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Jul 28, 2008

Elaine rated it:

I heard Sy Montgomery, the author of this book, speak about it at the Children's Literature Institute at Simmons College in July 2007. I knew I had to read it. It's a true story about her amazing pig Christopher Hogwood--and about how he brought the author close to other people in her small town in New Hampshire. I absolutely LOVED this book! It's like the "Charlotte's Web" for adults. I give "The Good Good Pig" my highest recommendation.

Sy's husband, Howard Mansf More...

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Jan 28, 2008

Laura rated it:

I just finished this book last night after buying it Saturday afternoon. I started crying near the end and didn't stop for about 30 minutes. It reminded me of all of the animals I've loved, and it expressed the relationship I had with most of them. Especially my doggies, Sidney and Ruffles. (I actually told them they were "good, good doggies" over and over again when they got old and didn't feel good. So you can imagine the waterworks that followed when I got to the end of the book.
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Jan 07, 2008

Anna rated it:

I wasn't sure what to expect when delving into this one. I think pigs are cute, but hearing about a couple raising a monster pig didn't quite sound like my thing. But in reading this book, I not only got to know the pig (and love him) but also to really appreciate the author's unique perspective on life. She built a family around her of friends and animals that was far from ordinary, but so complete. I was suddenly envious of her crazy, small town where neighbors would come from miles around More...

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Sep 20, 2011

Laura rated it:

Though, the focus of this book is a very charming pig named Christopher Hogwood, it is also about love, loss, and what defines a family. Born the runt of the litter, Christopher’s future looked bleak but his big heart and charm won the affection of Sy and her husband. However, Christopher’s amazing personality could not be contained soon people from all over begin to seek his company. However, the bond between pig and human is not the only one strengthened by Christopher, Sy never wanted ch More...

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Mar 02, 2011

Barner rated it:

I took this book, recommended by my daughter, with me as I waited to have a water pump replaced in my Echo. The wait was a long one, but enjoyable. As I sat reading,surrounded by others, I found myself often laughing out loud because of the antics of this pet animal. Christopher Hogwood, the main character of this memoir, lives with a loving couple, both writers, one who travels extensivley and is most knowledgeable about animals all over the world. Sy Montgomery and her husband love the pi More...

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Jan 29, 2011

Judy rated it:

A good friend read this book, fell deeply in love with Christopher Hogwood (the animal, not the person), and loaned me the book. Then every day, she would ask, "Did you start the book yet?" Well, I did and I really liked it. Sy Montgomery has always felt more comfortable with animals than with humans and readers can understand why. As an only child of an Army general, she was sent to a private school a distance from their quarters and she didn't have the company of children her own More...

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Jul 31, 2010

Rebekkila rated it:

When Sy Montgomery opened he heart to a sick piglet, she had no idea that this creature later named Christopher Hogwood, would provide her with something she had sought after all her life: an anchor to family, home, and community. Neighbors began fetching him from home for unauthorized jaunts, the little girls next door stated giving him warm, soapy baths, and the villagers brought him delicious leftovers. His intelligence and fame increased along with his girth, and he was eventually featured i More...

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Feb 04, 2010

Tonya rated it:

There are so many things to love about this book! It doesn't try to be anything but an honest, loving story about a couple and their journey with their pig, Christopher Hogwood. One of my absolute favorite aspects was that this book was unconventionally educational. Sy Montgomery has written several other books about her research and adventures with various exotic animals (ie pink dolphins of the Amazon, silverback gorillas in Zaire, vampire bats in Costa Rica, etc.). I assume that this writi More...

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Oct 06, 2009

Elaine rated it:

I've been a sucker for books about animals since I began reading -- at the age of 3. I must have read Lightfoot the Leaping Goat at least 100 times in my childhood -- and every other animal book the public library had. I am a fan of James Herriott and every book about gorillas, chimps, dogs, horses, Elsa the lioness...and I found Moby Dick unbearably sad. Just thinking about those whales gives me pangs of empathetic suffering. I also have read widely in the scientific literature about animal More...

4 comments like (3 people liked it)

May 30, 2009

Mary rated it:

i'm reading this book slowly - it's like a fine chocolate bar that i, like christopher hogwood, could gobble up all in one decadent sitting...but i choose to savor this set of words. sy montgomery's book on a pig (who knew?) was recommended to me by a friend in new york. she knew of my love of dogs and good stories and was certain this was going to fit. and how. (as an aside she couldn't possibly have known one of my favorite judah stories was when a ten year old boy approached my husband w More...

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Jan 09, 2011

Cat rated it:

I absolutely loved this book, as not one but two dear friends said I would (thank you, Heidi and Jess!). The book is as much about how to make meaning out of everyday life and how to make family through connecting with other people and other living creatures as it is about the characteristics and life story of one happy, well-loved pig. Montgomery, who has an extensive background in journalism and creative nonfiction, interweaves anecdotes poignantly, connecting the lessons of her personal lif More...

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Jan 03, 2009

Merry rated it:

I loved this book.

Don't read any further if you haven't lived with a companion animal. You just won't get it. Sy Montgomery is a nature writer who adopted a runt pig. This is "Charlotte's Web" for grown-ups: Sy is a vegetarian, her husband is Jewish, they have no intention of slaughtering their hog (after they nurture him from tiny, feeble piglet to massive beast). The pig, Christopher, is an interesting character: gregarious, sensitive, clever. Montgomery's descripti More...

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Jul 23, 2008

Kelly rated it:

I met the pig in this book! We were camping years ago at Seven Maples in Hancock, NH. Imagine my delight when I read this book and remembered this. Plus, Mary and George Iselin who give Sy the pig live in my town, and I taught their son in my English class. Cool connections. Despite my misgivings and attitude about reading this, I liked the story. I thought it was cute, and I think it's a book that teens would like.

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Jan 24, 2011

Samantha rated it:

I fell in love and I laughed and I cried; all within 250 pages. This is the story of Christopher Hogwood--no, not the composer, a Hancock, New Hampshire sickly piglet who became a treasured friend and family member and celebrity bringing together family, friends and a community, as neighbors would bring him home from his unauthorized walks, neighbors and friends would come over with their bountiful delicious leftovers (no citrus, no onions...Christopher had a very discerning palate) and, then, More...

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May 21, 2009

Melissa rated it:

Summary: Montgomery's books on exotic wildlife (Journey of the Pink Dolphins, etc.) take her to the far corners of the world, but the story of her closest relationships with the animal kingdom plays out in her own New England backyard. When she adopts a sickly runt from a litter of pigs, naming him Christopher Hogwood after the symphony conductor, raising him for slaughter isn't an option: Montgomery's a vegetarian and her husband is Jewish. Refitting their barn to accommodate a (mostly) secure More...

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Dec 28, 2008

Elizabeth rated it:

Thanks, Karla, for recommending this book. What a beautiful homage to a pig that became a pet. Anyone who loves their pets and knows how they make such a difference in our lives will love this book. Christopher Hogwood brings meaning not only to his owners, but to everyone who meets him. The book is uplifting because the philosophy of the author is to embrace life and teach others. She is also attuned to learning from nature, particularly animals. She says, " Go out into the world wher More...

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Jan 16, 2010

Elly rated it:

Hmm, a book about a pig?? I think a lot of us have been through this scenario...We have lunch with a friend and they bring books to give us that they know we will "just love." We are thinking "but I have sooo many of my own I want to read." Being courteous we accept the books. This is one of them along with a book about an owl to be read later. Obviously this particular friend knows my affection for animals. The author, who usually writes about her travels to find rare animal More...

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Apr 11, 2010

Patrick rated it:

He really was a good pig.

Sy Montgomery is an experienced author who has led a remarkable life of adventure. She has searched for the elusive golden bear in Cambodia, swam with the pink dolphins in Amazon, communed with the gorillas in Africa and stalked (as well as been stalked by) tigers in India. Ironically, Ms. Montgomery's most resonant revelations came to her through the good grace of her kind hearted pig, Christopher Hogwood.

Cynics need not apply. There is a fair More...

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Apr 11, 2010

Lindsay rated it:

My mom picked this book for her bookclub choice and wanted me to test it out first. It's a true story, where the author ends up raising a runt pig that no one expected to live. But he fooled everyone. He went from being the size of a cat to 700 lbs and living for 14 years. During his lifetime, Christopher, affected the lives of everyone in the little town that he lived it. He made friends, and made people realize the joy of life. As one person put it- 'he was a buddah'. It was a good tale, and m More...

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Jan 05, 2011

Suzanne rated it:

The first book I read by her, but will read some more. Overall, I liked it and especially her attitude towards animals. However, I can't believe what all they fed that pig and no wonder he started in with health problems.

Even though they never mentioned castration, it might have helped with the roaming. Daddy had a pig that roamed with their dog and lived to be 17. According to Daddy, he never got obese and never mentioned roaming being a problem. Of course, they had more land More...

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Aug 12, 2009

Rachel rated it:

Although this book is subtitled, "The Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood," the focus is not on Christopher but on the life of the author Sy Montgomery. A naturalist and a writer, she has studied and written about, among others, the pink dolphins of the Amazon, the gorillas of Zaire, and the man-eating tigers of the Bay of Bengal. When not traveling, she lives with her husband Howard Mansfield, a writer and historian, in New Hampshire. During the years in which The Good Good P More...

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Apr 25, 2011

Coralie added it

Sy Montgomery is an animal lover who doesn't get along all that well with people. She is naturally shy and prefers to avoid the limelight, although she is a renowned author and researcher. As a child and teenager, she adored her father, an army general. When she became an adult, she married a Jewish man who her parents never met or accepted. When her father was dying, she acquired a pig she named Christopher Hogwood. The pig became a local celebrity, bringing her new friends and family that More...

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Jun 24, 2008

tbears rated it:

Never thought a memoir about a pig would turn out to be one of my favorites! Everyone I've recommended this book to has enjoyed it. Christopher Hogwood touched my heart! He will make you laugh and he will make you cry.

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jan 18, 2011

AdultNonFiction rated it:

TCL Call#: nonfiction 636.4 MONTGOMERY

Madeleine - 4 stars
This book blends Montgomery's experience raising her pet pig Christopher Hogwood with her personal experiences with her parents and her travels while writing her varied books on the world's animals. There's literally something for everyone. Animal lovers will delight in her pig stories as well as her ventures across the planet to investigate species like emus and man eating tigers. People people will empathize with her More...

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Jan 06, 2011

Karin rated it:

A friend and customer of our farm lent this book to me because she thought I would like it. Considering we raise hogs, it was a good guess. I didn't know what to expect but as soon as I started reading I found an enjoyable story of a runt pig turned big hog and family member. The story of Christopher Hogwood endeared me even more to our 500lb boar, Chester (although he's not quite as friendly as Chris).

This book is a good read for anyone who loves animals as companions or has ever More...

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Feb 03, 2012

Sally rated it:

I truly wanted to like this book. I wanted to LOVE this book. Initially I was intrigued by Christophers beginnings and the authors point of view as to whether it was ethical to eat pigs and how human-like they really are. But she seemed to drop that thread and instead we read about how Christopher liked to escape his pen, how he liked food (a lot), his manure, the pig spa, and how people liked to visit him. While it was cute, I found the book to be repetitive and I guess I got bored. I took More...

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Aug 06, 2009

Timnah rated it:

I like animal nonfiction. I read all the James Herriot anthologies before reaching my teens, and I keep on reading any readable zoology text in the adult nonfiction section of my local public library.

The Good Good Pig is moderately readable. Christopher Hogwood is a likeable character, and many of the stories about him are fun to read. But the problem with this book is that it is an elegy -- an extended elegy -- and the resulting caressing, almost adulatory tone of the narrative made More...

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Aug 23, 2008

Mike rated it:

Yes, another animal book and another author I wasn't familiar with previously. Very interesting story of raising a pig with nice photographs.

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Aug 11, 2011

Terryann added it

Simply a wonderful read. This is the first Sy Montgomery book I have read, and today I went to Toadstool Books and bought two of Sy Montgomery's other works. Sy's heart shines through the pages with clarity and simplicity. The story centers on Christoper the Pig, who grew admirably and rather quickly from a sickly piglet into a 700 lb. gentle force of nature. The description Sy gives us of feeding time are some of the funniest pictures I have had an author put into my head in a long time. P More...

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Jan 18, 2011

Madeleine rated it:

This book blends Montgomery's experience raising her pet pig Christopher Hogwood with her personal experiences with her parents and her travels while writing her varied books on the world's animals. There's literally something for everyone. Animal lovers will delight in her pig stories as well as her ventures across the planet to investigate species like emus and man eating tigers. People people will empathize with her contentious relationship with her mother and her agony over losing her bel More...

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