Just awful writing. Unreadable. Packed full of lazy cliches and boring platitudes. A short book but I couldn’t get to the end. There are many more worthwhile ways to spend my time.

Part biography, part natural history title, wholly charming and informative. Like so many others, Matt Whyman and his family fell for the micro-pig craze when it was at its height a few years ago. Unlike so many others, and fortunately for the two acquired piglets, the Whyman family were able to continue to care for them long after they’d grown into near unmanageable maxi-pigs.

Whyman relating to his own experiences, and with the help of a few experts, looks at the history of pig domestication, their clever and cunning natures, as well as how they live day to day within groups. The book is peppered with humorous and oddly touching anecdotes, dispelling many myths about the often-misunderstood species along the way.

Overall, I really enjoyed the conversational style of the book and found it unexpectedly thought-provoking in many places. While it did feel a tiny bit repetitive in some places, there was more than enough in the book to keep my attention.

Recommended.

This was an ARC in exchange for an honest review. With thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins.

I really enjoyed how Matt shared stories of his pot-bellied pigs, and wish the novel focused more on his own experiences. I was completely immersed in the story at first, but as it progressed to stories about Wendy's pregnant sows and piglets it became more analytical and less enjoyable to read. There were a couple of laugh-out-loud moments when he spoke about what he believed were characteristics of his porcine pals.

Matt Whyman talks of his experience of raising 2 larger than expected "mini pigs", whilst also taking a walk around the farm of pig-keeper Wendy Scudamore. It is a "charming" book in some ways the pitfalls he encountered and the ways in which the pigs became part of the family. I wonder though how large an audience there is for this type of book. Part of my rating always reflects how engaged i felt with the book and how memorable it will be among the rest of the books I have read. I feel as though I will have forgotten this by the time I am partway through my next book