Pigs in Heaven

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Title Pigs in Heaven
Author Barbara Kingsolver
Country United States
Language English
Genre(s) Novel
Publisher HarperCollins
Released 1994
Media type Print (Hardcover and Paperback) and audio-CD
Pages 343 pp
ISBN ISBN 0-06-016801-3
Preceded by The Bean Trees

Pigs in Heaven is a 1994 novel by Barbara Kingsolver; it is the sequel to her first novel, The Bean Trees. It continues the story of Taylor Greer and Turtle, her adopted Cherokee daughter. It highlights the strong relationships between mothers and daughters, with special attention given to the customs, history, and present living situation of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma.

[edit] Plot summary

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

This novel begins several years after the events of Barbara Kingsolver's first novel, The Bean Trees. Taylor and Turtle are visiting the Hoover dam when Turtle sees a man fall down a spillway. Because of Taylor's unwavering faith that Turtle is telling the truth, a search is conducted and a man's life is saved. As a result, Turtle and Taylor make the headlines and are invited as guests on The Oprah Winfrey Show. A Cherokee lawyer named Annawake Fourkiller sees the broadcast and recognizes Turtle as a child of Cherokee heritage, beginning a campaign under the Indian Child Welfare Act to return Turtle to her birth family and the Cherokee Nation. Afraid of losing Turtle, Taylor leaves home and takes Turtle on the run.

Taylor leaves behind her friend Lou Ann Ruiz (from The Bean Trees) and her new boyfriend Jax, and sets out with Turtle. Her mother, Alice, has left her new husband and joins the pair in Las Vegas. The trio are temporarily joined by Barbie, a waitress obsessed with the dolls of the same name, who appears to be down on her luck but later proves to be a thief and counterfeiter. Alice eventually leaves Taylor, Turtle, and Barbie to visit the Cherokee Nation in person. The others travel to Seattle, where Barbie leaves them. Taylor works a number of jobs, including lingerie sales and hired driving, but has great trouble earning enough money for food, lodging, clothes, and child care.