Home :: Books :: Teens  

Arts & Photography
Audio CDs
Audiocassettes
Biographies & Memoirs
Business & Investing
Children's Books
Christianity
Comics & Graphic Novels
Computers & Internet
Cooking, Food & Wine
Entertainment
Gay & Lesbian
Health, Mind & Body
History
Home & Garden
Horror
Literature & Fiction
Mystery & Thrillers
Nonfiction
Outdoors & Nature
Parenting & Families
Professional & Technical
Reference
Religion & Spirituality
Romance
Science
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Sports
Teens

Travel
Women's Fiction
FOREVER : A Novel of Good and Evil, Love and Hope

FOREVER : A Novel of Good and Evil, Love and Hope

List Price: $6.99
Your Price: $6.29
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 3 4 5 6 .. 25 >>

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Forever
Review: I recently read the Novel Forever by Judy Blume and found it to be a very detailed story of a teenage romance. In the book, a girl by the name of Katherine narrates her first encounter with love. The story takes place in the time frame of about one full year, where within that year Katherine and Michael fall "in love" and later have to deal with the struggles of being apart for a whole summer.
The major plot points of the story included the struggle for the two to remain together after being forced apart for a whole summer. During the struggle of separation, Katherine seeks comfort and falls feebly for the one she was comforted by.
In a positive sort of sense, the details of the relationship were quite vivid to the point of feeling included in the story. On the off-hand although, the story line lead to be very predictive and lacked much to the imagination.
I can see "Forever" appealing to an audience consisting of teenage girls ranging from 15-17, primarily because they for one, they could relate to the story line, and because of the narrator being about 16 herself.
My overall opinion of the book is that it was not very appealing due to its like of lack of excitement and overall easily predicted storyline.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Forever: The Universal Story of Teenage "Love"
Review: This book is teachable because there are many connections to high school life both then and now. Our only concern is that we thought that this book could go either way in a classroom. We thought that it could potentially cause a bit of difficulty with teachers having to talk about sex in an English classroom. However, we do believe that this book could be seen as important because of the fact that students, as much as we would like to think otherwise, are having sex at younger ages.
This book explores the life of a teenage girl who is experiencing her "first love". Kath feels that Michael is "the one" he will make all of her dreams and fantasies come true and that their "love" will never end. Because of this illusion they proceed to "profess their love" to one another by sexual intercourse. They feel that this "bond" will never break. Fortunately, Blume is a realistic writer and shows us that "love and sex" is not always something that will be Forever.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Changed my view of the world (25 years ago)
Review: I don't remember the titles to many of the books I have read over my 32 years of reading, but Forever is one of those I will never forget. This was the book that never was in the library -the wait list was weeks long. Maybe because two decades ago teens relied on hushed tones and innuendo for sexual knowledge, Forever became an intregral part of all of my friends' expectations of relationships. Now, after reading thousands more novels as well as experiencing those very topics of the book in my life, I know the situations and plot to be cliche and unrealistic. But as a young "just woman" of twelve, Forever answered questions that were (and still are?) difficult to ask adults and helped my generation to become who we are.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Ah, the heart remembers well
Review: I read this a million years ago... O.k. not quite, but it might as well have been. I was a pre-pubescent, not yet tasted my first love, and certainly far from experiementing with sex. But even now, married and 3 kids later, I can recall this book with great detail. It made a huge impression on me. Judy Blume is, quite simply, a good writer. She just is. Her characters are real; their problems are common, and their feelings about them dare to delve into the human psyche. Highly reccomend this book, and not JUST to those young girls about to embark on the first love's of their life. Oh, no, this is appropriate for all us, lest we forget the sting of that first love affair.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Realistic and Honest
Review: Contrary to popular belief I believe that this book was very realistic and honest. While this book was actually published nearly 30 years ago, the story is very modern. Let's be honest. Most teens will have sex without any thought about abstinence. And as this book will show, protection is important. The story of Katherine and Michael is both beautiful and sad. They as a couple, are very symbolic of most modern teenage couples now, whether we want to believe it or not.

Katherine is a very level-headed young woman. She is in love, truly, for the first time and does want to take her relationship with Michael further. She shows responsibility and maturity by taking matters into her own hands when it comes to protection. She displays wisdom and responsibility that all teens should have when considering having sex.

In order to truly accept this book, you must have an open mind. Otherwise you will most likely miss the important messages in this book as others have done.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Superb book
Review: I read this book and decided to write about it as a Book Review for an English class. I read the book in one day and it was really good. In today's world sex isn't all that taboo because we see it all the time in the media, but when it comes down to having those parent-child conversations, it can become a little bizarre. That's why parents should let their teens read this book because it may not explain everything about sex, but it gives insight on it in a mature and responsible way. The book is not graphic or explicit compared to some of the primetime shows we watch. It shows a young couple who are in their teens experiencing teenage love and 'going all the way'. The highlight of the book was the first time because contrary to what everyone says, the first time isn't always all that great. We learn from our partner and not from gossip, media or lecturing and this book definitely emphasizes on that thought.
The book was too splendid to notice any drawbacks. My only negative remark would be that it ended so soon. I can only rave about the book because it was so superb and I did not want it to end on such a fast and low point. I wished that the author would write more on what happened but I guess you have to be happy with what we got in the first place because the fact is that even though the book is still causing some bad uproar from parents, it was written in the mid 1970s. Reading the book you couldn't tell that it was written so long ago because everything the author writes is accurate and it's all happening today.
Even though we have freedom of speech and press written in the Constitution, many teens feel oppressed to reading such 'taboo' books about sexually active teens. I found out about this book by accident by reading an article in The Daily News about another book that talks about sex and I wanted to see what the hype was all about, and I'm glad that I found this book and read it. This book was wonderfully written and very truthful and I recommend it to all teens who are thinking about becoming sexually active.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Forever: Should it be read by young audiences
Review: This book was sex, drugs, and more sex and drugs. It is not appropriate for young audiences it should be banned or noted by a challenge. It tells how a teen age girl looses her virginity.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Going all the way
Review: Great book. It teaches the basic morals of the first love. Teens should read this. I mean, Judy really expresses what goes on in a teens life through this book...let me tell you something...it aint all rainbows and unicorns in the real "puppy love world". Sure there are some explanatory parts, but they also state that it is good to get urself checked out at a clinic...the grandmother had the right idea....im not sure if it made n e sense, but its a really good book!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Judy Blume has readers entertained with great book for Y.A.
Review: I was very satisfied with the book "Forever. . ." by Judy Blume. I am a romance novel lover, and this was just the book to keep me entertained. It is about two high school seniors named Katherine (Kath) and Michael. They fall madly in love very soon, and they end up always having sex. kath was not ready for that at first, but then she decides that since they love each other they should do it. I read the book in about one day. I am a fast reader, but I just couldn't put the book down. The book can get very graphic at times (whenever "Ralph" comes into the picture..) but it is raelly very enjoyable. I would not reccomend this to young teens. It is suitable for high school students and adults.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Not Complicated, But Contagious
Review: "Lovely, graphic...explicit...the story is convincing." --Booklist.

After I saw that, I was persuaded to buy Forever by Judy Blume and began a relationship with the 220 page book. It lasted three sittings. And while this may sound good, I often read quickly because I'm waiting for something.

With Judy Blume's Forever, that something never came.

Every now and then I would see glimmers of the brilliance that makes Ms. Blume famous, such as the easily envisioned caffeteria conversation between Kath and Erica. But much of the book, ie the sometimes cheesy romance of Kath and Michael, seemed unbelievable to me. Katherine seemed somehow too perfect. She wasn't human enough.

Similarly, I was let down by how quickly the book ended. In fact, the main theme that it continually addresses (that of teen sexuality) is merely mentioned as an afterthought, and is not given justice by the ending. We are left without knowing what exactly went through Kath's head on this issue, even though sexuality was something she contemplated a great deal about throughout the rest of the book.

I did enjoy this book, and I would reccomend it to curious teenagers contemplating sexual experimentation. The Planned Parenthood meeting was both true to life and by the book.
However, for those of us seeking a storyline that will plunge to the depths in an ocean of profundity, we will have to keep on looking.


<< 1 2 3 4 5 6 .. 25 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates