Wild Pork and Watercress

I bought this book after seeing the movie Hunt for the Wilderpeople. The book is fairly different from the movie, which isn't a bad thing.The movie was comedic and fast-paced, whereas the novel had a more serious, survivalist tone. The endings were slightly different, as well, which I think is a good thing because one won't spoil the other. The book ending was definitely more surprising and sad.Crump's writing style is casual and straight forward, kind of like a more modest Hemingway. Crump did a great job writing from the perspective of a 14-year-old. It never felt forced. The story overall felt very realistic; I got the impression that Crump had actually experienced most of the events he described.I think this book will appeal to a wide variety of people. It would appeal equally to 12 year old or an 80 year old. It's a stereotypical "boy book," but girls will enjoy it, too.My only complaint is that the book could be repetitive at times. 90% of the story is about food - hunting for food, foraging for food, stashing food, stealing food from cabins, etc.

This totally charming story from New Zealand kept my attention right through to the end. Descriptions of life in the bush place one right there with the protagonists. The interactions between the boy and his uncle change over their time in the bush in a satisfying way. The movie, "Hunting for the Wilderpeople", that is based on the story changes quite a few details but does keep the flavor of the exploits.

As a Kiwi I feel like this really did transport me into the bush. The imagery in the stories was incredible, I felt like I was building a map of the place where the story is set myself. The story didn't feel too predictable for me, and the constant dabs of humour are classic NZ humour.If you're a kiwi, this will make you feel good. If you want to know a little bit more about NZ, this will fill in a piece or two around the slang, humour, and how life isn't always perfect in a country that oftrn is portrayed as being so.

Barry Crump is not only a story teller but a philosopher, a humanitarian, a humorist, and a visionary. This is a story about the adventurers and bush tramping of a confused Maori boy... Crump breaths life into to the characters and you hate that the story ends.. not your ordinary hike in the bush by any means. Crump’s insights and daily adventurers take you away to a place you can only dream of traveling too.. both physically and emotionally. Another great read!

I really liked the theme, or lesson of the book. It is also hilarious. However, it was was lacking some action, and is sad at the end. Sometimes it’s also hard to understand, though the description is awesome. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy stories of people going into the wild and utilizing whatever they have there. Overall, I would put this book somewhere in the middle.

The story is divided into 11 chapters: (1) the wife's sister's boy; (2) a dog like zag, (3) other people, (4) a tin of peaches, (5) broken-foot camp, (6) a friend, (7) serious trouble, (8) another notch, (9) six months, (10) Okay, and (11) Epitaph. There are also lots of pictures from the recent movie the "Wilderpeople"Most of the book tells the adventures of a man and a boy living in the woods trying to avoid the welfare police while subsisting on wild pigs and watercress. The story has a certain charm, but I tired of too much wandering about the woods.

Crump writes engaging narratives about people you can easily imagine to be real, involved in events that you can also imagine to have happened.The escape to the wild and the adventures that ensue had me hooked early on and kept me there through the entire book. Good people show up to help and the good guys make it through, with happy prospects ahead. Even the unhappy (sort of) ending was a relatively soft landing.This was my first Barry Crump book. Now I've read all that are available. They are all terrific stories. Highly recommended.

This book is a fun read that carries the reader on the adventures of discovery through the ups and downs need-based relationships. Cool to read about the names and description of foreign places.

The author has captured a layered, epic tale in this short, intense narrative - all while maintaining a comedic thread running vividly through an otherwise harrowing circumstance. I was very sorry to reach the end of this excellent little book!

Like many people I have come to this novel via the movie, Hunt For the Wilderpeople, which I enjoyed very much. Although author Crump has been dead for some twenty years, I suspect he would have approved of the film adaptation. That said, the book is very different in many respects, although the basic themes of being an outsider remain the same.Incorrigible child Ricky Baker is sent to live with his aunt and uncle as a last resort, on a ramshackle farm in the hills of the north island of New Zealand. Ricky's aunt Bella lavishes care and love on Ricky, while her older, taciturn husband Hec views him with a more jaundiced eye. When the family's circumstances suddenly change, Hec and Ricky are more or less forced to go bush with their two dogs, where they live a hand-to-mouth existence and lead the New Zealand authorities a merry dance for over a year. The story is narrated from Ricky's viewpoint, right up to the epilogue when another narrator briefly takes over. It's a great read with unforgettable characters, and I thoroughly recommend it.

Fun, enjoyable, entertaining, heart breaking. Wild Pork and Watercress is the modern day Odyssey of odd ball underdogs. Barry Crump exposes and challenges race and class relations in the most unexpected of ways. Too few books have indigenous (Maori) protagonists. Ricky Baker is a superhero for the rest of us. A great yarn. But more importantly, a great message.

Such a great book! A lot more emotional than the movie that was based off it but such a funny, heart warming and interesting read

Loved the story, great read - the book is better than the movie and the movie is good. The characters are believable. it's an exciting adventure story about a man and boy running from the law in the wilds of New Zealand . Don't want to give too much away.