Forever

by Pete Hamill

Book Overview

This widely acclaimed bestseller is the magical, epic tale of an extraordinary man who arrives in New York in 1740 and remains . . . forever.

Through the eyes of Cormac O'Connor -- granted immortality as long as he never leaves the island of Manhattan -- we watch New York grow from a tiny settlement on the tip of an untamed wilderness to the thriving metropolis of today. And through Cormac's remarkable adventures in both love and war,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316735698
• ISBN13: 9780316735698
• Release Date: November 2003
• Publisher: Back Bay Books
• Length: 613 Pages
• Weight: 1.31 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

It's a NOVEL, people, a STORY... and it's BRILLIANT!

Ok, I don't ever write reviews of anything, but after reading a few of the negative reviews here I had no other choice than to post a review of my own. This was one of the best novels I've ever read - Period. I gave up on reading novels years ago because my imagination was far better than any story anyone else had written - I could always figure out what was about to happen next - and I would lose interest very quickly and never finish a book. But this book grabbed me by the shirt collar and carried me through to the end at light speed, all the while DYING to know what came next. Someone once asked me if I'd read any good books lately, and I told them about this one. They asked me to explain the plot, and I did - to the best of my ability without giving away any of the "good parts". They looked at me like I had three heads, and said, "Uh, no thanks, not my kinda book..." I told them not to go on what I told them but to just read the book for themselves, and they refused. A year later, I was talking about books with someone else, and they asked me the same question. I told them that I'd loan them "Forever", but they couldn't ask me anything about it, they just had to read it. They agreed. Three days later, the book was back on my desk with a Post-It stuck to it reading, "This book was THE BEST!!! Bought one for myself!!! THANK YOU!!!" After discussing the book with them, they said that they didn't want the book to end... Yes, it's that good. This is a book for those of you who can keep in mind that it's a NOVEL, a STORY... SUSPEND YOUR DISBELIEF for a moment and ENJOY what he's written... Geez Louise! Some people here need to RELAX! lol! Don't miss this story... it'll take you all of a day and a half to finish it because you won't put it down...

An Absorbing Tale, Spanning the New York City Experience

The premise of the novel, that Cormac O'Connor lives for centuries in New York City requires taking a giant step into fantasy, however once the reader is drawn into the life of this "immortal everyman," the story becomes compelling and absorbing. The author, a respected journalist and novelist, has crafted a masterful tale of an Irish Jew who is magically given immortality, provided that he never leaves the isle of Manhattan. From the mid-1700's until the present day September 11th events, Mr. Hamill weaves a richly textured story of history and individual experience. There are times when some elements of the story suffer from excessive "political correctness," however, the characterizations are rich, the plot is simple with just enough twists to make it interesting, and the themes are universal (justice, compassion, etc.). This is a fine novel, both thought provoking and entertaining at all levels.

THE BEST NOVEL WRITTEN IN TEN YEARS

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.

Stunning Expansive History of NYC

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.

A great combination of history and magic

Pete Hamill is a legend of New York, and FOREVER feels very much like his magnum opus. It's a wonderfully well thought-out and well researched history of New York City as told through the eyes of one fictional character.Cormac O'Connor, a young 18th Century Irishman, through an accident in the street and a colision with a mystical destiny finds himself travelling to make a new life in America in the 1740s. Here, he becomes embroiled in a quest for justice, power and vengeance against the man who drove him from Ireland. After an encounter with a powerful shaman, Cormac finds himself granted a power that can be the greatest blessing or the darkest curse...immortality. the only condition is that he never leave Manhattan Island.The following 250 years trace Cormac as he witnesses and becomes part of the development of NYC. Watching him through the slave revolt, the War of Independence, the War of 1812, the great New York fire, the nineteenth century boomtimes and the tragic events of September 11th, we see Cormac experience life's great emotions, love, loss, success and failure.Combining a beautiful telling of Celtic mythology with a rich and vibrant civic history, Pete Hamill has created two truly remarkable characters...one is Cormac o'Connor and the other is the City of New York.Read FOREVER and be glad that you did. It is certainly worth it.