May 23rd, 2008
When You Need a Smile….
Many of you may not know that Jimmy Buffett of Margaritaville fame is a best selling author that has penned no only his biography (A Pirate Looks at 50), but also several fictional tales. As a writer, I have seen some of the best advice to other writers within his biography. But I digress.
“Swine Not? A Novel” is certainly a book that I will pass along - and to be honest, will likely read again when I’m having one of those days I am needing a smile. Who else but Buffett can take the story of a Southern-Belle-Single-Mom, her twin kids, and their pet pig, and turn it into a witty and intriguing tale.
Mom Ellie is a fabulous chef and moves the family - her twins and their pets - a cat and a dog - from Tennessee to New York City. She has a fabulous place to live - in the hotel she works at, but after moving in….the hotel gets a new policy: no exotic pets allowed. Now, Rumpy isn’t just a pet, she is a part of the family - companion, friends, and fill-in-goalie for soccer games. But how on earth do you hide a part of the family in a 4-star hotel?
Based on some factual events, Jimmy Buffet weaves a tale that is not only a fabulous beach or an airplane read, I would choose it’s also a great book for tweeners and teens. After I read the tales of Rumpy and his family, my 13-year old daughter took the book. It’s been promised to a 49-year-old Parrothead next. Why read this latest Buffett book? Swine not? You’ll close the book with a huge smile on your face……
