A bit of a random collection: fiction short stories of different genres, snippets of memoir, and essay commentary on various classic novels. It was worth a listen though. Some pieces were quite good, others not so much.

So I didn't actually read the whole thing. In this collection of memoirs, short stories, and essays, I skipped out on some of the essay and memoirs. I tried reading some of them, but they just didn't interest me at all.

John Irving is one of my favorite authors. I absolutely adore his novels. This collection is mostly amateurish by comparison. Irving's own notes after the stories mention that for the most part, he agrees. There were only a few stories that I actually liked. I liked "The Pension Grillparzer," but I actually think I enjoyed it more in its appearance in  The World According To Garp. As a story that Garp writes, it fits really well. I've always liked when Irving's characters write in his stories.

"Interior Space" felt pretty distinctly Irving-esque I guess, but without the full length of a novel to back it up, I didn't feel the same attachment to the characters that I felt in any of his books. It was a solid 3 stars by itself, but it being my second-favorite story in the bunch (and my first-favorite being actually pulled from Garp), the whole collection is a bi disappointing. I'll still pick up more Irving novels, but this short story collection doesn't do it for me.

I'm sorry to say I did not love this book. I thought reading the memoir of such a creative and talented fiction author would be at least somewhat entertaining. Instead I got a blow by blow recap of every wrestling match John Irving has ever been in... or refereed...or that his sons were in...or that some guy he met in college but can't remember his name was in. This continues to a point of absurdity, and I'm not even sure hardcore wrestling fans could stay interested. If you pick up this book I highly recommend you skip the memoir section entirely.

The short stories segment is considerably better, and you can easily see that John Irving is a strictly FICTION author. The stories were intriguing with dynamic characters and beautiful symbolism, but just as you begin to get sucked in, you're slapped in the face with an abrupt ending. Almost all of the short stories had me wondering where they would have gone if he had expanded it into a full length novel. It's obvious that Irving is a master of the novel and his stories need that time to develop and come full circle. His short stories are entertaining, but I wouldn't recommend them to someone reading Irving for the first time.

Finally this book included some critical analysis of Irving's favorite authors, and I'm sorry to say I gave up trying to finish Piggy Sneed. It's fine that he like Charles Dickens, but I was honestly too bored and disappointed to read another word of it. Shame on Mr. Irving for tricking his loyal fans into thinking this book would in any way compare to his novels. Next time I'll know better.

13 The author says himself that he has written more novels than short stories and I think he has missed a trick here because he is very good at writing short stories. He seems to be effortlessly crafting characters and situations with descriptions so good that you immediately have a picture in your mind. The one description of the water fowl on the lake being perpetually peeved at being disturbed was marvellous. His essays on Dickens were excellent and left me with the feeling that I really should read some more of Dickens. Highly recommended to the normal crew.

John Irving is one of my favorite authors, and this collection of some of his shorter works has been gathering dust on my bookshelf for far too long. Containing memoirs (including the title piece, which qualifies itself by pointing out that memoirs are by necessity "false" - based only on the imperfect memory of the author), short stories and homage to other authors. As Irving's fan, I of course most enjoyed the memoirs, which gave a peek into his world and the development of his character, and while I'm not a huge fan of amateur wrestling (that's the Greco style), I most enjoyed the piece called "The Imaginary Girlfriend" which was a rambling account of his history as a wrestler, putting the rest of his life in context. I knew he had coached some as an adult - I had not known that he continued his wrestling career past college, wrestling independently - nor did I know he had coached his sons. But of course! While wrestling was the topic, it was presented in true Irving style - that is, the "plot" of the memoir served merely as a vehicle to present grander truths about humanity. My favorite story, of course, was "The Pension Grillparzer" - included in pieces in "The World According to Garp" which I haven't read in many years - but instantly remembered the story. When my friend - a former circus clown - asked me what I was reading, she was sure I was lying when I tried to describe the story - she admitted she has never read Irving's first major work, and now I know exactly what she'll be getting for Christmas - or perhaps before (don't tell her!). And while I'm not especially a fan of Charles Dickens (Irving is), I enjoyed his pieces in homage, but even more so the short "Gunter Grass: King of the Toy Merchants". I have not read any of Grass' works, but from my other literary explorations do understand the points made about the difference between America's views of writers, and German views. Germans understand that authors do not merely write - they reflect - and they value those reflections. All in all, an enjoyable read.

Not quite sure why this collection of John Irving's short pieces would have been a "national bestseller," as the cover claims. I saw glimpses of the craft and creativity found later in "Garp" and "Gump," but nothing compelling me to devour page after page.
Fans of wrestling — not the phony professional sport mind you, but the high school-college-olympic variety — may find the memoir to Irving's youth worthwhile, but he could have spared the rest of us both the words and the photos.
Why a publisher would include in a collection such as this works which the author himself acknowledges he doesn't like and doesn't think are good left me wondering. Irving's paeans to Dickens and Grass had me asking the question, "Who cares?"

Irving is the writer that makes me want to be a writer, not just a reader. There are many points that made me laugh or smile or just re read for the pleasure of reading it again. This book doesn't read like a collection or a memoir, it just reads as something enjoyable to experience and gain insight through. And thank goodness he included more wrestling.

I gave this book a three star only because I truly enjoy reading John Irving. This book however was somewhat of a letdown. Trying to Save Piggy Sneed is a compilation of Short Stories by John Irving along with his reviews of his writings, his personal memoirs, critical reviews of his favorite authors, as well as his meeting with the daughter of Thomas Mann. It just seemed like a mish-mash of writings and thoughts that would have been better done individually. I love Charles Dickens too, but didn't expect such an in-depth review of his writings in this book. I was looking for the "real" John Irving writing and not his opinions about others.

I always recommend this one to everyone who wants to get to know John Irving’s writing style.
Even though it’s not my favorite(my least as matter of fact) or his best either. However, it’s very useful for understanding his earlier writing style.

Love John Irving's writings, this collection of short stories is worth your time; it's a nice introduction to his writing style and humor; am inspired to pick up his all time best work, at least in my opinion; A Prayer for Owen Meany. By the same author be sure to check out: A Widow for One Year and A Son of the Circus.

Average rating: 2.75

My first Irving experience and...it was a mixed bag. A couple of stories were great, but most of them were disappointing. A positive that came out of this, though, is that it really made me want to read more of Irving's books; I loved his style of writing, but some of the subjects here were simply boring. Despite this, I enjoyed the book overall. It felt like a literary version of a sketch book: a book of short, beautifully written works of art.

Below are some short comments about each individual story.

Trying to Save Piggy Sneed ****

Disturbing; haunting; sad.

Interior Space ***

Although the odd, confusing premise managed to draw me in, the ending was an anti-climax. Despite this, it was interesting and laced with traces of humour.

Almost in Iowa ****

A sorrowful, bumpy ride through the North-Eastern states of the USA. My favourite story in the book.

Weary Kingdom *

Aptly named; it was a Weary Read.

Brennbar's Rant ***

Descriptive; beautifully written; interesting conversation.

Other People's Dreams ***

Funny, in the sense that it was strange.

The Pension Grillparzer **

Very odd and not particularly fantastic. I really wanted to like this one. In fact, I'm sad to say it was slightly annoying!

The King of the Novel **

This was not so much a short story as it was an extended essay about Charles Dickens. Although interesting, I may have enjoyed it more if I had read Great Expectations!

Have to say that this one caught me off guard....I love John Irving and the slightly quirky way he does business and now I know how he came to it. Each of these short stories is unique and to look for a plot is pointless. The characters who people these stories are as pointless as the stories and that is what makes the whole thing such fun.