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Pig Trilogy #1
The Pig Did It
A whimsical first installment of a new trilogy parodying traditional Irish themes finds a notorious porcine instigator wreaking havoc in the lives of star-crossed lovers, perpetuators of family feuds, and melodramatic heroes throughout the wild Irish land and seascape.
224 pages, Paperback
First published December 30, 2007
About the author
Joseph Caldwell
35 books20 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
A playwright and novelist whose books include The Pig Did It, The Pig Comes to Dinner, and The Pig Goes to Hog Heaven, Joseph Caldwell has been awarded the Rome Prize for Literature by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He lives in New York City and is working on various post-Pig writing projects.
A playwright and novelist whose books include The Pig Did It, The Pig Comes to Dinner, and The Pig Goes to Hog Heaven, Joseph Caldwell has been awarded the Rome Prize for Literature by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He lives in New York City and is working on various post-Pig writing projects.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 460 reviews
June 19, 2011
This piece of pig manure is a good illustration of the dangers of following recommendations found on amazon.com. Described as a "comic novel" set in my homeland, it has about as much wit as a lobotomized goldfish and lards on the blarney factor to nauseating excess. Other defects include lack of a discernible plot, grievously bloviated prose, and characters that don't even achieve the status of caricature. The following paragraph exemplifies its glaring inanity:
Remember the day he saved the four sons of Maggie Kerwin and the two sons of Sally Fitzgibbon, with their boat going down in the storm sent from the north. ... Lost in the waves and found and lost again, with the mountains falling right on top of him. Remember the seething water hissing at his valor, raging that he should defy them all -- the waves, the rocks, and all the nibbling fishes below. This was the day he dived down and brought up the four sons of Maggie Kerwin and the two sons of Sally Fitzgibbon, and only him still able to holler. And remember the rescue of Hanrahan's goat with the barn burning, and Kate's cat plucked from the high branches of the oak, and his clothes ripped open for all to see. Forget that his words were made of the night air and that he had the gift of transport like none other before him or since, that his closed eyes and open mouth were the surrender of all this world.... Remember what's there to remember and forget what's there to be forgot.
Kitty's face had turned from flesh to stone.
And so on, regrettably, until the reader throws up in his own mouth at the unmitigated dreadfulness of it all.
This style of writing might reasonably be termed "Blarney quaint". In my experience, most native Irish people find it ridiculous, borderline offensive, and incredibly annoying, while a surprisingly high proportion of non-Irish readers react positively (the word "charming" is often invoked).
This book was a "Washington Post Book World Best Book of 2008", and is the first volume in a so-called "pig trilogy". The mind actively boggles.
..... and all the nibbling fishes below. dear god.
Remember the day he saved the four sons of Maggie Kerwin and the two sons of Sally Fitzgibbon, with their boat going down in the storm sent from the north. ... Lost in the waves and found and lost again, with the mountains falling right on top of him. Remember the seething water hissing at his valor, raging that he should defy them all -- the waves, the rocks, and all the nibbling fishes below. This was the day he dived down and brought up the four sons of Maggie Kerwin and the two sons of Sally Fitzgibbon, and only him still able to holler. And remember the rescue of Hanrahan's goat with the barn burning, and Kate's cat plucked from the high branches of the oak, and his clothes ripped open for all to see. Forget that his words were made of the night air and that he had the gift of transport like none other before him or since, that his closed eyes and open mouth were the surrender of all this world.... Remember what's there to remember and forget what's there to be forgot.
Kitty's face had turned from flesh to stone.
And so on, regrettably, until the reader throws up in his own mouth at the unmitigated dreadfulness of it all.
This style of writing might reasonably be termed "Blarney quaint". In my experience, most native Irish people find it ridiculous, borderline offensive, and incredibly annoying, while a surprisingly high proportion of non-Irish readers react positively (the word "charming" is often invoked).
This book was a "Washington Post Book World Best Book of 2008", and is the first volume in a so-called "pig trilogy". The mind actively boggles.
..... and all the nibbling fishes below. dear god.
March 8, 2011
A self-obsessed New York writer retreats to his aunt’s house in Ireland in order to mourn a failed relationship. Actually, it never actually was a relationship, as the woman in question preemptively rejected him through her indifference. That doesn't affect his heartbreak, though, and he requires sufficient time and a suitable location to indulge in self-pity. So off he heads to his aunt’s house, where he anticipates that the stark landscape of the Irish coast will provide a fitting backdrop to indulge in misery.
His aunt, who is only a couple of years older so she’s more like a cousin, is happy to have him.....though he suspects that the hideous floral wallpaper covering the kitchen walls was hastily put up in order to drive him out of doors, because she, too, is a writer and needs peace and quiet. Unlike her nephew, though, the aunt has made a mint with her books, which are thinly disguised re-writes of classics. Her approach is to “correct” the offending texts, giving the characters the endings they would have gotten if she were in charge of the universe.
Anyway, the story sort of follows the mourning writer’s blunderings around the coast, but it’s mainly about the almost surreal imbroglios of his aunt, her pig-tending former BFF, and her ancient-feud-sworn-enemy. The actual mystery – Who killed the man whose bones were uncovered by a stray pig in the aunt’s garden? – is almost incidental to the more amusing development of intense, zany Irish characters and their interactions with our self-absorbed writer. He, naturally, is less interested in the murder mystery than he is miffed that events keep conspiring to interrupt his mourning. My guess is that the author is making fun of rambly, overly-lyrical Irish fiction, which is why this occasionally reads like an exercise in magical realism. This might annoy some readers, but I found it hiilarious at times.
His aunt, who is only a couple of years older so she’s more like a cousin, is happy to have him.....though he suspects that the hideous floral wallpaper covering the kitchen walls was hastily put up in order to drive him out of doors, because she, too, is a writer and needs peace and quiet. Unlike her nephew, though, the aunt has made a mint with her books, which are thinly disguised re-writes of classics. Her approach is to “correct” the offending texts, giving the characters the endings they would have gotten if she were in charge of the universe.
Anyway, the story sort of follows the mourning writer’s blunderings around the coast, but it’s mainly about the almost surreal imbroglios of his aunt, her pig-tending former BFF, and her ancient-feud-sworn-enemy. The actual mystery – Who killed the man whose bones were uncovered by a stray pig in the aunt’s garden? – is almost incidental to the more amusing development of intense, zany Irish characters and their interactions with our self-absorbed writer. He, naturally, is less interested in the murder mystery than he is miffed that events keep conspiring to interrupt his mourning. My guess is that the author is making fun of rambly, overly-lyrical Irish fiction, which is why this occasionally reads like an exercise in magical realism. This might annoy some readers, but I found it hiilarious at times.
December 1, 2009
This had such strong reviews at Amazon, most of them saying things like "hilarious" and "sparkling" that I was intrigued. It's set in County Kerry, so I thought that would also make it a short fun read. But it is TEDIOUS even if the style is "sparkling" -- scenes go on interminably for pages on non-events, like a darts game. Maybe I"m missing some really crucial symbolism or something, but I got halfway through it and decided not to finish even though there's a mystery to be solved. The characters are more annoying and frustrating than intriguing, so I don't really care how the mystery turns out. And this is only book one of a TRILOGY! yikes.
September 17, 2011
Usually I choose a book because I’ve read a good review, or I am familiar with the author’s other books, or it has come to me recommended by a good friend. I am not very good at picking books off a library shelf to read. Rarely am I satisfied, so I mostly don’t select my books this way – except when I’m desperate. Last Wednesday was one of those days.
But I couldn’t have made a better choice. Well, how can one NOT think a book entitled “The Pig Did It” would be worth reading. What on earth could the pig have done? I had to know.
So this book, a novel by Joseph Caldwell written in 2008 and the first in a planned pig trilogy, started me laughing on the first page and I laughed my way through it. Listen to what Ron Charles, The Washington Post’s reviewer, says about it:
The macabre comedy plays out in sparkling dialogue, including some hilarious speeches that are both incantations of Irish mythology and masterful bits of parody. Caldwell is a successful playwright, too, and his perfect ear for the non sequiturs of real conversation is a constant delight. If you love the Irish, if you've ever fallen in love or been spurned in love—heck, if you love bacon—you must read this irresistible novel.
It was my lucky day when none of the books I had on reserve at the library came in. It forced me to take pot luck on the shelves – and reading this pig romp has simply turned into having a feast of words and a belly-full of mirth.
I can’t wait for the next helping!
But I couldn’t have made a better choice. Well, how can one NOT think a book entitled “The Pig Did It” would be worth reading. What on earth could the pig have done? I had to know.
So this book, a novel by Joseph Caldwell written in 2008 and the first in a planned pig trilogy, started me laughing on the first page and I laughed my way through it. Listen to what Ron Charles, The Washington Post’s reviewer, says about it:
The macabre comedy plays out in sparkling dialogue, including some hilarious speeches that are both incantations of Irish mythology and masterful bits of parody. Caldwell is a successful playwright, too, and his perfect ear for the non sequiturs of real conversation is a constant delight. If you love the Irish, if you've ever fallen in love or been spurned in love—heck, if you love bacon—you must read this irresistible novel.
It was my lucky day when none of the books I had on reserve at the library came in. It forced me to take pot luck on the shelves – and reading this pig romp has simply turned into having a feast of words and a belly-full of mirth.
I can’t wait for the next helping!
September 16, 2014
i found I couldn't just skim this story and race through the plot. I had to read each sentence with all its gentle phrasing intact to catch all the fun! So enjoyable to savor the humor! Such lyrical descriptions! I hope the rest of the trilogy will be just as good!
September 9, 2009
Tedious book. Premise looked amazing but story was slow and stupid. A man mourning a relationship that had never been. Ugh.
July 18, 2008
In a quandary - one star or two? I had trouble with this book for many reasons. Unashamedly, I selected this book on title - just made me chuckle. The fact the setting is in Ireland clinched checkout on my library card. By the end of page seven I had developed intense dislike for the main character. Aaron McCloud is a snivelling, self-absorbed male whinger; several times I wanted to reach through the pages and slap him silly.
The premise of this book had the makings of a really great read, but the author was plagued with overly descriptive passages (make that chapters) that made me consider throwing in the towel. Case in point this description of Aaron's aunt Kitty:
"She was the final fructification crowning more than thirty fertile years that had produced seven children, two clusters of three each, with nine years intervening, and then, at the last, this ultimate flowering who would, to the family's chagrin, inherit the house, chattel, and pasturage of a doting, dotaged father, a deliberate perversion of primogeniture leaving all not to his eldest son but to his youngest daughter."
(I'm tired just typing it! Translation: she was a daddy's girl who p****d off her much older sibs when she inherited the whole kit and caboodle.)
Joseph Caldwell also has a character description error that made me bonkers the entire read. Kitty is an auntie only slightly older than Aaron, as Aaron's grandfather sired her late in life (see above). Yet shortly thereafter, Caldwell mentions Kitty's mother Molly and describes her as Aaron's great-aunt. Now unless I am mistaken, Kitty's mum would in fact be Aaron's gran (or possibly step-gran) as Kitty is the daughter of Aaron's grandad. Caldwell refers to great aunt Molly in several passages making me cringe every time... fact checker, anyone?
Since I'm halfway round the twist already, why not just go whole hog (no pun intended)! Why, oh why does Caldwell feel compelled to throw in references to male anatomy - throw in he does, my friends. The first mention made me think I'd missed something - "Sorry, where did that come from?" When it happened again, I thought the man's gone off his rocker. Listen, I'm all for appreciation of male genitalia, but what purpose did these tossed in descriptions serve? Totally out of left field.
Caldwell really could have produced something great here. His descriptions of the seascape and landscapes were awe inspiring. His characters aptly portrayed the eccentricities within us all. His Irish soliloquies were spot on. Yet prolixity and an impetuous denouement sadly serve as this author's downfall. Overall, a disappointment.
The premise of this book had the makings of a really great read, but the author was plagued with overly descriptive passages (make that chapters) that made me consider throwing in the towel. Case in point this description of Aaron's aunt Kitty:
"She was the final fructification crowning more than thirty fertile years that had produced seven children, two clusters of three each, with nine years intervening, and then, at the last, this ultimate flowering who would, to the family's chagrin, inherit the house, chattel, and pasturage of a doting, dotaged father, a deliberate perversion of primogeniture leaving all not to his eldest son but to his youngest daughter."
(I'm tired just typing it! Translation: she was a daddy's girl who p****d off her much older sibs when she inherited the whole kit and caboodle.)
Joseph Caldwell also has a character description error that made me bonkers the entire read. Kitty is an auntie only slightly older than Aaron, as Aaron's grandfather sired her late in life (see above). Yet shortly thereafter, Caldwell mentions Kitty's mother Molly and describes her as Aaron's great-aunt. Now unless I am mistaken, Kitty's mum would in fact be Aaron's gran (or possibly step-gran) as Kitty is the daughter of Aaron's grandad. Caldwell refers to great aunt Molly in several passages making me cringe every time... fact checker, anyone?
Since I'm halfway round the twist already, why not just go whole hog (no pun intended)! Why, oh why does Caldwell feel compelled to throw in references to male anatomy - throw in he does, my friends. The first mention made me think I'd missed something - "Sorry, where did that come from?" When it happened again, I thought the man's gone off his rocker. Listen, I'm all for appreciation of male genitalia, but what purpose did these tossed in descriptions serve? Totally out of left field.
Caldwell really could have produced something great here. His descriptions of the seascape and landscapes were awe inspiring. His characters aptly portrayed the eccentricities within us all. His Irish soliloquies were spot on. Yet prolixity and an impetuous denouement sadly serve as this author's downfall. Overall, a disappointment.
July 30, 2011
This was the goofiest book I have read in a while. The main character Aaron McCloud is an American who travels to Ireland, the home of his relatives, to nurse a broken heart and a bruised ego after a woman snubs his attempts to win her over. He takes a bus from the airport to travel to his family's home village. On the way the bus is stopped by a herd of pigs in the road. The travelers all get off to try and round up the pigs. As Aaron finally gives up on his chase of a particularly difficult pig, he finds the bus has gone on without him. He has to walk the final 5 or so miles. It begins to rain and the pig has decided to follow him. That's the start of his mishaps. This book has its fill of quirky Irish characters. From Aaron's run in with the sea, which a local tells him is out to devour him, to a game of darts in the local pub where everyone is drunk on Guinness, to the discovery of a body buried in his aunt's garden, Aaron is definitely out of his element. He seems to be the only one concerned about who murdered the man and how he came to be in the garden. A quick read it was very enjoyable.
July 24, 2012
Joseph Caldwell's "The Pig Did It" is a truly Irish novel. That is to say, it is absolutely hysterical and romantic and insane all at once. A middle-aged New York college professor returns to Ireland to visit his aunt after a failed love affair with a student. Dejected and borderline suicidal, the man befriends a wayward pig and the pig's attractive young owner, who happens to be a bitter family rival of his aunt's. When the pig accidentally uncovers the body of a long-dead man in the aunt's garden, it sets off a hilarious series of events. Part murder mystery, part Irish romance novel, all madcap comedy, "The Pig Did It" is an absolute joy to read.
May 22, 2013
A writer goes to Ireland to indulge his broken heart; a corpse shows up in his aunt's garden and all the main characters claim to be the murderer. The book is strange and funny and has lots of unexpected bits. Well worth reading.
March 22, 2017
An amusing little book and I throughly enjoyed it.
June 19, 2017
I had high expectations for this book - and was sorely disappointed.
March 11, 2019
When a wayward pig unearths the remains of the local handyman, that had been shallowly buried in the cabbage patch, hilarity ensues.
I chuckled my way through this book, and even laughed out loud a few times, at the simple silliness of it all.
A very quick and light hearted read.
I chuckled my way through this book, and even laughed out loud a few times, at the simple silliness of it all.
A very quick and light hearted read.
April 19, 2011
I had a very hard time with this book. While on the surface it would seem to be an enjoyable romp, the main character made this book almost completely unbearable. The main character is an author who lives and works in New York City and has traveled to his ancestral home of Ireland to get over a girl who wouldn't go out with him. Here is where the first problem comes in. He was never in a relationship with this woman. I can't relate to this man's complete self-indulgence. His ability to drop his entire life to take off to Ireland for an indeterminate amount of time to get over someone who he never actually had a relationship with is something that I don't think anyone can relate to. My attitude from the beginning was "Get over it".
At the very beginning there was a genealogical error which also drove me crazy. His aunt who is about the same age as himself is said to have had his grandfather as her father. In that case her mother would be his grandmother. For the rest of the book he keeps talking about how his aunt's mother is his great-aunt. Unless there was an incestuous relationship (which seems that it would be worth mentioning) this is just a blatant error.
The main character is fairly conceited and described himself several times as someone that others would be lucky to be with. He also has an obsession with his penis that just seemed completely out of place. While the descriptions of Ireland are charming, I couldn't get over the fact that this book was one of the many where the American goes to spend time in a "less complicated culture" to get over something and to learn a lesson about life. I appreciate it more when the author treats the native inhabitants with the respect they deserve and not as some relics of a bygone age.
This book is the beginning of a trilogy. I may read the other two books just to see if they get better or to get a sense of completion from having read the whole thing. But one thing is for sure...I won't be reading them because the first book compelled me to.
At the very beginning there was a genealogical error which also drove me crazy. His aunt who is about the same age as himself is said to have had his grandfather as her father. In that case her mother would be his grandmother. For the rest of the book he keeps talking about how his aunt's mother is his great-aunt. Unless there was an incestuous relationship (which seems that it would be worth mentioning) this is just a blatant error.
The main character is fairly conceited and described himself several times as someone that others would be lucky to be with. He also has an obsession with his penis that just seemed completely out of place. While the descriptions of Ireland are charming, I couldn't get over the fact that this book was one of the many where the American goes to spend time in a "less complicated culture" to get over something and to learn a lesson about life. I appreciate it more when the author treats the native inhabitants with the respect they deserve and not as some relics of a bygone age.
This book is the beginning of a trilogy. I may read the other two books just to see if they get better or to get a sense of completion from having read the whole thing. But one thing is for sure...I won't be reading them because the first book compelled me to.
June 12, 2009
I've never heard of Caldwell, but at peek at the book's opening intrigued me so I took it home and finished it in one sitting. It's a slim little thing at 212 pages and a fast read. Caldwell's a brilliant writer whose prose you can really wallow in, simultaneously cynical, comic, and lyrically poetic. He just crafts these amazing turns of phrase that have you admiringly re-reading passages, as much as you want to get on with the story.
The Pig Did It is the first of a trilogy, and the second was just released last month (the Pig Comes to Dinner). Our hero, such as he is, is Aaron McCloud, a celebrated writer of the literati set in New York, and writing teacher, who goes to visit his Aunt in County Kerry, Ireland, in order to wallow in self-pity because a woman he'd hand-picked from one of his classes, and set out to impress and charm, did not fall for him.
Aaron's quite a piece of work, really someone you DON'T want to like because he's so enormously self-centered. But he's also sort of charmingly bemused when things don't go his way, like when his plans to get straight to the cliffs near his Aunt's home and get to the wallowing are interrupted by a herd of pigs in the roadway blocking his bus, being led to market by an enticing redheaded female swineherd. One of the pigs follows him home to the Aunt's cottage. And then digs up a body in her garden. Things get more and more Irishly outrageous from there, just great comic fun.
I have to give you the opening paragraph, because it was such a hook for me, and gives you a taste of Caldwell's charm:
"Aaron McCloud had come to Ireland, to County Kerry, to the shores of the Western Sea, so he could, in solitary majesty, feel sorry for himself. The domesticated hills would be his comfort, the implacable sea his witness. Soon he would arrive at the house of his aunt, high on a headland fronting the west, and his anguish could begin in earnest."
The Pig Did It is the first of a trilogy, and the second was just released last month (the Pig Comes to Dinner). Our hero, such as he is, is Aaron McCloud, a celebrated writer of the literati set in New York, and writing teacher, who goes to visit his Aunt in County Kerry, Ireland, in order to wallow in self-pity because a woman he'd hand-picked from one of his classes, and set out to impress and charm, did not fall for him.
Aaron's quite a piece of work, really someone you DON'T want to like because he's so enormously self-centered. But he's also sort of charmingly bemused when things don't go his way, like when his plans to get straight to the cliffs near his Aunt's home and get to the wallowing are interrupted by a herd of pigs in the roadway blocking his bus, being led to market by an enticing redheaded female swineherd. One of the pigs follows him home to the Aunt's cottage. And then digs up a body in her garden. Things get more and more Irishly outrageous from there, just great comic fun.
I have to give you the opening paragraph, because it was such a hook for me, and gives you a taste of Caldwell's charm:
"Aaron McCloud had come to Ireland, to County Kerry, to the shores of the Western Sea, so he could, in solitary majesty, feel sorry for himself. The domesticated hills would be his comfort, the implacable sea his witness. Soon he would arrive at the house of his aunt, high on a headland fronting the west, and his anguish could begin in earnest."
November 2, 2013
This book. Ugh. Pretentious, pretentious, pretentious--which would be forgivable if it had a good plot or likeable characters or some sort of insightful life lesson to impart. Spoiler alert: it has none of those things.
I could go on at length about this, but I think I'll just take let the jacket flap speak for itself.
Okay, this should have been a prime indication of how this book was going to go down. I have a pretty decent vocabulary, but "obstreperous" was not a familiar word to me. So I looked it up.
Cool. It's always a good sign when the end of a sentence is spent defining the five-dollar word used at the beginning of the sentence. Love that.
Second, I read this book less than a year after it was published. I think it's a wee bit early to be comparing it one of English literature's most revered and discussed novels. Ulysses was--is--revolutionary. The Pig Did It is only revolutionary in how much eyeroll-inducing, pretentious non-plot it manages to cram into a mere 214 pages.
I could go on at length about this, but I think I'll just take let the jacket flap speak for itself.
Possibly the most obstreperous character in literature since Buck Mulligan in James Joyce’s Ulysses, Mr. Caldwell’s pig distracts everyone from his or her chosen mission.
Okay, this should have been a prime indication of how this book was going to go down. I have a pretty decent vocabulary, but "obstreperous" was not a familiar word to me. So I looked it up.
obstreperous: noisy or rough, esp. in resisting restraint or control
Cool. It's always a good sign when the end of a sentence is spent defining the five-dollar word used at the beginning of the sentence. Love that.
Second, I read this book less than a year after it was published. I think it's a wee bit early to be comparing it one of English literature's most revered and discussed novels. Ulysses was--is--revolutionary. The Pig Did It is only revolutionary in how much eyeroll-inducing, pretentious non-plot it manages to cram into a mere 214 pages.
April 13, 2011
The protagonist is self-pitying and unlikeable, and the story is only so-so. It has some nice moments near the end, but over all, it was the most boring "murder mystery" I've read. The pig was the best part.
November 3, 2009
It was not what I expected at all.
June 27, 2024
I thought this book was incredible. I suggested we read it for my book club. Unfortunately only two of us liked it. I found it refreshingly crazy.
July 20, 2024
I have no idea whatsoever what to say about this book. I can attest that the quote by Malachy McCourt promising "you will laugh your arse off" was clearly taken out of context and is not meant to convey your actual experience reading this surreal story of self-important man adopted by an interfering pig. One of the statements in the book seemed a good summation of the whole, "The world, young man, you'll find, is the strangest place in which we're ever going to live. And strangest of all is the people in it." As Aaron, the main character, reported on his own labors in the book "he accepted it as a further bonding with those masters, long superseded, with their self-dramatized resignation that exceeded and even glorified their ineptitude."
I can say two good things about the book -- the writer strung together some truly heroic sentences using picturesque language to convey the most mundane of concepts. I enjoyed reading them because they were unusual, although none of them so well-crafted as to truly be quotable or to transcend the setting of the book. And it was short enough and fast-paced enough that I had no trouble finishing it, even as I constantly referred to it as "that stupid book." I am sure that someone somewhere will say there is a deeper satirical meaning to the whole thing that I have totally missed. That's fine with me. I read it mainly to finish off the European section of my 666 Challenge and I have achieved that.
I can say two good things about the book -- the writer strung together some truly heroic sentences using picturesque language to convey the most mundane of concepts. I enjoyed reading them because they were unusual, although none of them so well-crafted as to truly be quotable or to transcend the setting of the book. And it was short enough and fast-paced enough that I had no trouble finishing it, even as I constantly referred to it as "that stupid book." I am sure that someone somewhere will say there is a deeper satirical meaning to the whole thing that I have totally missed. That's fine with me. I read it mainly to finish off the European section of my 666 Challenge and I have achieved that.
September 27, 2021
One of the few times I was fooled by reviews into thinking this would be a charming comedy set in Ireland. Instead it's a bunch of cliches and offensive sterotypes spouting interminable monologs. DON'T waste your precious time.
July 13, 2022
Yikes, these reviews.
March 12, 2026
2/3 stars
Irish stories month
Irish stories month
Read
December 14, 2017funny
October 6, 2010
It's been awhile since I've read a book that I chose randomly from the shelf of a public library. In this case, it was the title that pulled me in. I don't know why, but I'm fascinated with books that have animals as main characters. However, this story is not really about a pig. Yes, a pig is part of the story--and i love it when the pig shows up!--but it is really a story about love, obsession, murder, family lore, and the Irish landscape, particularly the sea. In fact, I would say that the sea is a more central character than the pig. The sea is vicious and alluring, literally pulling men toward its frothy jaws. The main character, Aaron, is drawn to the sea for his own self-indulgence, yet it has other plans for him. The pig, on the other hand, operates as a kind of mediator between the characters. It connects Aaron with his new unwitting love interest; in its ongoing quest for grub, it brings to light a murder that all of the characters must now confront. It's almost as if the pig is a spectator, simply watching the absurd scandal unfold as it prances around on its high heeled-haunches.
Plus, Caldwell is a skilled writer. Sometimes his language is a bit flowery, but even so, it has a cadence that draws you in. I wouldn't have liked this book as much without the humor, though, which cuts the intensity of some of the dialogues that occasionally feel over-the-top. But, it was funny indeed and I will be reading the next two books of this trilogy.
Plus, Caldwell is a skilled writer. Sometimes his language is a bit flowery, but even so, it has a cadence that draws you in. I wouldn't have liked this book as much without the humor, though, which cuts the intensity of some of the dialogues that occasionally feel over-the-top. But, it was funny indeed and I will be reading the next two books of this trilogy.
April 28, 2011
I honestly don’t even know where to start my comments when it comes to The Pig Did It. I’m not even sure if I liked it or not, but it was compelling in some odd way. I had to keep reading, just to see where the story went. I didn’t particularly care for any of the characters, and I felt like the author was almost trying to hard to be witty and amusing, but I wanted to keep reading.
There are a lot of soliloquys and odd events, the setting on the coast of Ireland is gorgeous and the sea is almost a character itself, one Sweeney insists multiple times wants Aaron to drown. The characters are quirky, but it felt like the author was trying to be too Irish, or making fun of being too Irish, or loved words, or maybe I was just missing something. Hard to say.
And the ending went a little hay-wire in my opinion. I don’t want to spoil it, for anyone, and this is not a murder mystery so I was fine with how the “mystery” portion was resolved. It’s another piece that just struck me as odd. I actually had to reread a portion to make sure that what I though had happened had.
It was a unique book. The writing had a rhythm and self-consciousness that sometimes I enjoyed and sometimes made me just want to smack somebody.
I’m sure some people will adore The Pig and some hate it. As for me, I may have to see what happens when The Pig Comes to Dinner.
There are a lot of soliloquys and odd events, the setting on the coast of Ireland is gorgeous and the sea is almost a character itself, one Sweeney insists multiple times wants Aaron to drown. The characters are quirky, but it felt like the author was trying to be too Irish, or making fun of being too Irish, or loved words, or maybe I was just missing something. Hard to say.
And the ending went a little hay-wire in my opinion. I don’t want to spoil it, for anyone, and this is not a murder mystery so I was fine with how the “mystery” portion was resolved. It’s another piece that just struck me as odd. I actually had to reread a portion to make sure that what I though had happened had.
It was a unique book. The writing had a rhythm and self-consciousness that sometimes I enjoyed and sometimes made me just want to smack somebody.
I’m sure some people will adore The Pig and some hate it. As for me, I may have to see what happens when The Pig Comes to Dinner.
October 22, 2011
I am very glad that this was a short book, so that it did not take too much time to read. He could easily have cut out about half of the book and not changed the story.
Aaron was a whiny character, who mostly just needed someone to smack him upside the head and explain that the world really isn't about him and maybe he should stuff his ego.
The last couple of chapters validated my dislike of Aaron, because evidently, the author didn't like any of his characters any better than I did.
Which is really too bad. I would have liked to know who actually killed Declan and why. And why on earth no-one had dug him up sooner, seeing as how he'd been buried in a GARDEN. And why both Kitty and Lolly were evidently completely insane.
I respectfully submit that the next time the author is tired of his own characters and story and wishes the quickest exit possible from his own creation, instead of rewriting it to make it more enjoyable, he try one of these plot devices:
"Suddenly, an out of control lorry crashed into the living room, killing all four of them instantly. Declan sat in the corner and grinned. The End"
"Suddenly, pirates landed on the beach and sacked the town. The End."
Or "Suddenly, Vikings landed on the beach and sacked the town. The End."
Aaron was a whiny character, who mostly just needed someone to smack him upside the head and explain that the world really isn't about him and maybe he should stuff his ego.
The last couple of chapters validated my dislike of Aaron, because evidently, the author didn't like any of his characters any better than I did.
Which is really too bad. I would have liked to know who actually killed Declan and why. And why on earth no-one had dug him up sooner, seeing as how he'd been buried in a GARDEN. And why both Kitty and Lolly were evidently completely insane.
I respectfully submit that the next time the author is tired of his own characters and story and wishes the quickest exit possible from his own creation, instead of rewriting it to make it more enjoyable, he try one of these plot devices:
"Suddenly, an out of control lorry crashed into the living room, killing all four of them instantly. Declan sat in the corner and grinned. The End"
"Suddenly, pirates landed on the beach and sacked the town. The End."
Or "Suddenly, Vikings landed on the beach and sacked the town. The End."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 10, 2011
zzzzzzzzz..... Purely a case of an author trying way too hard to entertain and failing badly. First of all, don't be fooled into thinking this is the complete story. Oh no, it is only the prelude to another two books, which I am sure are equally as bad. The premise of an American professor going to Ireland to act out a moody depressive episode, because one of his students didn't fall in love with him, is a snooze fest. Especially since he mopes around the entire book upset, because he cannot wallow in his despair. By the middle of the book I felt like moping around in despair, just for picking it up.
The other problem with the book, is the poor writing. Caldwell tries too hard to be smart, sarcastic, and witty and it really shows. I felt like he was trying to "channel" Scott Adams as a mystery writer and it just does not work.
The average reader can knock this book out in a good rainy afternoon. The publisher even threw in the first chapter of the next book, possibly because they had a 200 page quota and needed to fill it. Honestly, if you want to spend an afternoon with a short mystery, pick up an Agatha Christie novel, or a Sherlock Holmes story and enjoy.
The other problem with the book, is the poor writing. Caldwell tries too hard to be smart, sarcastic, and witty and it really shows. I felt like he was trying to "channel" Scott Adams as a mystery writer and it just does not work.
The average reader can knock this book out in a good rainy afternoon. The publisher even threw in the first chapter of the next book, possibly because they had a 200 page quota and needed to fill it. Honestly, if you want to spend an afternoon with a short mystery, pick up an Agatha Christie novel, or a Sherlock Holmes story and enjoy.
June 7, 2013
My book club's selection for February, this little novel (if it can be called such) captures the romantic & poetic character of the Irish and presents it as a delicious relic that co-exists only uneasily with the sterility of the modern world (which is represented only through the memories of the Irish-American protagonist's life in New York). The portrayal is satirical, yes, but affectionate as well. Whether to story will give the reader a belly-laugh or a bellyache depends largely upon the individual's sympathy for the romantic temperament of its Irish characters, the capacity to follow a narrative that makes frequent and unannounced swerves between the protagonist's interior fantasies and the external action, and the ability to distinguish between the two. Don't be deceived into thinking this is a murder mystery -- although a dead man lies at the center of the tale, the story is not about discovering his murderer (it seems that everybody claims to have done it, and none of them is to be believed). The circumstances of the dead man's demise are almost entirely beside the point.
May 13, 2010
This fellow heads home to Ireland to mend his broken heart, which in reality was simply a wounded ego. He arrived there intent on "grieving" and kept being twarted in doing so due to never ending strange events. His bus stopped to help round up a load of pigs that had gotten out. He helped, got lost, got stuck with a pig that decided to follow him home. The bus had left him and he had to walk/hitch hike with the afore mentioned pig. The gal who owned the pig didn't want it now. In the mean time, the pig dug up his aunt's garden, yard and everything else.... including a corpse. This part, you might say, took a strange turn. The fellow went on in befuddlement and often in wet clothes. Most of the story took place in his thoughts. Most of the people hated each other... until they didn't. The sea had a life of it's own... somewhat of a character in the story.
Although I was confused a lot, I thought I was liking the story... until it didn't end. The pages just stopped.
Although I was confused a lot, I thought I was liking the story... until it didn't end. The pages just stopped.
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