Sherry and the Unseen World [Paperback]

Holly Schwartztol (Author)

Book Description

It is summertime in the late 1950’s and you can practically feel the hot sand on your feet, hear the screen door slamming and taste the penny candy at the local ice cream parlor.

But beyond this idyllic facade, life is changing for Sherry Waxman. Her friends’ parents are divorcing right and left, her mother criticizes everything she does, and her grandfather is having a romantic liaison with a woman thirty years his junior. Sherry falls in and out of love as she struggles to understand everything from the meaning of life to her own awakening sexuality. With her parents preoccupied with their professions and their tennis tournaments, Sherry and her friends must fend for themselves.

When Sherry’s Aunt Geraldine arrives, the glamorous yet down-to-earth woman presents Sherry with a unique and special gift, showing her how to draw strength from the unseen world. Geraldine teaches Sherry and her friends how to empower themselves by connecting with their spirituality. As Sherry matures, she learns of her own intuitive gifts and how to use them to overcome obstacles and gain self-confidence.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Holly W. Schwartztol, PhD, is an author, lecturer, and psychologist. She lives in Miami, Florida, with her husband. Sherry and the Unseen World is her first full-length novel.

Product Details

• Paperback: 478 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. (August 19, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595359086
• ISBN-13: 978-0595359080
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,012,252 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sherry and the Unseen World, March 21, 2009

By 

T. Lancaster "An angel's mom" (Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sherry and the Unseen World (Paperback)

One of the best fiction books I have ever read. It kept my attention from beginning to end and I had a hard time putting it down. I didn't even want the story to end when it did.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bravo for a First Novel, October 17, 2005

By 

Julie Gilbert - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sherry and the Unseen World (Paperback)

"Writing is easy," Dorothy Parker has said, "all you have to do is open a vein." A good many first novels do just that. There is too much self and not enough artistry in telling a story involving yet transforming portions of self.
In "Sherry and the Unseen World," Holly W. Schwartztol has taken the essence of a journey toward and through puberty and invested it with contours, crafting and imagination--thereby becoming its own entity; it is a novel, not an autobiography or a memoir once removed.
The story involves three summers of a potentially terrific person who has not yet reached that understanding within herself. Her struggles to evolve, judging right from wrong, better from worse; her yearning toward maturation have a more grounded and inviting sensibility than most fiction for young adults. That she gets significant help--not from a parent but from a bewitchingly spiritual aunt--is a refreshingly original leavening device.
A page-turner written with a knowing candor about the romance and difficulty of 'grown-up' life, still slightly out-of-reach, but encroaching fast.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book, September 8, 2005

By 

Stephanie R. Carter PhD - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sherry and the Unseen World (Paperback)

This is a great, beautifully written book. It was a page turner for me. I always looked forward to the next chapters and I was sorry when the book ended. Maybe Dr. Schwartztol will write about Sherry's next summers in her next book!
The book is engrossing on many levels. There is Sherry, going through the daily life of a young girl - playing, riding her bike, loving her friends, experiencing new feelings about boys, growing up in her own private child's world. Then, there is family love and conflict to deal with: within her own family, her extended family and in the families of her friends. Sometimes, Sherry finds her own way. Other times, she needs help which she finds in her special Aunt Geraldine, who teaches Sherry how to find comfort and healing in the "unseen world."
This is not only a good story. It teaches the reader spiritual exercises that are effective and easy enough for a child to do. I found myself remembering what it was like to be a pre-teen girl as I heard the screen door banging shut, smelled the steak on the grille, felt my legs turning those bike wheels around so effortlessly, heard my girlfriends calling me on the phone asking for sleep overs, wondering if a boy liked me, my curiosity getting me into trouble ... Sherry and the Unseen World will remind you of what is was like growing up, with Dr. Schwartztol's wisdom and warm reflection.
I think both women and girls will like this book. It can even be used to open the door for conversation between mothers and daughters about growing up.