Lowell : The True Story of an Existential Pig

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Summary: Whimsical stories blend with insights
Review: Balliet's pet pig is rescued as a piglet by the author, who tames and trains him and here narrates her story of her pet's abilities and growth. Whimsical stories blend with insights on the intelligence and training capacity of swine to make for an entertaining and enlightening leisure read.

Rating:
Summary: Lowell: The True Story of an Existential Pig
Review: Gay L. Balliet, author of Touched by all Creatures, has returned with Lowell: The True Story of an Existential Pig. Lowell is a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig, adopted by Balliet when he was only a few weeks old.

Balliet and her veterinarian husband have a farm full of animals, but it's Lowell to whom her heart belongs. She bonded with him immediately, and has spent the years since then learning about the true meaning of life, human and porcine, from his unwavering pursuit of happiness.

Balliet maintains that people who chose pigs as pets are as unconventional as their pets. When Lowell was one year old, she and other pig owners hosted a formal debutante ball for their swine. Lowell also attends all her parties and social events, always behaving like the perfect gentleman that he is.

The book is filled with humorous, and sometimes poignant, stories of day-to-day life with a pig.

Balliet maintains that "a pig is one of the finest companions" and wishes for her book "to open the minds and hearts of all who read it to the wonder and beauty of pig ownership." Whether or not readers own, or intend to own, a pig as a pet, they're sure to enjoy the delightful antics described in Lowell: The True Story of an Existential Pig.

Rating:
Summary: Pigs please!
Review: I really liked this book but I felt that the author downplayed the potential destructiveness of these "small" pigs. The pig must be housetrained and that doesn't only mean trained to go outside or in a litter box for his/her needs. They also must be trained to not destroy or eat inedibles in the house (including the house itself!). She only touches on this lightly and in addition she has the privilege of living on a farm where she can house her porkers in the barn. But this is my only objection. I very much enjoyed her stories of pig antics and personnalities and they have had an unexpected effect - I don't think I'll ever eat pork again!