Forever

Rating:
Summary: This is a terrific book...
Review: ...interesting, thought provoking and hard to put down. The characters are meaningful, and New York, itself, becomes a character in the story. The fanciful, mystical qualities may be suprising, but they, in no way, detract from the wonder of the story's theme. If anything, I appreciated the diversity of cultures in 'sharing' the magic.

That said, the reason I gave this book 4 stars, as opposed to 5, is simple: the writing style changed too abruptly between the "past" and "present". The beauty of language in the first half of the book is completely lost in the second half. The use of present tense may make sense from a storytelling standpoint, but the writing itself loses cohesiveness. It's almost as if two different authors worked on this book, as a result. The story would have had no less impact if the writing style had remained consistent through the book. I felt that the characters became more difficult to understand and it became more difficult to read. Additionally, it would have been great fun to have included reproductions of maps as an appendix. I know NY fairly well, but would have found the story easier to follow (especially in NY's early days) had I known where now-forgotten streets and areas were.

All that aside, "Forever" is still a remarkable book. It's a captivating tale that celebrates the diversity of a truly American city and makes the reader celebrate the melting pot of our nation.

Rating:
Summary: Gaps and Unanswered questions
Review: The premise of Forever grabbed my attention - an Irishman living for eternity on the island of Manhattan. Usually, I am more interested in the characters, but I was more facinated by the historical references of New York - the uprising of the Irish and African slaves and the destruction of lower Manhattan. I was bored with the main character (what's his name again?). He seemed inconsistent as a person. He was vengeful but compassionate. Poor but living in an big apartment. Old, acted old, but looked young. He was aimless in life with the exception of finding his sword and killing the murderer's ancestors. The historical references of New York was jumpy and often times made me wonder more about the aftereffects of New York City rather than the main character, what's his face.

Rating:
Summary: half-good, half-bad
Review: I'll agree with the reviewers who wrote that the first half of this book is amazing. The storytelling that Hamill uses really sets the stage for the rest of the book. However, once Cormac is settled with his "eternal life" in NYC, I thought the story dropped off. Since we have to leap forwards in bounds, there's no real continuity of the narrative, and it isn't until we near the end - in the present day - that I felt the emotion picked up again.

As a long-time resident of lower Manhattan, and as a fan of NYC history, this book was wonderful in showcasing my city. But as I neared the end and realized when the end of the story would be set, I felt a terror in my chest building up, saying to myself, "please don't let this end on 9/11" - but Hamill did justice to the events and the emotions of that day and its aftermath. Well done.

Rating:
Summary: engaging historical perspective of New York City
Review: The supreme English Earl of Warren murders Rebecca Carson. The deceased leaves behind a distraught husband the blacksmith John and a grieving son Robert. John tells his son that it is time for him to learn family secrets including his real name Cormac O'Connor. However, the lad seeks vengeance so in 1741 he follows the trail of his mother's killer to New York City.

While crossing the ocean, Cormac and African slave Kongo become friends. In New York, they join a failed revolt against the British, but the aftermath leads to vigilante mobs to the imprisoning Kongo. Cormac saves his new friend from certain death, but is fatally shot while doing so. Kongo's priestess, Tomora, mysteriously appears and saves Cormac's life by granting him youthful eternity as long as he remains on Manhattan Island. Now start two and a half plus centuries of life on this strange isle.

Through the eyes of a transplanted native New Yorker (only in the Big Apple could such a Manhattan fanatic exist), FOREVER is an engaging historical perspective of New York City almost from its beginnings. The story line is epic in scope built around major events and real people. The use of immortality is a gimmick, but it adds depth to the deep look at 14 miles of rock and cement. Though well written, if you take pride in NYC as an international city, etc. you will relish this novel; if NYC is a bunch of sickos, CEOs, despicables, and four lost other boroughs the city's numero uno shrill Pete Hamill is not your Manhattan.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Slow Start, But Worth the Read
Review: Like many other reviewers, I too found the beginning of the book to be somewhat flat, however, when the main character gets to NYC in 1941, the city shares the spotlight. I thought that the Hamill's New York characters and city had depth. Having grown up in Boston, I have been to NYC on many occasions and found some of the historical references of the city to be fun and interesting. Also, the Forrest Gump - like participation in well documented historical events (saving General Washington, friend of Boss Tweed, etc.) was great. A fun read!

Rating:
Summary: Forever...and ever
Review: As an avid reader of books on Celtic culture I found Forever an intriguing story with a very different perspective than many others of this subject. I found it very interesting that it begins almost a century before the usual starting point in Irish history where "The Famine" or "The Troubles" usually dominate the plot. I also was fascinated by the glimpse into the "old Irish" with its references to the Druid religion of the pre St. Patrick conversion of the island. I also found it intersting that anyone who wasn't clearly Protestant was considered a Papist, almost as if this were an assumption of guilt until proven innocent. I also found the similarities and associations with the African religions and customs of interest, lending to the idea of some universiality of these concepts. I found that this idea was brought home again with the religious background of Delfina. I found the journey through the history of New York enjoyable but not as thought provoking as these other themes. Overall I enjoyed this work of Mr. Hamill's very much and will revisit his other works soon.

Rating:
Summary: Unexpected disappointment!
Review: I found this book to scratch so many historic surfaces yet never once did I find any depth. Hamill's writing causes me to read and want more, but never got it!

Rating:
Summary: An Imaginative, Epic Work
Review: This an extraordinary novel; and for me also educational. Unlike one of the other "citizen reviewers" of this book, I found the early chapters to be outstanding. I could feel the extreme "distance" and "age" of the early 1700's which is paramount to the rest of this novel. And the ending is perfect- but if you're one of those pant-fillers that read the last few pages before starting a novel, don't bother to read this book - you will have spoiled it for yourself. I read two to three books per week, novels, non-fiction Bios, etc. This is one of the greatest books I will ever read. I was totally and very happily surprised, with the entire experience of this tremendous work. And you will be too when you read Pete Hamill's "Forever."

Rating:
Summary: Very good
Review: I just finished this and was unable to put it down most of the time. As others have said it is rathar slow and plodding in the begining, but improves later. At that point the book flies. I feel it is a book I could read again and again. The descriptions of New York are magnificent.

Rating:
Summary: Compelling Historical Sci-Fi Novel
Review: Writer Pete Hamill, New York City resident, and writer for various NYC newspapers, combines elements of fantasy in this work of historical fiction that tells the tale of one man's immortality. Born in 1723, in Ireland, Cormac O'Connor is the son of an Irish father and Jewish mother. After both parents have died at the hand of the Earl of Warren, Cormac is determined to avenge their deaths. Aboard ship journeying to New York City to find Warren, he meets Kongo, an African sold into slavery. And Cormac's kindness to the young African grants him with the slave's friendship.

Amidst the slave and Irish rebellion in New York in the 1740's, Kongo grants Cormac the gift of immortality in a cave, per the condition that he always remain on the island of Manhattan. Leaving Manhattan would assure him immediate death and ban him from entrance into the Otherworld. Only when he meets and makes love in the cave to a dark-skinned woman with spirals on her skin can Cormac journey to the Otherworld.

Hamill has deftly portrayed the hopelessness of both the African slaves and the Irish indentured servants of the mid-eighteenth century, even as he reminds readers of the rarely-mentioned slaves who fought in the Revolutionary War without reaping the benefits of abolition. While New York's past comes alive, no one could accuse Hamill of being a romantic, as his vivid descriptions of a nineteenth century New York with no running water and epidemics of cholera leave little room for the poetry of love. This sense of realism gives an earthy feel to this novel whose only downfall seems to be that the reader is never really given much insight into Cormac's personality. But overall, this read is a fascinating combination of sci-fi and history culminating on that tragic day of September 11, 2001. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition