Forever: A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Ok... but very uneven
Review: I must admit this is a hard book to rate. Parts I enjoyed as much as any book that I have ever read (The images of Ireland in the 1700s). Then there are other parts that left me disgusted ... such as the year that was spent at a brothel painting VERY initimate portraits of the "workers".

The story as a whole is a great one. One man living nearly 300 years who has the oppurtunity to see the city of New York grow. Some have called it an ambitious task- but I don't quite see it that way... in fact I wish that Hamill had spent more time on the "details" of the development of New York and less time on trying to paint the "good" side of Boss Tweed. Instead what we get is a bit of a rollercoaster ride of the good and the bad with very little connecting either. So in the end I give "Forever" an A+ for concept but only about a C or its execution.

Rating:
Summary: Time Travel with a Twist
Review: Instead of taking a modern character back in time or bringing an old character forward, Hamill proposes a character who doesn't age and passes the history before him...in this case, an ancient Irishman living the history of New York. As an ex-New Yorker with English and Irish roots, I found it fascinating. I couldn't put it down and there's not many books I'd say that about. I will agree that Hamill fast-forwarded through a lot of things and lingered a bit long on others, but it was a wonderful story that I was sorry to end.