Hello, My Sweetheart

Synopsis: "Hello, My Sweetheart" is Sigrid Gassner-Roberts' unique work which evolved from her recollections when narrating her life story to her husband, who lies in a coma in a Viennese hospital after a brain aneurysm. The doctors tell her that he can hear her, so she begins by reminding him of their first date.

Sigrid had been a young Austrian student who originally came to America to study on a Fulbright scholarship. She had a busy teaching career and her work took her from the US to Austria to Australia.

It was in Australia that she met her future husband, a US naval officer who proposed only a few short weeks after they met in 1975. The couple had been married but four years when her husband had his stroke. Sigrid finds a path to caring for him while carrying on with her teaching duties and their love story continues until his death.

Critique: Subtitled 'A Life and Career on Three Continents', this inherently moving and deeply personal memoir is an extraordinary and deftly crafted read from beginning to end. While very highly recommended, especially for community library Contemporary American Memoir/Biography collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Hello, My Sweetheart" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $3.99).