one of edith whartons unjustly neglected novels hudson river bracketed features two strong protagonists vance weston and halo spear the former is an undereducated young man who arrives in new york with a keen desire to write halo spear is a brilliant accomplished young woman who introduces vance to literature and they form a deep bond which flourishes and endures despite the hardships of vances life the disappointments of halos and their respective marriages a multilayered tale of two very different pigs that you will find yourself snickering at yet you will find very thoughtprovoking sidney norman uses the simple context of two pigs living next door to each other to communicate a profound truth about how we judge each other and often judge ourselves on the surface sidney norman appears to be a picture book that will entertain kids but this story has deeply moved adult audiences in informal readings leading to deepthinking discussions