Synopses & Reviews
An outrageous, hilarious, and touching memoir by the youngest of nine children in a hardscrabble, beyond-eccentric Maine family.
With everything happening on Helen Peppes backwoods Maine farm, life was wild--and not just for the animals. Sibling rivalry, rock-bottom poverty, feral male chauvinism, sex in the hayloft: everything seemed--and was--out of control. In telling her wayward family tale, Peppe manages deadpan humor, an unerring eye for the absurd, and poignant compassion for her utterly overwhelmed parents. While her feisty resilience and candor will inevitably remind readers of Jeannette Walls or Mary Karr, Peppe's wry insight and moments of tenderness with family and animals are entirely her own. As Richard Hoffman, the author of Half the House: A Memoir puts it: "Pigs Can't Swim is an unruly, joyous troublemaker of a book."
Review
Kirkus Reviews, 12/15/13A writer and photographers wry but poignant account of her hardscrabble childhood and adolescence in rural New England
Unsentimental in its character portrayals and forthright yet humorous in its depiction of devastated innocence and family dysfunction, Peppes book is a celebration of difference, resilience and the healing power of love.”
Booklist, 1/1/2014
[Peppes] recollections make for vivid, powerful stories”
Portland Press Herald1/26/14
Much of this book is laugh-out-loud funny, but there are poignant, sad moments as well
Peppe takes the reader on an up-close tour of what life was like in rural parts of Maine a few decades ago.”
Bookreporter, 2/4/14
In telling her familys story, Peppe manages deadpan humor, an unerring eye for the absurd, and a touching compassion for her utterly overwhelmed parents. While her feisty resilience and candor will inevitably remind readers of Jeanette Wall or Mary Karr, Peppes wry insight and moments of tenderness with family and animals are entirely her own.”
The HIPPO, 2/20/2014
The book tells with exquisite and excruciating detail of her life growing up on a rural Maine farm as the youngest of nine siblings.”
Down East Magazine, March 2014
An elegant, honest collection of anecdotes about growing up
Rich sensory details and deadpan humor complement Peppes head-on dive into her childhood dreams and realities
Peppe captures the wonderment and confusion of childhood, weaving an image of Maine that is dark, magical, and unquestionably memorable.”
DailyCandy Boston, 3/4/14
Pigs Cant Swim pulled us in. Not that Helen Peppes memoir didnt already have us in its grip, with its pity-free mix of pathos, humor, and four-legged obsession
the authors greatest trick is threading the needle of pain and laughter as she relays difficult tales
wrenching, funny, and uplifting memoir.”
Times Record, 3/30/14
Alternately funny, poignant, and painful, Pigs Cant Swim is a snapshot of life in Maine, the way no one believes it should ever be, and the true story of a young girls coming of age, despite all odds.”
Maine Living, 4/10/2014
Helen Peppes story dives into the deep end of the pool and paints with startling clarity, a picture of a family
Rooting for her at the turn of every page, I laughed and cried
I was left craving more
I recommend this tale to those who feast on well-written literature, rich descriptions, and wry humor found in the most unlikely places. Many times I was reminded of the memoirs of Mary Karr as I read about a gritty life that is portrayed as sad, hilarious, and insane, all at the same time. Pigs Cant Swim does more than entertain. It gives hope; hope that anyone can rise above her circumstances in life; and that indeed, pigs can swim after all.”
Maine Sunday Telegram, Bestseller 4/27/14
Maine Sunday Telegram Bestseller, 5/18/14
Shortlisted for the New England Book Award
Synopsis
An outrageous, hilarious, and touching memoir of childhood as the youngest of nine children in a hardscrabble, beyond-eccentric Maine family
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About the Author
Helen Peppe began writing stories, mostly about animals, on scraps of butcher paper when she was knee-high to a horse. (All of her furry characters lived happily ever after.) As a student, she wrote short stories and personal essays while working as a professional photographer specializing in horses and dogs. She lives near Portland, Maine, with her husband, Eric, her children, four dogs, four rescued rabbits, four guinea pigs, and two destructive kittens.