Fiction
1993 HarperCollins Publishers
Finished on January 28, 2021
Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)
Publisher's Blurb:
When six-year-old Turtle Greer witnesses a freak accident at the Hoover Dam, her insistence on what she has seen and her mother's belief in her lead to a man's dramatic rescue. But Turtle's moment of celebrity draws her into a conflict of historic proportions. The crisis quickly envelops not only Turtle and her mother, Taylor, but everyone else who touches their lives in a complex web connecting their future with their past. A deeply felt novel of love despite the risks, of tearing apart and coming together, Pigs in Heaven travels the roads from rural Kentucky and the urban Southwest to Heaven, Oklahoma, and the Cherokee Nation. As this spellbinding novel unfolds, it draws the reader into a world of heartbreak and redeeming love, testing the boundaries of family and the many separate truths about the ties that bind. With Pigs in Heaven, Barbara Kingsolver has given us her wisest, most compelling work to date.
Last year I decided to reread Barbara Kingsolver's bestselling novel, The Bean Trees, which turned out to be one of my favorite reads of 2020. This month, I reread the sequel to that debut novel and am happy to report that Pigs in Heaven is as good as the first time I read it over 25 years ago. I loved returning to Taylor and Turtle's story and the addition of new supporting characters (particularly Jax, Taylor's mother Alice, and Cash) added to my enjoyment of the novel. There was one spot in the middle of the book that dragged on a bit too long, but overall, I loved the book. Kingsolver is such a great storyteller and I fell in love with her characters, laughing along with them and feeling a lump rise in my throat as they shed their tears. Both books are so richly satisfying and entertaining that I have returned them to my "keeper" shelf for another future reread.
I should reread some of Kingsolver's earliest books as well; she's terrific. I think it's 20 years for some of these.
ReplyDeleteDiane, I have a few more of hers on my shelf to reread and I'm looking forward to doing so. She really is a wonderful writer, isn't she?
DeleteI know I read this one many years ago along with The Bean Trees. Remember liking both books very much. Glad it worked well for you as a re-visit, Les.
ReplyDeleteKay, I'm looking forward to rereading some of my favorites this year. I was glad both of these Kingsolver books stood the test of time. I loved them!
DeleteThe Bean Trees is a keeper for me as well. I know I've read this one but I don't remember anything about it. I think it would be worth it to read both of them again. Of course I have other Kingsolver books I want to read though. It's been a while since I've read one of her books.
ReplyDeleteIliana, I had forgotten the entire story of this one, too, so it was fun to read it a second time. I still have The Lacuna to read for the first time, but I plan to reread The Poisonwood Bible and Flight Behavior later this year, too.
DeleteVicki, if you decide to read this, be sure to first read The Bean Trees since this is a sequel. All her other books are stand-alones.
ReplyDeleteI loved both of these, but it was so long ago, re-reading both would be a pleasure!
ReplyDeleteJenclair, I really enjoyed revisiting both of these books. Kingsolver is a marvelous writer.
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