Rating: 
Summary: Awesome!
Review: Just finished reading "Forever" and I would recommend it highly to anyone who enjoys a good book. The whole premise of the story was so interesting and the way the author wove fact and fiction was fabulous. I was sorry when I finished the book and it is a must to "read again!" It will be a part of my library from now on.
Rating: 
Summary: Skips the interesting parts; adds 3 dull parts instead
Review: I bought this book after reading a piece in the New York Sun about it, how it was the tale of a man who lives forever, but only in Manhattan. I was hoping that, through Cormac's eyes, we would see the history of New York.But we first get a very, very lengthy Ireland story, which is alright but it deadens the interest in the New York story; then we get a lengthy Revolutionary War story, which is hard to appreciate since New York wasn't too well formed even then (I mean the New York of skyscrapers and homeless people); then we get a lengthy Boss Tweed story. This may be a matter of personal preference, but I do not find Boss Tweed to be a compelling historical figure (sorry Mr. Hamill and Mr. Scorsese). By then, there is only 100 pages or so to go through the immigration of the 1910s, the Depression, WWII, and the crack years, not to mention 9-11. I bought this book to read what a New Yorker like Hamill thought of 20th century New York, but instead I got 200 pages of Boss Tweed making shyster deals in 1840. Bor-riing! Do not buy this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Forever fails!
Review: Not a great choice for women- too much talk of balls, and sh%^, not to mention revolutions and sex without commitment. The premise is appealing- a person that gets to live effectively many different lives. But the stories are more like disconnected vignettes than one coherent tale (it is not surprising other reviewers have either loved the ireland vignette or the new york vignettes). More importantly, it fails because it is dark without levity for balance. Without levity, we cannot "really live life" or "remove the sludge" - the very things the author commands us to do. If you're tempted by the history of new york, you're better off with a text book.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read for everyone in lower Manhattan
Review: Originally Reviewed on October 31, 2003
A great New York epic, Pete Hamill is wonderful at presenting characters you want to spend time with and understand the choices they make over the course of the novel. The premise works, sharing a history of the obvious, and not so familiar milestones of Manhattan. Lower Manhattan is rich with history and with all the discussion surrounding the WTC memorial, the impact of which will be felt for centuries, Forever shows New Yorkers how the city got to where NYC is today. Michael Duranko, Bootism: a shoe religion
www.bootism.com
Rating: 
Summary: A Must Read for everyone in lower Manhattan
Review: A great New York epic, Pete Hamill is wonderful at presenting characters you want to spend time with and understand the choices they make over the course of the novel. The premise works, sharing a history of the obvious, and not so familiar milestones of Manhattan. Lower Manhattan is rich with history and with all the discussion surrounding the WTC memorial, the impact of which will be felt for centuries, Forever shows New Yorkers how the city got to where NYC is today. Michael Duranko, Bootism: a shoe religion
Rating:
Summary: Strong Start - Weak Finish
Review: This is like reading two books. The first half is good historical fiction including 1700's Ireland (kind of a 1700s Angela's Ashes), sea voyage to New York, Slave Trade, and good character development. The last half is a far-fetched story of Cormac's living without aging for 200+ years in New York (although he had to go to the dentist after eating jelly beans). The New York documentary is great, but unfortunately falls flat with shallow story line and characters.
Rating: 
Summary: A tale for a child, writtin for an adult.
Review: Although a great novel and very creative, the book fails to get inside the characters. Also, it seems as if Pete Hamill wrote two stories and then combined them without transition. None the less, very historically accurate and a great read.
Rating:
Summary: Unique and original
Review: My two favorite literary genres are supernatural thrillers and historical novels. Pete Hamill's "Forever" does a fine job of combining the two. "Forever" is not without flaws, however. But I get ahead of myself here. Let's start from the beginning. The novel starts in 18th century Ireland and follows the exploits of young Cormac who watches his father (and mother for that matter) die at the hands of the evil Earl Warren. Having gotten in touch with his mystic Gaelic roots, Cormac vows revenge and follows Warren to America -- New York City. Hamill's portrait of old Ireland is bright and vibrant and his discription of the persecution of Jews and Catholics is hair-raising and disturbing. His vivid word pictures of the rites of the ancient Gaelic religion are equally fascination and chilling. The book works best as Cormac tries to make his way through the fledging city of New York, rife with crime, disease and unrest. Cormac gets caught up in the polictical fervor of the times and the book becomes almost like a "YOU ARE THERE!" documentary. Oddly, Hamill doesn't delve very deeply into the Draft Riots of the mid 1800s, one of the most important historical event in NY history, though Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall are put under the microscope and become woven into the plot. It is Kongo, an African shaman who, in appreciation for saving his life, gives Cormac the "gift" of enternal life -- as long as Cormac never leaves the island of Manhattan. So the island becomes the Irishman's benefactor and his prison all at once. And we see the great city of New York rise up thorugh the eyes of Cormac as he continues his vengeful search of Earl Warren's bloodline decade after decade, century after century. For some reason, Hamill seems to skip most of the 20th century. We jump from the civil war era practically to the present date. However, his account of Cormac's witnessing of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center is harrowing and heart-wrenching, which leads of the "Sophie's Choice"-like climax of the book. "Forever" is an interesting, educational read and is filled with enough suspense and eccentric characters to keep you turning pages. It surely has its faults, but it compensates for them with a driven narrative and urgent plot. It you have an interest in American history and like good epic storytelling (kind of reminded me of Ken Follet's "Pillars of the Earth" in a way) -- give "Forever" a try.
Rating:
Summary: Visions of glory
Review: After just watching Gangs of New York, I can see it ties in closely with this book and gives a feel to the scene of New York City two centuries ago.. I have spotted a few errors in the time periods..the building of Trinity chuch in NYC was in mid l800, yet the chuch clearly is visible at the time of the revolution..perhaps a bit of closer editing for historical fact could have been used. The story itself is well done and full of surprises and characters..Pete Hamill has done it again, produced a fine work of fiction..or fantasy whichever one likes..both are suitable.
Rating:
Summary: Not a fan of NY...until now
Review: I have to start by saying that although I have been to NY, specifically Manhattan, I was never a fan of the city. Now that I have read and loved Mr. Hamill's story I have come to appreciate the city's history and, with any luck, will come to appreciate "present day" Manhattan as well. As for the book - I could not put it down. I, myself, am not an avid reader and it has been a very long time since a story like this has captured my imagination the way this one did. Cormac O'Connor became a friend to me and by the end I felt as though my best friend had moved away. Having dealt with 9-11 with everyone else and hearing all the stories, this was an interesting way to rehear the telling of it. All in all I would recommend this book to anyone - period.
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