- Paperback: 224 pages
- Publisher: Black Swan; New Ed edition (31 Mar 1994)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0552995738
- ISBN-13: 978-0552995733
- Product Dimensions: 20.2 x 12.6 x 1.9 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 322,321 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Trying To Save Piggy Sneed
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Product Description
Book Description
This collection of short writing is a treat for John Irving addicts and the perfect introduction to his work for the uninitiated.
Product Description
In a spirited opening piece, John Irving explains how he became a writer. There follow six scintillating stories written over the past twenty years, inlcuding The Pension Grillparzer, previously only to be found inside The World According to Garp, and now given its first independent airing.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
An odd collection of early stories by my favourite author, but by the time I had finished it I was asking myself why. Apart from the title story and the rather bizarre Interior Space, there is little in these stories to inspire anyone to read the more famous (and frankly better) John Irving novels. Add to this a strange essay on Charles Dickens and you have a reasonable read but nowhere as good as The Hotel New Hampshire, Son of the Circus or A Prayer for Owen Meany. Weighty volumes to be sure but far more rewarding.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a fine collection of short stories, the only problem being that most people don't like short stories.
This is a particular problem for Irving since readers associate him with huge, emotional roller-coaster novels such as A Prayer for Owen Meany or The World According to Garp.
Also the selection here is a little odd: a mixture of the kind of fiction you might find in The New Yorker plus some non-fiction: autobiographical essays of childhood plus an introduction to a Dickens novel. Since I always thought Irving was more of a Hardy fan, I found this a little bemusing.
Overall, fans of Irving's longer work will tend to a little disappointed with this outing, though this is perhaps no fault of the author.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I've now read all John Irving's fiction and would put Piggy Sneed right up near the top. I'm not normally impressed by short stories, I always seem to be missing the point somehow, but these are typical Irving in miniature - an absolute delight. The Dickens essay at the end is a little incongruous, but it's interesting nonetheless.
This would be a great way to get a taste of Irving before committing to his usually rather long novels.
This would be a great way to get a taste of Irving before committing to his usually rather long novels.
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