More than 60 pages into this book and I've decided to put it down.
The author is a good writer with an interesting, staccato-like style.
But it's a bit like eating popcorn when you're hungry. You take one bite, then another and another and each taste is good, but somehow it doesn't add up to be truly filling.
I simply didn't come to care about the characters, and the pattern of one quick sentence after another, however interesting in and of itself, didn't add up to a compelling story. ( )

Dark corners of an extraordinary childhood/life, fun to read about, but probably would have been much less fun to actualy live through. ( )

Beyond "quirky", but not quite bizarre. A realistic farce, perhaps? I dunno, but I really enjoyed it. Fascinating structure: alternating present/past chapters, with the past catching up by the end of the story. ( )

My initial response to Crocodile Soup was "nice but not layered," Jeanette Winterson-lite, with all the trappings of "we're a dysfunctional family" novel. I liked the novel, but as I read I couldn't quite figure out why this book had been long-listed for the Orange Prize. Nevertheless, I kept on reading. In fact, I couldn't put the book down but read it in one sitting to the deep distress of my garden and my dogs. By the end, I figured out why the book made the Orange Prize long list. Don't worry - no spoilers here. Darling writes with wit and deftly blends pathos and humor without being heavy-handed in the process. If you liked Kate Atkinson's Behind the Scenes at the Museum, you'll like this book as well. Four and a half thumbs up (if I had four and a half thumbs). ( )

Started it on a plane, but between Milwaukee and Minneapolis I decided it wasn't for me. ( )