As
Always, Jack is a book made up mostly of the letters of
Jack Sweeney, written to his sweetheart at the start of their
relationship. Emma Sweeney is Jack's daughter, and the sweetheart
is her mother. Jack died while on active duty when Emma's mother
was pregnant with her, and so Emma knew very little about him.
The first time she saw a picture of him, she was ten years old.
As she explains
in the first section of the book, Emma found these letters after
the death of her mother. She generously shares them with us. The
letters paint a picture of a charming young man who loves life
and approaches it with humor and optimism. He has fallen in love,
and he says so quite frankly, taking it seriously, but also not
taking himself too seriously.
I loved reading
the letters. Jack Sweeney was interested in writing, and even
talked about finding a profession as a writer, and these letters
show his talent with the written word. Learning who he was in
the same way that Emma's mother learned about him was a really
special introduction to him.
Emma Sweeney
ends the book with a chapter describing what she learned after
finding the letters. She also includes two very touching letters
at the end, one written by her father just days before his fatal
plane crash, and one by her mother to her mother-in-law (Jack's
mother) a few weeks after Jack's death. Emma takes us on the journey
of discovering her father, and pays a beautiful tribute to him
in the process.
Book review by StorkNet volunteer Caryl
To Purchase:
• As
Always, Jack at Amazon.com
• As
Always, Jack at Amazon UK
• As
Always, Jack at Amazon
Canada
