Trying to Save Piggy Sneed

I gave this book five stars in part for the way it was organized. Virtually all short story collections have 10-12 stories, and that's it, which may be one reason that short story collections generally don't sell as well as novels. There is nothing to break up the stream. After finishing one, you're confronted with the next, with new characters, a new plot, new themes. Short stories require more concentrated effort than a similar number of pages in a novel, so I apprecitate the way this book helped give me breathing space. Trying to Save Piggy Sneed began with John Irving's memoirs, which covered about 160 pages. I found it quite interesting, except possibly for some of the extended descriptions of wrestling matches. Nonetheless, it personalized my reading experience in a way that simply reading one short story after the other seldom does. Knowing something about John Irving's growing-up years put the stories in context, and trying to relate the themes of the stories to his life enriched the whole experience. Also, following each story were notes on the story, again giving further insight that you rarely get from the standard short story format. The third section of the book, after the memoirs and short stories, contained essays on Charles Dickens and other subjects. I enjoyed getting inside John Irving's head to see what sort of literature he likes and why, then comparing it with my own opinions. I felt like I was having a conversation with him. I bought the book originally because of the short story called Interior Space. I was curious because I knew it had won awards, plus I'd never read an Irving short story. I enjoyed that story but after finishing the book, found myself liking the book for much more than just that award-winning story. I hope other authors planning on publishing a short story collection take note of the format of Trying to Save Piggy Sneed as a way of "mixing things up" to create more interest.

I have nothing bad to say about anything that John Irving has written, and this is no exception. His short stories and memoirs are as intriguing and captivating as his novels and I enjoyed every minute of this compilation

John Irving and Michael Chabon are probably my two favorite authors. They both write beautifully. Although their books are usually pretty hefty (in weight and subject matter), they don't waste a single word.This book differs from most of Irving's work in that it's a collection of memoirs, short fiction and essays. There's lots of wrestling in this book, as one would expect from an Irving memoir. I've read that some people found those sections tedious; I didn't. As far as I'm concerned, the book is worth purchasing even if you read nothing but the section about having dinner at the White House. I had to read it out loud to my husband (which was difficult, since I was laughing the entire time).I also enjoyed the short fiction and essays. Matter of fact, though I didn't enjoy Dickens as a youngster, I'm tempted to read him again after Irving's essays.

There is no way to describe the writings of John Irving. From Setting Free the Bears to his latest novel , he continues to surprise and delight me. In Trying to Save Piggy Snead, he introduces himself to us in all his facets and brings some understanding to his generally off-the-wall style and content. I personally love his semi-colons; they are so necessary to the pace of the writing. Inercollegiate wrestling, his second passion, is described in a bit too much detail in his second story but it does give insight into his life forces. I loved the book.

"Piggy Sneed" is a work of exposure. Like a grizzled archaelogist, Irving methodically excavates loneliness, lifelong obsessions and secret aspirations for protagonists like Garp. Along the way, he shows how a quirky sense of humor can lead to a lecture on comic timing by Ronald Reagan -- and death, to a dinner party invitation. You finish convinced of intimacy, and with an envious appreciation for standouts such as the title essay, "The Pension Grillparzer" and the gutsy gender-bender "Brennbar's Rant."