About the book
Folks in the Texas panhandle do not like hog farms. But Bob Dollar is determined to see his new job as hog site scout for Global Pork Rind through to the end. However he is forced to face the idiosyncratic inhabitants of Woolybucket and to question his own notions of loyalty and home.
Reviewed by U3A Group 1
Enjoyed by all. Wonderful evocation of the deep South – people and places and a fascinating story.
Star rating: ****
Hampshire Libraries 
Review by New Forest/Waterside U3A theatre and literature
Not a book any of our group would have chosen, attracted by the cover; it was however mainly enjoyed. Most readers found the first five or six chapters difficult to get into and only the discipline of commitment to the group carried them on. which is one of the main virtues of reading groups. Our discussion uncovered the many strands of history, geography, community intercourse and eco-political manoeuvring in the Texan/Oklahoma panhandles which could apply anywhere. The vehicle of a rite of passage of a young man, Bob, carried the story forward at an accelerating pace and Annie Proulx tied up all the loose ends to achieve a sunny ending.
Star rating: ***
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Review by Shipton Bellinger WI
A very mixed reception – some loved it whilst others hated it. Everyone agreed that the descriptive writing was superb. Strangely no one was lukewarm.
Star rating: ***
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Review by Sandy Lane
Superlative description, very evocative of the place – and meticulously detailed research, but slow-paced and lacking in direction so abandoned unfinished by several readers despite recognition of the extremely high quality of the writing.
Star rating: **
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