Rating: 
Summary: Not Perfect, but Read It and Enjoy
Review: ...It's a fantasy story about an Irishman named Cormac McCarthy who gets to live for what seems forever and lives through about 200 years of New York History. Key word in the previous sentence was fantasy. No, the author doesn't detail the city's entire history. No, the main character doesn't receive W2's or pay taxes. Yes, the author has a few ideological biases, so deal with it!I for one enjoyed the 200-250 pages of set up that leads the main character to New York and to his fateful future. If anything the middle of the book was my problem where the story just seemed to jump from one time period to another without warning. The ending is somewhat unusual but saved the book for me and made the effort of reading it worthwhile. What shined through in the book was the author's love of New York and his principles as a journalist. ... For me, there were times that I didn't care for some of the author's biases or perspective, but I admire his ability to spin a great story which he does in this case.
Rating: 
Summary: Needed a strong editor
Review: Initially, I was captivated by the vivid descriptions of 18thC life in rustic Ireland and miasmic New York. This fascination was inspired by the author's rich detailing of history through the development of strong, engaging characters. However, the fire of the novel fizzles out with the fire in New York, when the narrative leaps from the 1830's to the year 2000 with contrived explanations for how Cormac has lived his life in between. I wanted to know how he managed to avoid the drafts for the Civil, First, Second, Korean, and Vietnam Wars. I wanted to know how it is that he paid no taxes when he is employed by several newspapers, and the employed have Social Security Numbers and W-2's. I wanted to know Cormac's reaction to modern technology. Although he learned the art of 19C theater make-up to disguise his age, would that really fool people today? Since he couldn't go to Irish/Jewish heaven without having eradicated the entire Warren line, then what was the point of his living "forever?" Since he hadn't fulfilled his duty by dispatching many other Warrens, why would Cormac bother with the last Warren available? There's no point to this entire storyline as Cormac doesn't seem to learn, even with the 9/11 tragedy, that bloodthristy lust in the name of familial, religious vengence results in the slaughter of innocents. What could have been an epic novel fails partly, I believe, because Hamill has one two many colliding myths and contrived exceptions to those myths moving along the story.
Rating: 
Summary: Moments of greatness, but misses overall
Review: A good read for anybody interested in NYC history, but not as good as I was expecting. The storytelling is not well balanced: vast numbers of pages are given over to the hero's youth in Ireland, the voyage to America, and his first days in New York. But thereafter, while the Revolution, the 1830s, and the 1870s get a fair amount of coverage, far too much time is skipped and only recalled in passing flashbacks. And the entire last third of the book takes place in the present, building somewhat obviously and awkwardly to the events of 9/11. I was expecting far more detail in the historical material on NYC, and less revenge drama, questionable mysticism, romance, and the odd "inclusiveness" of the hero (he's Irish, but with Jewish blood, and has an immediate and deep affiliation with the Africans he meets after leaving Ireland!) I understand that Hamill wanted him to essentially BE New York, but it doesn't quite come off. The fantastic aspect, of an immortal human using his time to become adept at the arts and a wide range of knowledgeable and skills, was handled okay, but is essentially very similar to Anne Rice's ultra-sophisticated vampires. However, at the points where sufficient time is taken to describe and explain things, Hamill's got control of a fascinating saga. So it's a bit frustrating: it's pretty good, but with all of NYC's history to draw on, it should have been GREAT.
Rating: 
Summary: BEAUTIFUL!!
Review: What an imaginative, sensitive work of art! I was drawn to this book because of its intriguing story line, beginning in Ireland and culminating with timely current events; I have rarely found novels that evoke original ideas, much less stories told with such skill; if you enjoy learning about your Irish nature, as well as American history, you won't be able to put this down...I wish it wasn't over!
Rating:
Summary: BEAUTIFUL!!
Review: What an imaginative, sensitive work of art! I was drawn to this book because of its intriguing story line, beginning in Ireland and culminating with the events of 911; I have rarely found novels that evoke original ideas, much less stories told with such skill; if you enjoy learning about your Irish nature, as well as American History, you won't be able to put this down...I wish it wasn't over!
Rating:
Summary: Very good...but not great.
Review: Educational, lyrical, a lot of fun. Bogs down in parts, and gets overly sentimental here and there...but now that I'm finished with it, I miss my pal Cormac. Like the Amazon review says, Forever requires suspension of disbelief in large measures, but if you can do that, and slog through the treacly parts, it's worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Magical realism in Old New York
Review: A delightful novel: Hamill's "Forever" upholds the tradition of reality and fantasy blending together in the turbulent stage that is NYC. Like Mark Helprin (in "Winter's Tale"), Jack Finney, Caleb Carr or Kevin Baker, Hamill evokes his passion for the city through its history. Beyond the others, Hamill celebrates the diversity that has given NYC such vibrancy.
Rating: 
Summary: It only seems that long.
Review: Forever... that's how long it took me to get through this ridiculous hodgepodge of Irish blarney, skewed Manhattan history, and African mythology. Unlike SNOW IN AUGUST, with it its wonderful characterizations and short trip into fantasy, (albeit one of deus ex machina)FOREVER is overwhelmed by magic, myth and bad romance. Cormac, our hero, is granted eternal life by an African shaman he saves while on a quest to kill the English lord responsible for his parents' deaths. Whew, more plausible fantasy is found on the old soap, DARK SHADOWS. I love good fantasy but this is its opposite. Missed opportunities are found throughout the novel, where an interesting history of NYC could have been portrayed through vignettes. Instead we get a full 1/3 of the book setting up how Cormac becomes immortal; then in quick order, the Revolutionary War, Cholera in 1834 and the subsequent urban renewal through arson, an oddly sympathetic portrayal of Boss Tweed, and finally 9/11. But there are so many other time periods and events that Hamill chooses to ignore in favor of character development for a character who really doesn't deserve the effort. There doesn't seem to be anything Hamill can do to make Cormac interesting. The only thing that really comes to life in this novel is NYC; Hamill should have made the city the star.
Rating:
Summary: Awful
Review: I am a fan of historical fiction, a fan of all things Irish, and of New York City history so when I saw this book I picked it up immediately and excitedly. What a huge disappointment! I have not read Peter Hamill before, but I know a good story from a bad one and this is all bad. Try watching Star Wars on an old black and white TV with a broken static-filled speaker and you may have an idea of what it like to read this book. Characters were two-dimensional. I repeatedly got the impression that Pete Hamill had to finish this book as quickly as possible with little heed for telling a good story. I certainly did not lose any sleep on this one. Try Kevin Baker's Dreamland or Joseph O'Connor's Star of the Sea if you want a riveting story.
Rating:
Summary: This was a waste.......
Review: Pete Hamill is a good writer, I read him all the time in the Daily News and enjoy seeing him expound on the history of NYC on the NY PBS specials, etc - I even liked seeing him in "King of New York". However, this book, and the idea for the story, though it was amazing, was a blown opportunity. Making Cormac a figure that rubbed elbows with George Washington, Boss Tweed, etc., was too much, and the 'suspense' leading up to September 11 was a bit ridiculous. His writing seemed like he had to ensure 550+ pages to his publisher, at times. The story from Ireland to NY was great, but he really got carrid away and made too much of well known history (Draft Riots, Tammany, and others) and not enough of daily life. I felt like I was 300 years old by the time I finished the disappointing ending, and, as a New Yorker and someone that works downtown Manhattan, almost insulted by the ending. Nevertheless, I still like Pete, I just wouldn't recommed this book.
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