beautiful stage, not much else

The first half of this book is so delicious. Sadly, all the intricate and lovely world building does not seem to go anywhere.

Spoiled by bad reading.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

This book was hard to stick with. The sentences were read in a repetetive dropping cadence that did nothing for the rich vocabulary of the writing. The young girl reading had no training or editing, mispronouncing many words.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The story was interesting, the descriptions were unusual and conveyed emotion and intelligence. Wish I could have read it instead.

Was Swamplandia! worth the listening time?

Had to do it to fulfill a Book Club requirement while traveling. It was vexing.

Any additional comments?

As others have stated, I'm annoyed with Audible, and the book publishers,for this poor effort.

Awesome writer, garbled female narrator

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Every once in a while, I listen to a great book that I have to stop listening to and buy the written version. This is such an audible book. I am enthralled by the writing of this book and the story (the unique setting and characters) but I miss so much of the narration that I have to continuously rewind to catch what the narrator is saying and sometimes, even after two tries, I still cannot get it. The narrator sounds like the character she is speaking but her diction is so imprecise that it has spoiled the audible book for me. After listening to well over 100 Audible books, this is the only the second time this has happened.

Could you see Swamplandia! being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Given the banality of what Hollywood puts out, this book would be a welcome film.

Beautifully written tale about family

I thought this was a magical, beautifully written book-- I found it engrossing. Karen Russell is clearly extraordinarily talented.

Regarding the narrator: At first I was also put off by her voice and tone, but I quickly got over it. For me, the narration definitely did not ruin the book. As most of the book is written in the voice of a 14 year old girl, the narrator was probably an appropriate choice, even though I didn't love her performance.

Loathed the main performer

What a jarring experience. I would have returned this audiobook after less than 5 minutes of listening if it hadn't been the selection for our book club.

Amazing, powerful, haunting, and funny

What did you love best about Swamplandia!?

The wonderful, screwy fabulous Bigtree family.Before circumstances send them spinning out of control, I wanted to be one of them, wrestling alligators, and running wild in the Florida everglades.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ava Bigtree of course. Precocious, funny, brave, the loss of her mother leaves her untethered and vulnerable to evil.

What does Arielle Sitrick and David Ackroyd bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrators vividly capture the voices of Karen Russell's wonderful characters

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Unforgetable

Any additional comments?

This is a wonderful, wonderful book, one of my favorites of all time. Everyone should read it. That said, I thought that Russell didn't know how to end it. I found the last bit of the book weaker than the start, but it is still an a fabulously imagined world with characters that jump off the page, voices that will stay with you for the rest of your life. How can a book be side splittingly funny, and heartbreakingly tragic.

Reader was distracting

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would be hesitant to recommend this mostly because of the performance.

If you’ve listened to books by Karen Russell before, how does this one compare?

This was my first book performed by Karen Russell.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I was repeatedly off put by the reader's mispronunciation of words. This kept me from being able to fully involve myself in the story. Shouldn't someone have noticed this during production?!

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

I don't think so.

Read by a whiny little girl

Would you try another book from Karen Russell and/or Arielle Sitrick and David Ackroyd ?

I tried listening to this book, but couldn't stand listening to the whiny girl that read it. I finally read it (on my Kindle), and absolutely loved the book!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Swamplandia!?

Ava Bigtree's Huck-Finn-like trip through the world of the swamp in Florida. But really, the most memorable part of the book was not a "moment" but the overall use of language, which is amazing! It is colorful, inventive, clever, evocative, fun and beautiful!

How could the performance have been better?

Well, it could have been a different reader for Ava.

Did Swamplandia! inspire you to do anything?

Stay away from Florida!

Any additional comments?

I truly think this is one of the best books I've ever read. "Read" not "listened to."

Worst performance Ever

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I could not get past this narrator's voice. She sounds like a high schooler and not in a good way. Her diction is terrible. Her voice is so nasal it gave me a headache. I am so disappointed they would ever choose someone so inept to narrate.