Forever (original 2002; edition 2002)

I have just finished reading this book for the second time and I have to increase my rating of it. The first time I read it, I didn't like it too much, but now, I found myself enjoying parts of it quite well. I especially enjoyed the first part of the book, in which we meet Cormac and his parents, living in Ireland. As Cormac grows up, he learns more about his family, but also ends up losing them. In New York, to where he traveled to pursue his father's killer, he gets offered immortality, on the condition that he never leaves Manhattan. This plot device felt strange in an otherwise not so fantastical book, but was very necessary for the story. So, on this second read, I decided to ignore this part of the story a bit, and focus on the rich descriptions of the growing city of New York. These descriptions are what makes the book worth reading. We see New York transform in amazing ways, written in beautiful prose. Cormac never becomes a great main character, but if you're interested in New York's history, this is a nice book to read. ( )

I just loved this book! The book follows Cormac, beginning with his childhood in Ireland and following him to New York City, where he is granted immortality. Cormac witnesses the ever-changing New York and all of it's inhabitants, making friends and lovers along the way.

This book was a fantastic way of learning about the true history of New York. I really, really loved Cormac's character - definitely one of my favorite fictional characters! ( )

I picked this one up because I’d heard it was a great way to learn about the history of New York City. As the back cover summary explains, one man is offered immortality with the condition that he can never leave the island of Manhattan. The problem is, that twist is given away before you open the book and yet 200 pages into the story it still hasn’t even happened. So you find yourself just waiting for it, instead of allowing yourself to be taken in by the rest of the tale.

The first 100 pages or so went really slowly. The book is supposed to be a great New York City tale and at 150 pages, the main character hadn’t even made it to NYC yet, he was still living in Ireland. Then it picks up and the speed completely changes. The story covers multiple centuries but the vast majority of it happens in the first 20 years of his life and in the final part of his life. I felt like the entire middle was simple skimmed over with only a few pit stops. The pacing of the whole thing felt off to me.

The fact that the main character knows he will outlive everyone he meets definitely has an effect on character development. I felt like I barely got to know most of the people he befriended. It was like the main character didn’t want to get too attached and so the author didn’t let the reader become invested either.

I really enjoyed some sections and felt like I did learn a bit more about the city, but I don’t think I would have made it through the whole book if I wasn’t already planning a trip NYC.

**SPOILER**
One interesting thing, the author finished the book shortly before the 9/11 tragedy. When the two towers were attacked, he talked with his editor and decided to rewrite the ending. He didn’t believe it was right to release a book dealing with so many major events in the city’s history, but not to include such a monumental one.

**SPOILERS OVER**

“New York, he was learning, was a city of present tense, an eternal now.”

“I don’t know what that means. To truly live.”
“To find work that you love, and work harder than other men. To learn the languages of the earth, and love the sounds of the words and the things they describe. To love food and music and drink. Fully love them. To love weather, and storms, and the smell of rain. To love heat. To love cold. To love sleep and dreams. To love the newness of each day.” ( )

Great book about an Irish lad who believes in the old religion. When his father is murdered, he lives immortally to hunt down and kill the last of the murders line. ( )

Kind of slow, but really interesting. I read it a long time ago, but I still think about it once in a while. ( )