The Pig and I

by Rachel Toor

As a single woman acquires a series of unusual pets, she finds that her boyfriends bear an uncanny resemblance to the animals, despite the fact that her love for each man inevitably fades while her love of animals deepens. 40,000 first printing.

Genres: Memoir, Chick Lit, Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 27, 2005

Reviews

[Perri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Toor admits her faults and often, so although I wouldn't want to be friends, I have to give her a pass for her honesty in self reflection. What I liked about the book was her relationship to such a variety of different pets. She's crazy about animals and that's something I can root for. Sometimes her analysis of how they relate to men are a stretch, but it makes for an entertaining read. I liked it.

[Bethany Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written and perfectly detailed. Toor has such a way of describing a scene, it truly sucks you in. This book is a great read for anyone, but especially animal lovers. It touched my heart, made me laugh, and made me cry. At times it also gave me the urge to read aloud to my boyfriend. I lost my cat at the end of last year. For me it was therapeutic listening to Toor describe each pet she's had the joy of loving and how they've helped her grow as a person.

[Alisa Kester · Rating 4 out of 5]

#1: It was refreshing how honest the writer was about how difficult, selfish, and unpleasant she frequently is, because otherwise I'd be writing this review about how much I disliked her. As it was, I did root for a couple of the really wonderful men to dump her, but by the end of the book she'd grown on me enough that I wished her well.

#2: The book is well-written, funny, infuriating (she's not half so brilliant with animals as she thinks she is) and thoroughly worth reading if you're an animal-lover.

#3: The pig isn't in the book very much. Thankfully. I don't like pigs, and this book only confirmed me as a pig-disliker.

#4: But what really won me over (and the real reason I'm giving this book four stars instead of three) is that Toor gets it, when it comes to an owner's love affair with that one special animal, the animal you love every bit as much as you could ever love a human...and more than you actually do love many humans. For her, it was her dog Hannah. For me, it's my darling Ellie. When she described her feelings for Hannah, it was everything I feel for Ellie, and it was kind of uncanny.

[Jody · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Pig and I is a funny, fabulous, and at turns heartwarming and heartbreaking story of one woman's relationships with men and animals. Every woman who has negotiatied the dating world will be able to relate to Rachel Toor's ups and downs with the men in her life, as well as the oftentimes hilarious coincidences of pets she owns when dating each man (ie: she learns to love Hester the rat while she's dating -- and then dumps -- a rat of a man).

I truly did both laugh and cry while reading this intelligent and entertaining book, told by a vivacious, self-aware narrator who shares her tales and insights with great openness as she finds love or copes with the loss of her men and her pets.

[Marylynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was witty & entertaining. I got a little annoyed with the author & how impressed she seemed to be with herself, but as the story progresses she matures. Her understanding of people and the person she is becomes more and more clear through her relationships with people and almost more importantly, the animals in her life. I liked the author's writing for the laughs she produced in me, and would generally recommend this book - especially to my animal-loving girlfriends who can relate.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rather slow in the middle of the story but overall well worth it. I am actually curious about what happened to Rachel after she went to Montana. This is the story of the animals in Rachel's life and the men she loves along the way. I liked the descriptions of the different animals and their personalities and I was definitely ready to help her dump any of the guys who didn't appreciate her 4 legged friends. A quick, fun, enjoyable read.

[Janice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable but definitely not as good and heartwarming as "The Good Good Pig: The Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood" by Sy Montgomery. I'm not even sure if I would like Emma, the self-centered pig! I thought the ending was disjointed.

[Elisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

funny humor, interesting personality critiques, but a LOT of boyfriends and pets to go with them....it's different, quirky, easy read...

If you've ever loved a pet, you'll connect with the author and possibly even a tear or two at the end.

[Coen · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of those perspective altering books. Definitely in my top 5 list of books. This one really got through to me. I actually learned something new that I will incorporate into my life and into my being.

[Lisa Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writer seems like a very difficult person to live with-- she admits to being difficult-- so I found that part of the text hard to get through. But she is a succinct, observant, engaging, and often funny writer, and I found her relationships with her pets heartwarming.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was really cute and funny. I could definitely relate to it. (uh oh)

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book about a woman who compares her boyfriends to her various pets in life. Hysterical. Kind of makes me want to just get a bunch of pets and become the crazy pet lady!

[Catt · Rating 3 out of 5]

i related a little ~too~ well to this author. *lol*

i wasn't able to finish the book out of time constraints & i do hope to return someday to see it to the end!

[Cinda Rowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. If you have pets this is an interesting turn on they're traits teaching us something about our human quirks.

[Maryanne]

The Pig and I 05142008 Why It's So Easy to Love an Animal and So Hard to Live with a Man by Rachel Toor

[Bonnie Campbell]

I love Rachel Toor. I love her pig.