Author: Verlyn Flieger
Title: Pig Tale
Publication: New York: Hyperion, 2002
Pages: 321 pages
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Acquisition: Purchased January 2010
Date Completed: January 15, 2010
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
In the spirit of fairness I want to begin my review with a confession: I adore Dr. Flieger. In 2007 I took her graduate seminar on Tolkien at UMCP, and from the very beginning I admired her on several levels. Because of this my review may be partial, but my enjoyment of her novel is very real.
Pig Tale is a fairy tale of the classic sort, before the creation of childhood and the evolution of "age-appropriate" ideas for children's literature. It is dark and occasionally repulsive as it honestly presents some of the darker traits that come with small (and large) communities. The surreality of fairy tales and magic is limited, allowing Flieger's novel to function as a traditional folktale rather than a contemporary fantasy, dripping in mythology and tricks. The story carries a timeless and placeless quality that will allow it a kind of longevity, and the characters themselves are as real as they are ugly. The reader grows with Mokie, and the careful pacing of the novel allows for a high level of interest that is ultimately rewarded.
Technically, Pig Tale is published as a young adult novel, but I think it is worthy of a larger audience. I thoroughly enjoyed my own reading, and can't wait to read it to my boys.
Challenges
75-Book Challenge: Book 4
1010 Challenge: YA Book 1
Off-the-shelf:
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