Pigs in Heaven

By: Barbara Kingsolver

Narrated by: Barbara Kingsolver

Length: 2 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

In Heaven, Oklahoma, pigs are both edible and inspirational! The story begins when a 6-year-old named Turtle is the sole witness to a freak accident. As a result she and her adoptive mother, Taylor, have a moment of celebrity that changes their lives forever. After seeing them on television, Annawake Fourkiller, a young attorney for Oklahoma's Cherokee Nation, claims that Turtle was improperly taken from the tribe. Fear of losing her child sends Taylor fleeing across the country. In the course of the journey Taylor, her mother, and Annawake discover love and wisdom in surprising places, including a heaven where pigs serve as both succulent picnic fare and as guiding lights. This is a dramatic novel of heartbreak and redeeming love that explores family bonds and the many separate truths of the human condition.

©1993 Barbara Kingsolver (P)1993 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Critic reviews

"Kingsolver is giving a new voice to our literature." (Los Angeles Times Book Review)
"Every page of this beautifully controlled narrative offers prose shimmering with imagery and honed to simple lyric intensity." (Publishers Weekly)

ICWA and how it can affect people

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I recommended it to our CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) volunteers who sometimes work with tribal child court cases.

What did you like best about this story?

I was doing a report about ICWA (Indian Child Welfare Act) and the story made the law personal.

What about Barbara Kingsolver’s performance did you like?

She read the story so that I became truly caught up.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I liked the happy ending.

easy feel good read

this book was recommended to me as an easy read and a good story. it's a feel-good book that is just that. Barbara King solver has a wonderful way of telling a story. many little details beneath the sentences if you pay attention.

I didn't realize it was the abridged version

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This is another great book from Barbara Kingsolver. I love her style of writing and especially the store that continues with this book.

Any additional comments?

The only flaw I have with this book is not the book itself rather that was the abridged version and there was no indication when I bought it that it was.

Knitter Lady

Where does Pigs in Heaven rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Pigs in Heaven is the second book in the story of Turtle and her mother and her mother's mother! I not only enjoyed the story and the narration but I learned new things to consider when making a judgement about a right or wrong in another culture. I highly recommend this book but only if the listener has listened to The Bean Trees, also by Barbara Kingsolver.

What did you like best about this story?

That love and commensense can't be beat!

What about Barbara Kingsolver’s performance did you like?

Barbara Kingsolver is such a excellent author. I have read or listened to all of her books this fall and winter. It has been such a excellent experience.

If you could rename Pigs in Heaven, what would you call it?

I don't have an answer for this question, but I don't really like Pigs in Heaven for a title for it.

A good read - Not for all kids

This was a great book. We picked it after listening to Pam Munoz Ryan's "Becoming Naomi Leon". While the book is well written and narrated, there is one scene that my kids were shocked at and we had to fast forward past it. Overall we enjoyed the book, just be careful.

Not so Heavenly

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I am appreciative that I was not required to invest more time listening to this book. Perhaps the written version was better since it would not have been an abridged (I did not notice that it was abridged when I selected it). Perhaps even the abridged version could have been infuse with life by a different reader.

What three words best describe Barbara Kingsolver’s performance?

Dry, lackluster, tired

Do you think Pigs in Heaven needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Could be that my punishment was listening to the abbreviated version.

Any additional comments?

No

PIGS IN HEAVEN

This short-ish story wraps up The Bean Trees in such a satisfying way for my imagination. And Barbara Kingsolver’s own narration makes the whole experience feel genuine. She manages somehow to say so much in so few words.

A remarkable story filled with surprising and delightful turns of phrase

I love the gentle sound of the author’s voice as she creates one amazing scene after another. I have listened to this story again and again.

Fun story but short

Realistic characters with satisfying ending. I learned things about Cherokee traditions including women make decisions!

Pigs in Heaven - I felt so connected to the story

I was so emotionally and mentally involved and connected to this story. I had such genuine concern for Turtle's situation, like I really knew this family. Kingsolver has been my favorite author for about 2 decades!! Always looking forward to her next book.