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Trying to Save Piggy Sneed

john irving

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A collection of one dozen short works includes the title piece, a loving portrait of the author's grandmother, and additional stories, including "The Pension Grillparzer" and "Dinner at the White House"

Here is a treat for John Irving addicts and a perfect introduction to his work for the uninitiated. To open this spirited collection, Irving explains how he became a writer. There follow six scintillating stories written over the last twenty years ending with a homage to Charles Dickens. This irresistible collection cannot fail to delight and charm.

The first collection of short pieces--two of them previously unpublished--by the author of The World According to Garp includes memoirs, six short stories, and essays on Charles Dickens and Gu+a5nter Grass. Reprint. Tour.

This gem, a delightful collection of shorter works, both fiction and nonfiction, written by one of the country's finest--and funniest--writers, includes a living portrait of Irving's grandmother, a new, never-before-published essay, six scintillating short stories--including the O. Henry Award-winning "Interior Space"--and two essays on Irving's favorite 19th-century novelist, Charles Dickens. Trying to Save Piggy Sneed is John Irving at the top of his form.

464 pages, Paperback

First published January 1,1993

This edition

Format
464 pages, Paperback
Published
February 11, 1997 by Ballantine Books
ISBN
9780345404749
ASIN
0345404742
Language
English

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About the author

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john irving

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JOHN IRVING was born in Exeter, New Hampshire, in 1942. His first novel, Setting Free the Bears, was published in 1968, when he was twenty-six. He competed as a wrestler for twenty years, and coached wrestling until he was forty-seven.
Mr. Irving has been nominated for a National Book Award three times—winning once, in 1980, for his novel The World According to Garp. He received an O. Henry Award in 1981 for his short story “Interior Space.” In 2000, Mr. Irving won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Cider House Rules. In 2013, he won a Lambda Literary Award for his novel In One Person.
An international writer—his novels have been translated into more than thirty-five languages—John Irving lives in Toronto. His all-time best-selling novel, in every language, is A Prayer for Owen Meany.
Avenue of Mysteries is his fourteenth novel.

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Community Reviews

Rating(4.1 / 5.0, 99 votes)
5 stars
39(39%)
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99 reviews All reviews
Profile Image for Kimberly .
_hakase
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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Getting to know John Irving

This book is a wonderful introduction to what makes Irving the writer and person he is. All short pieces, both fiction and non-fiction, there is enough variety here to fully represent the man. Each piece is followed by "author's notes," in which Mr. Irving explains, basically, "where he was coming from" when he wrote them. Very enjoyable reading.
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CandleNekra
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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This is a decent collection of Irving's shorter work, for sure.

I thought that many of the short stories were fantastic, great fiction, perfect Irving appetizers, not to replace the longer novels I adore more - but to offer smaller bits for readers with shorter amounts of time.

"Interior Space" and the title story "Trying to Save Piggy Sneed" were standouts. I was sorry I hadn't read this collection decades ago.

I can certainly understand how some readers will be a bit overloaded by the detailed wrestling history, that is a fairly large portion of this collection "Imaginary Girlfriend" - and that was the most challenging section for me to stick with as well. I still found it worth reading and am glad that I saw it through.
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tlbchunchunmaru
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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Trying to Save Piggy Sneed is an eclectic collection of short works by John Irving. It includes short stories, a semi-autobiographical tale, and a critical analysis of Charles Dickens' writing. The writing in this book was excellent, especially in regard to the creation of vivid, memorable characters. The writing was so good that it makes me want to read John Irving's novels. However, I gave the book only 3 stars basically because I have never been a fan of short stories. I have always found that they leave so much unresolved or unsaid...and as a reader that annoys me. I realize some people like this and that there are legitimate artistic reasons for writing in this way, but I just prefer the longer format of a novel that allows a more complete exploration of both characters and plot. Some short stories are not bad in regard to this issue, but the ones in this book are not. However, as I said earlier, I enjoyed the wide range of memorable characters in the book and as a result I plan to read Irving's novels.
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Cinda2020
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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Some entertaining and original tales - John Irving certainly has a good imagination!! Pension Grillparzer is particularly worth reading and particularly odd!
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unrealgentleman
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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Granted, I'm a fan, but this is a very likable book even if you are not (although it helps to be a fan of wrestling). The author end-notes following each nonfiction piece provide added context and depth. One of my fastest reads of the year, I liked it so much.
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nikkibane
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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I can't say what I loved most, the published pieces on display in this book, or John Irvings authors notes after each piece! I love his love of Dickens and appreciation for fellow writers of his genre, like Gunter Grass. Loved it all!
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