Forever

Written by Pete Hamill

Narrated by Stevie Ray Dallimore

From the bestselling author of Snow in August and A Drinking Life comes this magical, epic tale of an extraordinary man who arrives in New York City in 1740 and remains...forever.

From the shores of Ireland, Cormac O'Connor sets out on a fateful journey to avenge the deaths of his parents and honor the code of his ancestors. His quest brings him to the settlement of New York, seething with tensions between English and Irish, whites and blacks, British and "Americans," where he is swept up in a tide of conspiracy and violence. In return for aiding an African shaman who was brought to America in chains, Cormac is given an otherworldly gift: He will live forever -- as long as he never leaves the island of Manhattan.

Cormac comes to know all the buried secrets of Manhattan -- the way it has been shaped by greed, race, and waves of immigration, by the unleashing of enormous human energies, and above all, by hope.

Through it all, Cormac must fight a force of evil that returns relentlessly in the scions of a single family whose path first crossed his in Ireland. As he searches out these blood enemies, he must watch everyone he touches slip away. And so he seeks the one who can change his fate, the mysterious dark lady who alone can free him from the blessing and the curse of his long life.

Drawing on Pete Hamill's bone-deep knowledge of New York City, Forever is his long-awaited masterpiece, a Shakespearean evocation of the mysteries of time and death, sex and love, character and place. It is both an unforgettable drama and a timeless triumph of storytelling.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Jan 1, 2003
• ISBN: 9780743561303

Reviews for Forever

[ozziejello · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I enjoy the TV series "Forever," and wanted to read the book on which the series was based if, in fact, a book existed. Author Pete Hamill, apparently, isn't pursuing a lawsuit against the TV show, but there were enough similarities between his book and the TV series to make me want to read the book. If the entire book were as good as the first 1/3, I would have rated this book higher. The book starts out so promising, with such wonderful, prose. And, while the rest of the book was interesting, historically, it didn't compare with the beginning. Nevertheless, I did enjoy it very much. "Forever" got me to buy and read Hamill's "Snow in August," which I thoroughly enjoyed.

[kelappnic · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was my first Hammill novel. It took a minute to get into it, but then I couldn't put it down. I was a little disappointed by the abruptness of the ending and felt like I was somehow cheated. But, it really couldn't end any other way, so there's that.

[ozzieslim · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Forever is how long it took to read this book and Forever never again. This book started out with all the promise in the world. In the 1700's an Irish boy vows to avenge the death of his parents by killing the Englishman who killed them. He pursues the man from Northern Ireland to New York.

On the way, he shows kindness to slaves in the hold of the ship. He saves the lives of one of then who is an African priest. The man saves him in return and grants him eternal life. He accepts on condition that once he kills the Englishman and all his offspring, that he can return to the Celtic
otherworld. Until then, he cannot leave the confines of Manhattan or else he will die.

What begins as an interesting history of New York, turns into a bloated, long winded and boring list of things that happened in that city. Long lists of street names, names of bars and names of historic figures. It skips major parts of history and touches only on what the author deems significant. That may interest those New Yorkers or New York-philes but for many of us who don't consider New York mecca, it is tedious and boring. Woody Allen does a better job of evoking the essence of the city than this book.

In the last 100 pages of this 600 page slog, Cormac finally gets the opportunity to kill the last Warren and return to the Otherworld. Instead, he forgoes the killing and the whole end of the book involves the events of 9/11, Cormac finding the Dominican woman he loves and then deciding to live eternally with her in New York. After 9/11, I would have run toward that Emerald light as fast as my legs would carry me and get the hell out of New York, America and this book.

This is yet another book that reminds me that New York and its denizens are largely self-involved. More so than your average self-involved American. Straight to the trade-in pile for this one. No regrets.

[etxgardener · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Magical realism arrives in New York City when Cormac O'Connor arrives in the late eighteenth century to avenge the deaths of his parents at the hand of the evil Earl of Warren. His quest brings him in contact with the black slave, Congo, who he befriends on the boat to America and who assists him in his mission and then bestows upon him the gift of immortality.Through Cormac's eyes we see the history of New York City unfolding through the years as he must fight the Warrens through the succeeding generations, while at the same time living a lonely existence as everyone he knows and cares about ultimate disappear. But finally he meets the "mysterious dark lady covered in spirals" who alone can free him from his fate.This is a magically luminous story.

[maryreinert · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

As some other reviewers, I was hugely disappointed in this book. I enjoyed some of the historical scenes but some of the dialogue and situations just made me roll my eyes. I could never quite get connected with Cormac who lives forever. Just when I was into the history, some bizarre feat of fantasy would interrupt. I especially felt the ending was contrived. The book had potential, but just did not live up to it.

[simonea_533972 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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.

[sayitpretty · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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!

[bookworm12_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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.” 

[gjbean · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[mkunruh-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A completely enjoyable and compulsive read with characters you're encouraged to like and the author's love of New York is evident. I also appreciated his insistance on including African Americans and the very clever way he figured out how to take us from the birth of New York through to 9/11 and the World Trade Towers. I didn't particularly like the ending, but I seem to be having a hard time with endings overall.

[plettie2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great for people who love books about New York. Deeply atmospheric and deliciously detailed. Mythic, mysterious, and fresh it is a book for people who are sick of reading the same story over and over. I was so pleasantly surprised by the quality of this novel that I bought copies for all my friends. It is at the top of my recommendation list.

[smokhaus · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed reading this book. At points, I thought it was fantastic, really appreciating the excellent writing and the historical insight. The last section, however, seemed to run out of steam. The ending was particularly disappointing.

[richardgarside · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Although a Brit, this book was recommended to me by a bookseller in San Francisco, Ca. Yes it was good, once you got over the live for ever, vodoo premise and a slightly anti Brit bias, both in Northern Ireland and NYC - were we really as bad as that and were the Irish such romantic little leperchauns? Perhaps just a very popular myth, Anyway, hard to read, but a good way to live through the growing pains of on of the world's great cities - somehow the ending though romantic and predictable did not, to me at any rate, sit well with the fatalistic style of the novel. The plot lost its way for huge chunks of the book, where the real story was NYC.To a Brit, though perhaps not to a native, the style is a bit wordy and a little verbose, even pretentious in places - a little speed redaing is needed here and there.

[ntempest_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The story of 18th century Irishman Cormac who lives through and witnesses the history of Manhattan through the gift of immortality--a gift that requires him to remain on the island forever or succumb to old age. Beautifully written, with a wonderful insight into the history of New York. A tad on the violent side, but none of it is gratuitous--it's a reflection of the times through which Cormac lives.

[tonyasb · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is another that I am HIGHLY recommending. This starts in the 18th century with a young Irish man, Cormac, who sets out for New York to avenge the death of his father. In the process he saves an African shaman turned slave from an angry mob. The shaman then gifts him with eternal life with one stipulation. He can never leave the island of Manhattan or it will be suicide. There's a little too much violence in the book for my taste, but overall the story is very good

[saracuse9 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

his has become one of my favorite books. If a lesser writer had attempted this, it would not have worked. I think Cormac is great character to take us through the story of 'this granite island.'Cormac's exuberance and later, world-weariness is felt in the vibrantly written prose. There are parts of the book I found wearing (the section about the Countess comes to mind), but I stuck with Cormac and made it through.There were parts of history where I was curious to see what Cormac would do, in his unique situation such as WWII and the 60's, but I guess I'll just have to imagine it.

[heatherfeather_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Though it took me forever to read, I loved every moment. Even though Hamill's narrative was a bit more removed than I usually prefer, I truly felt like I knew Cormac and all the wonderful characters with whom he came in contact. Cormac's torment and desires, obsessions and experiences all came alive. If I'd do anything differently, I'd want this to be a series, following Cormac through various eras in NYC. I adored each section as a mini-novel and simply wanted more from each of them.I have to say I wasn't all that surprised with the ending, but it was beautifully done and I certainly would have done the same if I were Cormac.

[themasterkey3000 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not as good as I had hoped.

[stacers1973 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of my all time favorites. This forever has a place in my permanent collection. I am not usually too much into history, especially when it includes war, but the character flow brought every thing together for me in a vivid and interesting way. I really wanted to know where Cormac went and how he ended up.

[rcooper3589 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read "Snow in August" almost 10 years ago when I was in 8th grade. I loved it, so when I saw this book I had to grab it! And much like "Snow," "Forever" delivers a magic tale. The only way I can describe the way Hamill writes is by saying he tells adult fairy tales. While I know Hamill can't cover everything that happens between 1740 and now, I did feel he left some major things out- like the Civil War, race issues etc.- especially since from the start Cormac is good friends with the slaves. Regardless of this however, I loved this book and plowed through it. If you're looking for a good book, pick this one up!

[groovybeetle · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Although it took a long time to really get into the story line, I really enjoyed following Cormac's adventure as a pioneer of New York. The situation drawing him to the city is not something modern audiences can relate to, but the story adapts with the times and I was engrossed in the story by the end. I really loved this book and would highly recommend it, especially to those living in NYC. Enjoy!

[alera_6 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's a smart tale...that was really at its best, for me.... when Cormac was really living a life. I loved the beginning. The small boy growing up in Ireland. I loved his encounter with the Countess. And I loved the ending. The pace was nice at these points and I was completely enthralled. But this story, though revolving around Cormac becomes so much more once he reaches New York. It becomes in even more ways a tale about Manhattan. And even knowing that it was going to reach the year 2001...there is something about reading something like that...in a book...that just pulls you back to where you were at that moment. The description is raw, frightful, everything that you know it was. Hmm, sometimes books you find for three dollars are more than worth it.