Rating: 
Summary: THE BEST NOVEL WRITTEN IN TEN YEARS
Review: I could not put it down! I did not want it to end! Who will play Cormac in the movie? I simply lost myself in this book and had a difficult time coming back to reality. I know and love New York City which is a definate plus as I could immediately picture where every section of the story took place. Those of you who do not know New York start reading and learn.
The review of this book in the" New York Times Book Review "is so badly written I fear will keep many from reading the book. I do not know why an art editor was reviewing it.
This novel makes history come alive, you know these people and you laugh, cry, love and die with many of them.
Only after I finished it, did I realize that it was also a lesson on how we are all in this world together and how we need each other, whether it be in Ireland, or in New York on 9-11, our lives are interwoven.
Keep writing Mr. Hamill. There will be a whole world of new fans waiting for your next book.
Rating: 
Summary: What's goin' on?
Review: The first part of this novel, with its stock scenes of the noble Irish and brutish English, are, frankly, awful. Once main character Cormac O'Connor gets to New York, it gets better, but not good enough to finish. A glitch in the reading line-up caused me to pick "Forever" up again, and suddenly, on page 307, it really took off and was as good as the reviews had promised. Pete Hamill's novel has 613 pages, which puts this puts this remarkable transformation pretty much right smack-dab in the middle. What's going on here?The writing in the Irish scenes is pallid; the tales have been told before and no new life is breathed into them. The revenge story it sets up is uninteresting, and even the magical horse and dog are pretty flat. Cormac's arrival in New York perks the tale up a little, but his relationship with the Africans--key to the story--never rings true. But once the story transitions from the Revolutionary War to the 1830s, everything works. Cormac is now immortal. By this time he is close to 100 in real years, yet appears to be a young man. People who've known him for years wonder why he isn't getting older. He wonders how he's going to live forever. The city and its people spring to life. The dialogue picks up. The story takes on depth and color. You are hooked in and wonder how Cormac's story will turn out. So what's my advice? Start "Forever" at chapter 72? If you can soldier through the first half, the second part of the book is engaging and well done. I suppose it depends on what you have next on your reading list.
Rating:
Summary: Life's Poetry and Tragedy
Review: Mr. Hamill's book is both heart wrenching and informative. He is able to bring to life not only the African slaves, but the Irish slaves that are ALWAYS over looked. Because he wove fact with fiction, I am only hoping that more people will read this masterful book and learn something about themselves. No matter what ethnicity you are.Also, what a wonderful history of New York. It has made me want to read more regarding this, if it is possibe since September11, 2001/
Rating:
Summary: Forever: A Novel
Review: Hamill outdid himself...this is an amazing experience...like walking in time...I felt like i was witnessing New York city be born and become what it is today....
Rating:
Summary: Stunning Expansive History of NYC
Review: Through the life of one man, Cormac O'Connor, Hamill leads the reader into the morass of human brutality, vice, art, nobility, passion and the grinding boredom that so often describes the arc of individual lives. The book has three main rhythms that roughly divide the story into thirds. The opening rhythm is an active experience of Cormac's odd heritage, his parents' love for him and one another, the passion of his father's work and a believable melding of Gaelic myth and lore. This rhythem sets the foundational values of Cormac's life in the subsequent rhythms. It takes Cormac to a burgeoning New York City that has already passed from the Dutch to the British. It is here in the 1700's that Cormac encounters much brutality, death, despair and hardship. Yet Cormac is a young man of deep passion that grows out of the conviction and inculcation of his people. His nature leads him to be an advocate for the weak oppressed by British rule and this deep value inside his soul leads to the next rhythm: the onset of eternal life, bounded by the shores of the island of Manhattan. The second rhythm is at first passionate and full of wonder. Yet as the story ebbs, the full nature of the rhythm surfaces: life is plodding and repetitive, it lacks color and taste. It is boring. It is shocking in its acceptance of cruelty, indifference and isolation. At first I thought that Hamill had lost focus because Cormac took no action against any Warren during this rhythm. And frankly, I thought the story was muddled. Eventually, I came to wonder if Hamill wrote this intentionally, much as Steinbeck wrote the Grapes of Wrath with a ponderous, plodding narrative to convey the despair, monotony and desperation of migrant workers. I think Hamill's intent was to convey the awful durability of human faults as he experienced them after scores and scores of years in his eternal life. Almost suddenly, the third rhythm arrives with the new millenium and Hamill's placement of contemporary brands and landmarks brings the reader into the New York City of today. Cormac easily and quietly circulates at an art exhibit near Rudy Giuliani and Madonna. He buys coffee at Starbucks. He plays improv jazz at a smoky club. And his life moves inexhorably toward September 11, 2001. In these three rhythms, Hamill masterfully paints the history of New York at times with cursory strokes and at other times, with a detailed glimpse into the odd reality of being human in New York City. This is a stunning story told by a wonderful storyteller. The story is informed by Hamill's deep love for New York City and an intriguing bibliography. It has moved into the sparsely populated domain of My All Time Favorite Books, in which only Steinbeck's East of Eden and Stephenson's Cryptonomicon exist.
Rating:
Summary: A Marvelous Read
Review: I am not normally given to making my opinion public on the relative merit or lack thereof of books, especially novels. Both are generally much to subjective. I make an exception in this case. Hamill has crafted a marvelous novel. He has a marvelous ear for dialogue and captures it well in spanning a period of over 250 years and various ethnic cultures. The 1st 50 pages draws one in very quickly and by the time you get to his novel device that "immortalizes" the main character you are able to accept the premise and not throw everything away that follows. The device works and works very well. Although the novel is more character than plot driven there is a symetry to it all that keeps the story cohesive and gives it a continuity to the end. But the weight lies in the wonderful characters and their interaction. At the same time, Hamill delivers wonderful history lessons and puts flesh on them with real people. Strongly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: The Voice of the Village is still in tune
Review: The first time I ever read anything by Mr. Hamill was in the Village Voice in the mid sixties, and I believed at the time, here's a guy that gets it. This novel reinforces that belief. His prose is eloquent and very readable, his tale is magical, gripping and a thoroughly fascinating trip through the history of New York City and Mr. Cormac O'Connor. Cormac, or any of the other names he goes by throughout his unending life, is a character we can identify with, admire, and appreciate.
I will not encapsulate the novel here, read the Amazon review for that, just buy this book and hear Mr. Hamill hit all the right notes. Bravo!!!
Rating:
Summary: A Love Story
Review: As I was about 2/3 through this engrossing novel, I realized that I was reading an unusual love story. This is truly the author's undisguised love for his city--Manhatten--from its very beginnings until the present day.
By allowing the young Irish boy, Cormac, to live "forever", we the readers are treated to a magnificent recalling of the settling of that great city, New York, its immigrant background, tenements, fires, wars, newspapers, cultural changes and trends from its rough beginnings to the very present.
Our Irish hero Cormac is the observer through whose eyes we witness the development of one of the greatest cities in the world. In addition to giving us this city love story, Mr. Hamill uses his many gifts and talents to give all the characters full development.
I was not able to rush through this book, but slowly savored each page. I think it will be hard for me to find another novel in 2003 to measure up to FOREVER.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!!
Review: Forever is the first book I have ever read from Pete Hamill. However if it is indicative of his talent, it won't be the last. His writing is fantastic. This is not only a great book for anyone who likes fantasy but also historical novels. The central character of Cormac O'Connor becomes an immortal everyman witnessing the development of New York City across over 250 years of American history. The story begins in colonial America and ends in the true first year of the new millennium. Throughout the novel Hamill does a fine job of trying to describe what the pysche of an immortal human being would be like. The last chapters show Cormac dealing with the effects of 9-11. Like his character Hamill is a New Yorker and his love for this great city truly comes through. Well done.
Rating:
Summary: Such potential..
Review: What a great idea. To write a book about a young idealistic 18th century Irishman who, after journeying to New York to avenge his father's death, is granted immortality under the condition that he remain in Manhattan. For me, the best part of the book were the scenes (and smells!!) from New York, and the history we learn. I wish we had more of that. I thought the beginning of the book that took place in Ireland went on a little too long for my taste...as I said, I enjoyed the New York stuff more. I also thought the book read a little bit like a Young Adult novel, especially in the beginning, with Cormac's family a little too "perfect" for my taste. And lastly, I felt that the book tended to show a lot of stereotypes. And I just couldn't seem to kick that feeling that the book was meant for a younger audience. Overall, the book was entertaining, and the mortality issue and end of the book was resolved in a satisfying way.
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