50 pages 1 hour read

Karen Russell

Swamplandia

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2011

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Before You Read

Reviews & Readership

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Review Roundup

Karen Russell's Swamplandia! mesmerizes with its lush prose and imaginative setting, providing a unique backdrop of a family struggling to keep their alligator-wrestling theme park afloat. Critics praise Russell's vivid imagery and inventive story but note occasional pacing issues and an uneven tone. Despite these flaws, the novel is an enchanting mix of magical realism and family drama.

Who should read this

Who Should Read Swamplandia?

Readers who enjoy complex family dynamics, magical realism, and coming-of-age stories will be captivated by Karen Russell's Swamplandia!. Fans of Gabriel García Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude or Yann Martel's Life of Pi will appreciate the novel’s eccentric characters and surreal settings.

Recommended

Reading Age

18+years

Lexile Level

900L

Book Details

Genre
Magical Realism
Fantasy
Coming of Age / Bildungsroman
Period
Southern Gothic
Themes
Emotions/Behavior: Grief
Life/Time: Coming of Age
Natural World: Environment