Four months after the Pigman died, John and Lorraine are passing by their old friend's empty house when they receive the shock of their lives: An elderly man has taken up residence in the abandoned home. Convinced this down-and-out recluse is a sign from beyond the grave, John and Lorraine decide they've been given a chance to make up for what happened to the Pigman -- a chance to make things right, once and for all.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 20 reviews)

Play it again Sam

Driven by guilt John and Lorraine, from Zindel's first novel The Pigman, make one final trip to Mr. Pignati's house. To their surprise the house is not abandoned but seems to be secretly occupied by another old man. Who is he and what is he doing there? Motivated by their usual curiosity John and Lorraine just have to start up a conversation with him.

This is one of the weakest of Zindel's social realism novels. It is basically all over again without the originality of style and plot, and the charm and humor that permeates the earlier truely classic novel. Certainly the new old man, the Colonel, is feisty and adventurous, whereas Mr. Pignati was shy and quiet; certainly there are new plot twists, such as a road trip to a casino; but this book is so much like the old one, right down to playing a 'mind game' with revealing psychological results, that I struggled to get through it. What is worse, and makes for boring reading, is that John and Lorraine seem to have learned absolutely nothing from their relationship with Mr. Pignati, and even more learn nothing from the Colonel. The book is called and I could see absolutely no growth in character to justify the promise of a 'legacy'. What exactly is Zindel trying to say here? Does he really mean that people basically never change? Perhaps I am an escapist wanting to disappear into a fantasy of learning and development? I have given this novel three stars, which is stretching it a bit, but you might like it more than I did and you might even agree with its apparently dark philosophy.

December 19, 2007

What happened after The Pigman died?

How did John and Lorraine's life change after this experience? It started out pretty good. John gave up drinking and started smoking spinach (spinach?) cigarettes at Lorraine's urging. John and Lorraine yell at anyone who's mean to the lunch lady. But their lives are still going nowhere. They meet another old man and try to do it over the right way this time but it's just not the same. The new old man is cranky and rude, the kids aren't really needed in this story as the lunch lady befriends the old man and takes care of everything. The Game of Life was interesting but that's about it.

It definately did not feel like you were stepping into a teen's world. It just seemed like a grown up who had fond memories of drinking, smoking, swearing, cutting class, driving crazy and has major gambling problems (He also has fantasies that he could meet a nice girl who would be fine with all this). This sequel to The Pigman was totally unbelievable and I would reccommend that you skip this book and write your own sequel, I know it would be better than this one.

John and Lorraine's relationship stays respectable. The word sex is mentioned a lot but not as it relates to John and Lorraine. I would agree that the book would be rated PG-13.
January 28, 2005

The pIGMAN

I find this book to be very well written. I also think The Pigman is a very sad book that could bring out strong emotion from any reader. This is not one of the books I would normally read but it did impress me. Even though I liked the book, I would not consider The Pigman to be one of my all time favorite books. This book started out slowly, and I had to keep my eyes from drifting off the page, but by the time the major conflicts had been revealed, I could not put the book down.
March 21, 2003

(4-1/2 stars) Even better than the first

The Pigman is one of my favorite books, so of course I was ecstatic when I discovered that Paul Zindel wrote a followup. And it turns out that The Pigman's Legacy is even better. John and Lorraine have now turned sixteen and continue on zany adventures, as well as discussing the pros and cons of their own life.

The only problem with this book is the same problem that came with the first book, and that is a very important outcome that is given away in the introduction (they call it "The Promise"). My suggestion is to skip the promise and go on with the rest of the book. You'll enjoy it.
May 30, 2002

outstanding

This book was so good that i could never put it down. I read this book for a test in school and i got every question right! Paul Zidel is a great author and one of my favorites. This story basically ends what the first Pigman story didnt. It can teach children lots of important morals in life by John and Lorraines experiances. The way that this story is written is almost like watching a movie in the theaters. Believe me it takes alot to have sit and read a book. I would of never found reading interesting if it wasnt for this book!
December 25, 2001

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