Swap

By Sam Moffie

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0978606205
• ISBN13: 9780978606206
• Release Date: January 2007
• Publisher: UEL Enterprises
• Length: 302 Pages
• Weight: 0.78 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.5" x 5.0"

Customer Reviews

Another Great Small Town Character Study!

This book reads like a very entertaining Richard Russo novel (Empire Falls). Sheldon Marsh is the main character whose entire life has been influenced by his mother and her love for movies. Sheldon and his mother spend their waking hours likening the real world to movies they have seen. When they are not doing this they are seeking advice from their favorite bartender they have nicknamed The Ralph. Sheldon a former major league pitcher, has issues with his wife and comes up with the brilliant idea of changing wives with his best friend Tom, who is also a pitcher that plays with Sheldon on the Indians minor league team. The author does a brilliant job of giving separate character studies of Tom and the two player's wives (Elizabeth and Lucy). Each one has their own issues. I really enjoyed this entertaining and sometimes hilarious look at another small town with wacky things happening. The author also gives a listing of each character at the end with what happened with the rest of their life (like the end of Animal House). I have just received the author's second book and look forward to another great read!

Swap by Sam Moffie

I'm sure you have all heard stories about two couples who feel they would be better off and/or have more in common if they switched partners. Well, hold on to your seats because that is what Sheldon is up to! Sheldon grew up in a close relationship with his mother, a single mom. His mother taught him "everything" there is to know in life! He is hearing impaired and half-Jewish. He loved baseball. It's not that he didn't like football but there was a problem because football is a game where you need to hear the whistle. When Sheldon's mom was pregnant, she caught a bad cold and as a result, Sheldon ended up with a hearing loss in his right ear. That was pretty much the end of any hopes of playing football. Sheldon became a pitcher in the major leagues and then held the same position in a minor league. After his baseball career, he and his mother owned a bar. During his baseball career Sheldon married Eleanor. They had a daughter. Sheldon was not happy in his marriage. His best friend, Tom is married to Lucy. When Sheldon is around Lucy he seems to feel much happier. After all, Tom does not really appreciate Lucy because he is "running around" on her. Another thing that bothered Sheldon is his wife's actions to his hearing loss. Sheldon did not know that at first Eleanor did not make fun of his disability but actually tried to protect him from those who did poke fun at him. However, as Eleanor became unhappier in their marriage, Sheldon felt she focused on his lack of hearing as a way to "jab the knife of unhappiness". Sheldon comes up with what he considers a great idea. He and Tom should swap partners! The reader will not know what actually took place during the swap or how it really happened. There is a very interesting epilogue that brings the reader up-to-date on what happens to each character after the swap. I really enjoyed this section because it was interesting to see how the "swap" worked out for some and not so well for others. Sam Moffie shows us that he really has a great sense of humor, an imagination that is very creative and the will to make the readers laugh. There are many situations in this book that will make you laugh out loud such as the "bedwetting story". I won't go into the details because it will spoil the story for you but you will surely have a good laugh. Sheldon's mother is a movie buff and the reader will enjoy the way she incorporates what she is about to say in relation to a movie she has seen. The author does an excellent job portraying his characters. This book is divided into four chapters dedicated to each character - Sheldon, Lucy, Tom and Eleanor. The one that stands out most in my mind is Sheldon's mother. Sam Moffie's descriptions of her and the relationship she and Sheldon have with each other will make you feel like you really know her after reading this book. In fact, the author gives you detailed information about each character and holds nothing back. Swap has plenty of reading involving base

Swap is a very good book!

The title and sexy cover (a pair of female legs kicking in the air) seem to promise one thing and the jaunty, somewhat-talky manuscript delivers something else. There's no doubt Sam Moffie is holding out a carrot for male readers. And what he gives us while we are waiting is Sheldon, a quirky, hearing-impaired, half Jewish, minor league baseball player, learning about women, politics and the curse of getting what you want. Oh, yes, did I mention Sheldon's mother owns a bar and relates everything (EVERYTHING) to scenes in old movies. Kids swap baseball cards so why shouldn't baseball players swap lives (the two friends Sheldon and Tom literally change families). This proves an interesting vehicle for the writer to examine people and the dynamics among them--from childhood to the workplace to marriage and beyond. The author has a sophisticated way of introducing various topics with both the past and present perspectives--for example, Lucy (the friend's wife) will be talking about her sad father to her husband's friend, Sheldon, and all of a sudden, integrated into the exposition, is Sheldon's mother making an observation about Lucy's father after Sheldon has married Lucy. Much of the time this technique works well, when it doesn't it sounds like a conversation among bar patrons after a few drinks when everyone is talking at once. The plot is less "what will happen" and more how does everyone feel about it. I liked that up to a point then found myself getting restless, though surprise, surprise, there is at least one torrid sex scene I had fantasized from the cover. The treatment of baseball, the religious right, education and little league are, thankfully, kept lighthearted. The book seems dragged out after the first two hundred pages and I don't know what, as readers we are supposed to take away from its ending. But there are a few classic scenes, for example when Sheldon (wearing a hearing aid) has his first intercourse with a more experienced girl (wearing two hearing aids) in her empty bathtub. And every once in a while some sentences stop you in your tracks: "There are a lot of emotions when it comes to families. The one emotion that ruled the day--and some might say morning, afternoon and evening in the Easterbrook household--was hate." In baseball terms, I'd label this bizarre novel a "surprise knuckleball."

Jim Bouton Would Blush (And Laugh)

This wildly entertaining book reminds me of the "Seinfeld" episode in which George tries to combine sex, food, and television ("you're like Caligula," Jerry said). Only here, first-time author Sam Moffie combines sex ... with baseball and movie trivia. Not to knock food and TV, mind you, but by my way of thinking, on this one Swap beats Seinfeld hand's down. The best thing about the book is Moffie's clever writing style. It escapes my ability to fully describe, but it's got a unique, stream of consciousness sort of feel to it, that breaks convention and quickly translates into belly laughs. The comedy is subtle at times, uproarious at others, and always sharp as a razor. Fast-moving, amusing, and always "on", the book deserves a wide readership, and would make a good movie, too [although ... I read somewhere that Affleck and Damon owned the rights to cinematize the Fritz Peterson - Mike Kekich wife swapping incident, so Moffie had better sell these rights, quick].

An original novel showcasing the humor and the unexpected consequences of our choices in life

Sheldon Marsh is a half-Jewish, hearing-impaired baseball pitcher living in Youngstown, Ohio. Sheldon has a wonderful relationship with his movie-obsessive mother -- who always offers him a film title for relating to life's 'up and down' situations and life circumstances. But life is generally pretty dull and uninspired in the rust-belt decay of Youngstown. And even worse, Sheldon's wife Eleanor with whom he has a rather rocky relationship. Then Sheldon comes up with a novel idea -- exchange wives, kids, and even dogs with his friend and fellow baseball team player Thomas. That way Sheldon will have a new life! "Swap" by Sam Moffie is an original novel showcasing the humor and the unexpected consequences of our choices in life. Of special note is Moffie's quite evident gift for dialogue and his knack of crafting the twists and turns of the story line so as to hook and keep the reader's rapt (and sometimes gleeful) attention from first page to last. An ideal addition to community library fiction collections, "Swap" is a very highly recommended and entertaining read.