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What Members Thought
I love Karen Russell's short stories, and I think she has a lot of promise as a novelist too. Her prose is really wonderful to read. This story is whimsical and sad, and maybe a little bit unresolved.
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I agree with others who have said that something about this novel doesn't work, despite the beautiful writing. I found myself skimming most of Kiwi's chapters. Ava and her journey through the swamp were more compelling.. but heart-breaking. I'll try Russell's short stories.
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A very high 3. Deeply imaginative but it never quite coheres.
Started off strong, got a little muddled toward the end, but I really enjoyed it overall and expect great work to come from Karen Russell. I just put her short stories on hold at the library.
I must have misread the blurbs and reviews of this book, because I was expecting whimsical and got dark and dreary. The almost too-Hollywood ending really didn't help it much, though I will amdit to getting a little misty. On the plus side, Russell is a very florid and thorough writer, if some of her ideas lean toward the far-fetched. I have a really great sense of life in the Florida swamps!
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I'm not quite sure what I expected from this, but I don't think I got it. The family that this centers on sets it up beautifully for a comic or surreal novel, but instead it is very much grounded in realistic storylines, and I think I just wasn't prepared for that.
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Jan 21, 2011
molly
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Feb 01, 2011
Meg - A Bookish Affair
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Feb 02, 2011
Ayla
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Tracy
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Jan 26, 2015
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Dena Huff
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