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TRUE CONFECTIONS by Sondra Gotlieb Kirkus Star

TRUE CONFECTIONS

By

Pub Date: March 3rd, 1980
Publisher: Paddington--dist. by Grosset & Dunlap

This story is about my arranged marriage and how it came to be"" 25 years ago in the Jewish community of Winnipeg, Canada--where the stylish south end of town favored egg rolls at fancy functions while the north end stood firm for cabbage rolls, and where the general belief was that ""When you marry a daughter a hump is off your back."" And the family Hump here is 16-year-old Verna, who--along with most of the other Unpopulars--is in love with Kenny, the awesomely intellectual milkman's son. But somehow plans involving Kenny go awry, and Verna's first steady is Harvey Stone, whose worst feature is his face, who talks with his hand in front of his mouth to deflect halitosis, who has a mother ""whose petty cash could buy Poland."" Ten months of Harvey and then--at a party given by Rabbi Ripp (an early hip cleric)--there's Martin Manheim, a Winnipeg boy gone Oxford, who unaccountably takes up with Verna the ""teenage plumpling."" All very nice--but one night there's an offhand mention of marriage (taken seriously by neither Verna nor Martin) which is relayed by blabby brother Ronnie to Verna's parents. . . who, with the Manheims, take charge of the ball and run with it. Intimidated Verna and unenthusiastic Martin don't have a chance. The wedding comes off, leaving the pair 22 (luckily happy) years to get to know one another. Gotlieb writes with affection and high humor of Winnipeg originals: Millie Moss, the travel agent who hates travel and extravagantly misbooks; Uncle Rex the money macher, whose restaurant failed when booze was found in the coke bottles and a deceased clog in the refrigerator; and assorted pals and pills of youth. A confection, yes, but a tangy, crunchy one of absolutely top quality.