Robert Peck proved himself a master of the genre [of reminiscence] with his moving and engaging book, "A Day No Pigs Would Die," based on his own boyhood in rural Vermont during the twenties. With "Soup" he is back again for another go-round, but this time it doesn't work nearly so well. Soup is the name of Peck's best friend when he was a boy. Between them, one or the other is consistently drawn into mischief…. Several of the stories are funny, and one or two are touching but by and large there is a strained quality to the writing and a hearty wholesomeness to the book that is disappointing.

Marilyn Sachs, "Mementos From the Past," in The New York Times Book Review (© 1974 by The New York Times Company; reprinted by permission), May 5, 1974, p. 40.