Pigs in Heaven

Rating:
Summary: This is an excellent modern-based book.
Review: Overall, I just cannot say whether I liked or disliked Pigs in Heaven. It is hard to compare this romance/drama novel to others because I am only experienced in reading pure romance or pure drama. It was different from such romances as Dickens's Great Expectations, Orwell's Burmese Days, or Wuthering Heights because, for one; Kingsolver is apparently not a sadistic writer, and two; all the characters benefited at the ending of the story which made it a happy ending. What I did like about it was the romance. Though I am a big fan of bashing on any films or books with the slightest trace of romance included, I honestly did enjoy Kingsolver's style of it. The most romantic part was when Cash shot and destroyed his television just for Alice. That was the climax of the novel. It personally made me feel really good about the novel in general. Also, Jax was a character that Kingsolver meant for the reader to like. Then when she wanted Jax and Taylor to finally be together permanently it was hard not to accept. Aside from the romance, I also liked the characters. Jax was a very likable character. His speech and unintentional humor made me enjoy the book that much more. I also liked Taylor and Alice. Taylor was a very strong woman. Though she couldn't survive on poverty; who can? Her strength should be a motivation to all women. What I didn't like about Pigs in Heaven was the circumstances of the plot. Annawake Fourkiller was an absolute nuisance. Though every story has a character that needs to break the peace to create a plot, but Annawake was just annoying. It just didn't make any sense at all for her to try to get Turtle away from Taylor. She did lose her brother because the Indian Child Welfare Act was not in effect, but it's really about the principle. Turtle was dumped on Taylor and that's that. Annawake has to allow some logic because she was not being sensible. I also didn't like Taylor's choice of action. Running away was the wrong solution to the problem. It didn't help her situation or Turtle's in anyway at all, and it extended the Greer women trend of being without men.

Rating:
Summary: Thought Provoking
Review: Pigs in Heaven is an essentially worthy book, but what seperates the novel from other works of literature are Barbra Kingsolvers' incredible descriptions and mastery of interconnectedness. Kingsolver in this book, paints a clear and concise picture. She spares no expense when it comes to describing people, places, and things. Unfortunately though, her lengthy descriptions of people and their past in the first few chapters made it seem boring. Also, her way of switching characters between chapters made the reading confusing to me. For example, in the chapters prior to Chapter 11, the story is mainly focusing on Taylor, Turtle, and Annawake. Then all of the sudden Cash comes into the story, which raised the question of his importance and contribution to the plot and theme. The book, in the beginning seemed like a bunch of loose strories that had nothing to do with each other. Kingsolver then shows her wit and amazes me by interconnecting the characters extremely well. All of the information that I thought to be inconsequential played a vital role as the book drew to a close, and any confusion that I had was quickly swept away during the later chapters. Because of the way the novel ends and the way it was written, I could not help but look back and reflect on the novel. I then realized how all the characters are connected and how all the background information was needed. Also, the topic that Kingsolver writes about in this book is a heated topic today and again, forced me to look back and think about what is going on in the world.

Rating:
Summary: It speaks a universal language of love and compromise.
Review: The American Heritage College Dictionary defines love as, an intense emotional attachment. Does love impair our ability to make rational decisions? Can blood relatives overreach their authority? These questions and a handful of others, dealing with love, are explored in detail in Barbara Kingsolver's Pigs in Heaven.

The interesting part of love is, you never know what you have until you don't have it or are faced with the chance of losing it. Kingsolver enwraps the reader with the real life emotions of the characters. The emotions range from the joys of being on a famous talk show to facing the possibility of losing the love of your life forever. The emotional roller coaster kept me as the reader involved, but also as a bystander, I was frustrated by my inability to do anything.

Although the book's rural setting will not appeal to everyone, its message of love and compromise speaks a universal language. In fact, Pigs in Heaven is far from mainstream literature, but its message is about real life with its triumphs, fears and disappointments. Another book that comes to mind with its timeless message of hope for a better tomorrow is John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath. All great literature has a timeless quality; the names and places may be different, but human emotions never change. That is why I have decided to give Pigs in Heaven 4-stars out of 5, for its realistic portrayal of life.

Rating:
Summary: The story line seems unrealistic but I found it interesting.
Review: Book Review

Pigs in Heaven, by Barbara Kingsolver is a book that will keep its readers attention throughout the story. Each character in the book possesses very unique and unusual characteristics. This allows for an interesting story that keeps you reading. Kingsolver used her writing talents to create characters that have a great influence over its readers. When reading this book I felt that I could relate with the thoughts and actions of certain characters. Thus, this book improves the way its readers think of themselves and of the people around them. I also enjoyed reading Pigs in Heaven because it allows the reader to gain an understanding and appreciation of the Cherokee Nation in Heaven, Oklahoma. Kingsolver explicitly describes the history and culture of the Cherokee tribe in great detail. The reader is introduced to certain members of the tribe and traditional events such as hog fries and stomp dances. Thus, he/she has a sense of feeling "included' within the Cherokee tribe and their customs. Pigs in Heaven deals with the theme of interconnectedness and how one event can create a chain of different events. Each one of these events can significantly effect the lives of many individuals. However I feel that this theme is over exaggerated to the point where the story line actually seems unrealistic. Aside from this, the book is very interesting and I would strongly recommend that it be read. For as you read further into the book you'll notice that Kingsolver attempts to convey important messages while resolving the books conflicts. An example of this is that in order to live a life of happiness you must put the negative aspects of your past behind you. Overall, Pigs in Heaven consists of important lessons to be learned, and it contains valuable components that are forever placed in the minds of its readers.

Rating:
Summary: A great book with excellent characters and a suspensful plot
Review: On a scale of one to five, five being the best I would have to rate Pigs in Heaven as a three. It was one of those books that you wished you could read straight through and never put it down. Many times the suspenseful plot made me think twice about getting my much-needed sleep and keep reading. Many things contributed to my decision including: content, characters, and plot. The content of the book was excellent, for me anyway, easy to read and very smooth. I don't know about you, but I can't stand when I have to read a paragraph over and over just to understand its meaning. The characters were all right; I especially enjoyed Jax and Turtle who made the book worth while. The one thing I didn't like, I know it's small, was that Taylor was so foolish in her thinking throughout the book. Her thinking may have held the plot together but made the book a little fake. The plot was excellent in that a reader might be able to see him or herself in any of the characters' shoes. The plot made you see many different lives of all kinds of people and was as entangled as a "Seinfeld" episode. I would have to say that if anyone who is interested in a great book with excellent characters and a suspenseful plot (everyone) should read Pigs in Heaven.

Rating:
Summary: Everyone should take time to read this book.
Review: The novel Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver is a book for all ages. Not only does it deal with external conflicts but internal conflicts as well. A brilliant cast of characters include Taylor, who is trying to run from the law; Turtle, a six year old girl of Cherokee background; Alice, Taylor's mother who is trying to solve all troubles for her daughter; Jax, Taylor's insecure boyfriend who tries to relieve his stress by playing in a band; Barbie, a woman who revolves her whole life around that of a Barbie doll and tags along with Taylor to get away from her troubles; and Annawake, a lady who works as an attorney for the Cherokee nation who is persuing Taylor's illegal adoption. Throughout the novel these characters experience heartbreak, emotional breakdowns, betrayl, racial issues, and the test of family ties and the truth. I can compare Pigs in Heaven to a roller coaster. Some chapters keep you interested while others allow you to drift off. For the most part the novel kept you drawn into the ups and downs of the Greer family and those whose lives are connected. Through the book the reader may take two perspectives: understanding the ways of the Cherokees, or accepting the reasons of running behind Taylor and Alice. Throughout your reading you may find yourself taking sides and finding it hard to reason with the opposing side's opinions and values. Either way you become entangled in the crisis of each individual character. As the book comes to an end you watch how each crisis is dealt with and how it slowly becomes resolved, leading to the conclusion. The themes in the book such as tribal values versus family values, the tradition of independence in the Greer family, and cultural awareness develop and become more obvious as the conflicts start to unravel. The novel ends well, but raises many real questions that are not as easily answered. Overall, Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver gets my two thumbs up.

Rating:
Summary: Fairly Enjoyable to Read
Review: I enjoyed Barbara Kingsolver's Pigs in Heaven. My favorite part about it is how each character plays a crucial role in the central plot and how each character is, or becomes, connected to another in a unique, surprising way. Kingsolver made it easy to relate to her characters through their actions and thoughts. This is true even though you may not get to know a character really well at first introduction. I also liked her solution to the situation because it took pieces from all of the turns the story line made and produced an answer to the problem that the reader is happy with but is not predictable. Unfortunately, I disliked a small group of characters, but realized that they had to hang around for an existence of a plot which made me want to read more. After finishing the novel, I occasionally find myself discussing it with friends and family without even realizing it because it connects so easily with everyday life. Even though Pigs in Heaven didn't become one of my favorite books, I am glad I read it, enjoyed Kingsolver's humor, and learned a lot about life.

Rating:
Summary: The book was well written and captured my attention.
Review: Barbara Kingsolver's Pigs in Heaven seemed to start out slow in the beginning chapters of the book. However, the plot expanded and I became absorbed once the plot opened up. The choice of the characters' names were at first questioned. I had difficulty keeping track of the characters because the names seemed too similar. However, once I became familiar with the characters and learned of their personalities, I quickly overcame that problem. Kingsolver's choice of characters made me feel as if I knew them persoanlly. I became very fond of Jax in the book. I felt that Kingsolver did a great job explaining him... there wasn't much detail on him, but rather Jax showed emotion, and from this, I established an opinion of him. Kingsolver used much symbolism in the story that could be taken many different ways. Take, for example, the title of the book. There are many ways in which the title could be interpreted, but it is up to the reader to decide that reason. Many troublesome situations occur in the book, and much of the problems deal with symbolism. Take, for example, the photo cube. I do not want to give away any events that occured, but I will say that the photo cube is an important example of this symbolism. I very much enjoyed the book and was especially fond of the end of the book. Without giving the conclusion away, I would have to say that I was pleased with how it ended and what was to become of all the characters. The end of the book can be easily determined in the early chapters, so you think, but then the author has a way of adding different problems so as to throw the reader off. The book could be said that it was predictable, yet there were times when I questioned my predictions. This was one of the first books that I have read all the way through, without stopping in the middle because of boredom.

Rating:
Summary: A Heavenly Treat!
Review: Pigs in Heaven, written by Barbara Kingsolver, is a sequel to another one of her famous works, The Bean Trees, that can be easily understood and enjoyed perfectly well without having read the prequel. In Kingsolver's Pigs in Heaven, when Turtle Greer and her adoptive mother Taylor are vacationing at Hoover Dam, her daughter Turtle is the sole witness of a terrible accident that may change her life forever. Along with Turtle's high rise to fame, comes a series of events which dig back into the past to decide her fate. I enjoyed reading this book because Kingsolver treats her readers to a great deal of fun that also has a point. Her descriptive writing makes the reader feel like they are part of the story. Kingsolver has a way of entrapping her readers to enlighten them with the idea that with a little effort of believing, miracles can happen.

Rating:
Summary: Deep thoughts and very goal oriented.
Review: Pigs in Heaven, is a unique and intriguing novel that brings hope and warmth to the readers. I like the way Kingsolver finds a way to reel the reader in by starting with such a tragic beginning with Lucky Buster. It almost leaves you off the edge of your seats. It is like Kingsolver is writing the book backwards, starting on one broad topic, than getting more general; while on the other hand, most authors do it the other way around, like a funnel. I like the way she does that, however, throughout the novel she puts a bumpy road in Taylor's path that keeps the reader going. It's always going, there is never anything that just calms down in this novel. This novel also brings out hope and encouragement. Taylor never gave up for Turtle and when it was time to face reality, she did. There was a lesson in this novel, never to give up your goals because someone else is intimidating you. You need to strive for something to succeed, which is what Taylor has done and portrayed it well. I recommend this book to anyone who feels that giving up is the only way to go, because it isn't, and Kingsolver has proven that.