Emma Sweeney has never known her
father. A Navy pilot, his plane crashed just months before Emma was born. Her mother
rarely spoke about her father or his death, so Emma grew up without any sense of who he
was. When her mother passed away, Emma found a bundle of letters in the back of one of her
mother’s dresser drawers. It was in these letters that Emma Sweeney finally met her
father.After knowing each other only eleven days, Jack
Sweeney and Beebe Mathewson parted as Jack left to serve in World War II. During his
absence, the couple wrote dozens of letters to each other. 'As Always, Jack' is the
collection of letters Jack wrote. Although Beebe’s letters are not included in the
book, the story still seems complete. Jack was a wonderful letter-writer, and his
words were always filled with laughter, longing, and love. Given the time period in which
the letters were written, some of his correspondence was downright racy!
As the book progresses, the letters turn from infatuation to
adoration and then to love. By the time Jack returned from his tour of duty, he had
written Beebe forty-five letters. Less than three weeks after he returned to the states,
the couple were married.
As Always, Jack is a wildly romantic tale made even more sentimental
because it is the true story of love from start to finish. Few people are fortunate enough
to have their feelings documented on paper—but Emma Sweeney is truly lucky to have
such a wonderful record of her parent’s love -- in her father’s own words.
Reviewed by Melissa Brown for The Road to Romance
May 31, 2003
