📖 Piglet
🖊️ Lottie Hazell
🌟 3/5

“𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳è𝘮𝘦 𝘱â𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪è𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦; 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦, 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦?”

🐷 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
🐷 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻
🐷 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 & 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲
🐷 𝗟𝗼𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱
🐷 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘀

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this as much as I hoped I would. Whilst the writing was good and it was so easy to become immersed into the emotionally provocative storytelling, the actual main character didn’t appear as particularly likable to me at all, and I felt that her character arc wasn’t an element of this book that felt satisfying to me.

The story itself feels as though it’s told via many detailed descriptions of food and cooking: the prep, the textures, the scent, the heat, the taste… it was so very realistic. Much to my shame, the descriptions of the binge eating made me feel a bit nauseous to be honest.

What I did love were the complex family dynamics that Piglet had with her family, her fiancés family, and even with herself. I really enjoyed the exploration of greed, social class, public image and the posturing that it’s often hand in hand with. It was clever, sometimes witty, dark, and grounded.

- 𝒦𝒶𝓎𝓁𝑒𝒾𝑔𝒽 𝓍

The main character’s family call her ‘Piglet’, a cruel nod to her childhood eating, linked inextricably to her sister’s eating disorder. Much like ‘Woman Eating’, ‘A Certain Hunger’, or ‘Supper Club’, ‘Piglet’ is preoccupied with what it means to be satiated as a woman - how much can be consumed, how much a body can hold, and what hunger really feels like. Throughout the book, Piglet imagines her family’s approving words over her cooking, which never come.

Her name changes throughout, as well, as her sense of herself shifts. The book does a great job of portraying a character leaving behind her upbringing, seeking entrance to a new class and wealth system, while her family doesn’t truly understand her and her in-laws don’t truly accept her. I loved the presentation of class and food throughout, and found Piglet’s friends and family compelling and realistic, but I wasn’t very invested in her relationship with her fiance, which drives a lot of the plot, and so felt less moved by the ending than I might have been. I really enjoyed this book, but for me it wasn’t unique enough alongside the other books on similar themes.

This was a great book, but the disintegration of the life that had been so carefully built was an uncomfortable read. Well written and difficult to put down.
Thanks to Netgalley.

Piglet tells the story of a woman who is living in premarital, domestic bliss with her fiancé Kit, counting down the days to their wedding. However, when Kit shatters the blissful illusion she has so carefully created for herself and others by revealing a terrible secret, Piglet begins to self sabotage by eating and eating, trying to fill a hunger and a hollowness within herself that cannot be filled.

*minor spoilers ahead*

I read this novel in pretty much one sitting, consuming it in much the same way Piglet excessively consumes food to deal with her imagined perfect life unravelling. The whole book was well paced, fraught with tension and suspense and peppered with drawn out, detailed scenes of Piglet cooking and eating which veer between the sensuous and the grotesque, and which the reader observes in almost sickening fascination. The elaborate, measured moments such as Piglet putting together her wedding cake, and her family trying to squeeze her into her wedding dress, contrast the general fast pace of the rest of the novel, and perfectly encapsulate the intensity and suspense building towards the climax of the wedding, as well as conveying the fragility of Piglet's mental state, her decisions, and her relationships. Piglet's obsession with food and the vivid, rich descriptions of her cooking portray the way she uses her relationship with food as a metaphor for the satisfaction she gleans and attempts to recreate in her life.

Piglet is the perfect messy, complex protagonist, reminiscent of Ottessa Moshfegh's characters; a self loathing, sometimes unlikeable, utterly visceral female character whose vulnerability the reader can't help but sympathise with. Her chaotic and horrifying breakdown is engrossing, and the reader can't help but cheer her on as she finally takes control (albeit in a hysterical, manic way).

The ending is deeply satisfying, with a typical, loving description of her preparing dinner for herself, but without the intensity and stress of previous similar moments. In this scene, she is peaceful and allowing herself to indulge, finally feeling a sense of satisfaction and fullness, having taken control of her life and giving up the idealistic but superficial lifestyle and relationship she had been pursuing.

While many readers dislike the way Hazell withholds the nature of Kit's secret, I think this adds to the intensity of the novel and acts as a driving force for Piglet's undoing and the chaos that unfolds. This structural choice defies convention and makes for a far more interesting read, allowing the reader to speculate. Although, I will concede a little more background context to Piglet's history with her eating disorder and the reasons for it would have provided more clarity for her decisions. However, this novel is a raw, compulsive story of desire, class commentary, family, relationships, and self-image, with the most palpable prose and delicious symbolism and imagery.

Thank to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

It has been a while since I finished a book in two sittings but I was glued to my kindle while reading Piglet! She was such an interesting main character who I wanted to hug but also shake sense into. I loved the writing style, it was clever and felt fresh. I also felt the class divide between Piglet and Kit’s parents was an interesting element too. I rated this 3.5 initially but, I’ve struggled to get it out my mind since I finished so it’s a solid 4 now.

This was a very uncomfortable read which some readers might find triggering. The heroine is nicknamed Piglet and has a difficult relationship with food going back to her childhood. She is now working in her dream job in food publishing and is about to marry her dream man when he shares a terrible secret with her shortly before the big day. This creates a cascade of self sabotage which, whilst well observed and beautifully written, is difficult to read from an emotional perspective. Whilst I admired the story telling, this was not a book that I enjoyed.

With thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.

I’m afraid I didn’t enjoy this book because, however hard I tried, I could feel no empathy for the main character. Either before or after Piglet’s world began to crumble. In the end I even became fed up with the endless descriptions of cooking and food, and skim read the last quarter or so of the book. Although I understood (most of) Piglet’s emotional drivers, her resulting behaviours did not make for an enjoyable book. I’m sure that was the point, but I prefer my reading to be pleasurable. Good ending though.

I actually had real difficulty in putting this down. It's really well written and the descriptions of food and eating are so vivid. Sensuous almost bordering on the obscene at times - Nigella in book form - and I loved it

Piglet's perfect wedding to her perfect groom is threatened when he tells her a secret just days before the wedding, Piglet has to decide what to do. Give up the life she has craved or leave him and move on.

Though I’m not sure I particularly liked Piglet, I definitely was fascinated by her and the choices that she made and the kind of life she was chasing. As her character developed I did come to feel sympathy for her and a greater understanding of why she felt so driven to achieve the kind of lifestyle she craves almost as much as food.

I actually found this to be such a tense read! I like that we never fully know what her finance Kit has done. Piglet's reasons for her own behaviour and her childhood issues are touched on but never fully explored leaving the reader to fill in the blanks and speculate.

A really enjoyable and, for me, quick read that will have you raiding your cupboards

Thanks to Random House & Netgalley for the chance to read an early copy

I finished Piglet a couple of weeks ago and I still can’t fully decide whether I thought it was brilliant or bizarre… very possibly both?

Piglet, a very complex character battling an eating disorder, is due to get married to Kit and soon they will live a life full of dinner parties and perfect wedded bliss that Piglet never imagined would be her destiny. However, Kit unwittingly reveals a secret to Piglet a mere 13 days before the day of their nuptials, which throws everything up in the air.

So this book had SO MUCH potential and for the most part, it was realised. I think the author is extremely talented in the very unique way she has written this story, I was kept very much intrigued from chapter to chapter. But holy mother of god, would it have killed her to have let the reader know what exactly Kit’s secret was and where Piglet’s issues stemmed from. I do believe both of these plot holes were purposely left open to interpretation and I have my theories but I would have felt so much more satisfied with definitive answers.

I think 3 stars is an apt rating for me as I can’t deny that I was completely enthralled and the descriptions of the food were divine but the lack of clarity on the main themes of the story bothered me too much!

Thank you Random House UK & Netgalley for an E-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

DNF- Not to my taste, well written and well constructed, I just struggled with the eating disorder, the bullying nickname and the fallout after the confession. I’m sure lots of people will enjoy this novel! Just not for me- sorry!

I always enjoy books that are a bit different, and this was one of them. Quirky and disturbing in equal measure, Piglet was a mix of believable emotions at the turns her life took, and the food she cooked had my mouth watering!
Thank you to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book

The author loves food! The descriptions of cooking and eating food make you feel like you are there experiencing the tastes and smells. However the story is not so well told. There are gaps in the telling that make this book feel like they missed a few ingredients. We never know what Kit did, and we never really know where her love of food and cooking came from, plus the need to stuff herself in this crisis. Was this a once off, or was there history? Like a badly made soufflé, this doesn't quite rise to the occasion

I’ve never read a book quite like Piglet before, the way Lottie Hazell writes about food is so descriptive and although it made me hungry, I did find myself skimming over some of the long pieces of text describing food.

The book centres around Piglet who in the lead up to her wedding finds out that her fiancé has done something terrible, the tension running up to the wedding made the book very fast paced and I did read it very quickly but the ending sort of fell flat for me.

I think this will be a popular book and lots of people will love it but it just wasn’t for me.

I love a book that goes off piste and doesn't follow the rules, and this has elements of that. From not knowing the main character's real names to never finding out what her fiancé did that was so bad, it challenges writing convention and will no about elicit divided opinions.

The book evoked lots of emotions, pity for Piglet and her sister, hunger as foodie descriptions dominate and anxiety because it took me out of my comfort zone. A fabulous debut novel, I hope the author keeps pushing boundaries.

I came away from this book very hungry, the description of food is sublime! This is an intense and some times confronting read, with some unpleasant and not very likeable characters. That didn’t detract from the ultimate enjoyment of the book though.

Intense and utterly compelling, reading Piglet is a bit like watching a car crash in slow motion that you just can't tear your eyes off.

It's wonderfully uncomfortable, fraught with tension, and written with great pacing and believable characters. Hazell's a skillful author: her prose is palpable, and her descriptions of food find the fine line between sensual and sickening. The story structure and the symbolism of the croquembouche at its heart are absolutely perfect.

Piglet is an astonishing and compulsive debut.

I’m not going to lie I’m a little disappointed!
I must confess I did go into this with high expectations as had seen it everywhere but sadly it just didn’t hit the mark with me.

There were some toxic characters but I think my main issue was I just couldn’t connect to the character and I felt that the plot just wasn’t strong enough.

The authors way of describing food was delicious, I could saver ever bite piglet took but that wasn’t enough to make this plot more than it was for me.
I’m probably going to get lots of hate as I know that people love this book but connection and being able to get lost in a book is everything and for me the content and substance was just not there.
Have you read piglet and if so what did you think?

I read Piglet in a day – sometimes office days are sooo good for this – after seeing a lot of love on bookstagram. The story of Piglet – a cookbook editor engaged to the wealthy Kit, nicknamed thus because of her childhood greediness – is like Supper Club combined with the first half of Melancholia, and I had mixed feelings. On the one hand, it's kind of bog standard sad girl novel and I found it lacking depth in a few ways: Piglet is a bit one-dimensional, we don't know a lot about her life or her and Kit's relationship before the novel begins, the theme of food as a motif for class was sooo interesting but was a bit underdeveloped in my opinion. On the other hand, the days before and surrounding the wedding were so perfectly tense, and made for a really good, wedding-as-horror read. I love reading about weddings and this really delivered, so much so that I kind of wish that had been the whole book? The commingling cruelty and support of Piglet's parents was so believable and complex, and there is a lot about the food/class thing that is really ripe to be explored. I often think, when did everyone learn what all these expensive ingredients are and how to craft recipes with them? Is it just something that wealthy people grow up knowing?

3.5 stars.

An intense read.

Can’t say I really liked the protagonist which can make a book hard to enjoy but I didn’t find that in this case.

Cleverly written and relatable in a lot of ways.

Piglet is living her best life. She has a job editing books about food, she loves to cook and she’s just bought a house in Oxford with her upper class fiancé. Her best friend is about to have a baby and all is right with the world.
Except it really isn’t. When her fiancé confesses something unspeakable a few short weeks before the wedding, all the cracks in this carefully constructed life appear and grow wider.
This book is beautifully written. The food descriptions made me hungry. It also made me so anxious reading it, I almost couldn’t bear it. Piglet’s food obsession is rooted in something dark, the relationships with her working class family and her future in-laws are dreadful in different ways and the stress of her decision to make her own croquembouche nearly tipped me over the edge before everything started to unravel. To start with, she’s not a really likeable character, but the book is about her finding her true self, which she has buried in order to become socially acceptable.
There’s a narrative decision which everyone will be talking about. I found it a bit frustrating but can see why the decision was made, because this is a book about Piglet and her decisions, not about what is done to her.
I really liked this. Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC.