| No less an authority than the
great biologist E. O. Wilson has affirmed the significance of our
intrinsic affinity for other living organisms, our biophilia, and
it's obvious from naturalist Montgomery's unforgettable books about
tigers, pink dolphins, and the golden moon bear that she is an animal
lover of the first order. Now she chronicles the life of the animal
her life revolved around for 14 years, a pig named Christopher Hogwood:
750 pounds of bliss, affection, and good cheer. Even as a runt he
had a special aura, and once Montgomery and her husband, the writer
Howard Mansfield, nursed him into robust health on their New Hampshire
homestead, he proved to be an exceptionally intelligent, sociable,
and loving companion, if rather demanding. It took a village to
keep Christopher fed and entertained, and Montgomery's descriptions
of Christopher's amazing adventures and celebrity status are hilarious,
enchanting, and deeply affecting. Joyful and serene, smart and friendly,
Christopher soothed many a troubled heart, and Montgomery writes
with extraordinary lucidity, candor, and grace about what this good,
good pig taught her and others about life, love, happiness, and
all that we share with our fellow species on this precious planet. |