The Sweetheart is in: Stories

by S.L. Wisenberg

Book Overview

The yearnings of a little sister, the hazy memories of a concentration camp liberator, and the romantic entanglements of political activists are portrayed in "The Sweetheart Is In," S.L. Wisenberg's... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0810151243
• ISBN13: 9780810151246
• Release Date: May 2001
• Publisher: Triquarterly Books
• Length: 139 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Review of Sweetheart Is In

Whether experiencing the turbulent Vietnam era through adolescent Ceci's hypersensitive and imaginative perspective, reliving the events of "Genesis" in Eve's point of view or exploring and questioning ancient religious beliefs and practice, "The Sweetheart Is In" is at some points clear and entertaining but also has the ability to be heartbreaking and profound. This collection of stories is varied and innovative. In the first half of the collection, the reader follows the life of Ceci Rueben, a curious, bright, asthmatic girl raised in a "modern" Jewish household. She dreams of attending college and being courted by boys as world events unfold around her. S.L. Wisenberg effectively weaves the significant cultural and political events into the story and draws out Ceci's reaction to them.The stories are not limited to Ceci's perspective as the reader jumps back and forth in time to view significant moments of Ceci's friends and family. For example, the first story, "Big Ruthie imagines Sex Without Pain", is a depressing account of Ceci's mother and her sexual issues. Issues that she is uncomfortable relaying to her own husband.The second half of the collection makes a clear break from the experiences of Ceci and those among her and instead discusses with some of religion's oldest stories with a fresh perspective. In the first story of the Part II, "In the Beginning", the reader is told the story of "Genesis" from Eve's point of view, lending humor and new insight to the familiar story.Throughout all of the stories, the prose is clear, easy to follow and often times lyrical and entertaining.

One Review of Wisenberg's The Sweetheart Is In

S.L. Wisenberg's collection of short stories, The Sweetheart Is In, is divided into two parts. Part one consists of a look into familial and human relationships while part two continues on with more emphasis placed on God and religion. The stories vary in length from two, to thirteen pages. Each one could stand alone but together they strengthen and reinforce one another. In part one, Wisenberg gracefully moves from one short story to the next using first, second and third person points of view to provide an almost three dimensional view of one family's relationships, peppered with Jewish life, humor and wit. At times it is even poetic. The family is in essence a vehicle for Wisenberg to cover a broad range of topics including; the death of a parent; the search for and the loss of romantic love; suppresed female sexuality; the search for one's self on many levels; the balancing of dreams for the future with one's station in life and the opposing views of a lover. Of particular note are two short stories in the first part. One, titled Love, is a fresh look at unrequainted love while the other, titled The Last Day of the World, is a look into the desire to end consequences rather than life itself. The second part of the collection, while still strong in it's parllels of modern relationships with Biblical scenes and figures, is shorter than and pales in comparison to the first part. Which is not to say it is without it's merits. The first short story, in the second part, is a brilliant view of the defiance of patriarchy and the illusion of happiness as paralleled in a metaphor of the Garden of Eden. In one line (page 77) Wisenberg writes, "the role of the artist...is to find the universality of mankind." As a whole, The Sweetheart Is In, swims in skillfully crafted topics universal to all, thus confirming Wisenberg's role as an artist. As a writer I am not only inspired but jealous that I didn't write this collection.

Loved this book!

These stories are beautifully written, serious literature and wise but at the same time, witty. My favorite is "In the Beginning," because it's so sly and irreverent.