Forever by Pete Hamill
A beautiful book that reads like a love letter to New York. A bit of fantasy, a bit of historical fiction. I loved it.
It's a stand-alone novel so if you want a single book that breaks the mold rather than jumping into a series, this could be the one.
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.
Departing 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.
So unfolds the story of the intertwined lives of a man and a city. 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 Cormac's eyes, we watch the city grow from a tiny community on the tip of an untamed wilderness to become the thriving metropolis of the present day.
Complete thread:
- Book review: Shotgun Lovesongs -
Kevin,
2016-05-22, 15:47
- need a book rec -
Jay,
2016-05-23, 08:34
- Jackson, Classical Electrodynamics. - nedhead, 2016-05-26, 07:38
- I read Coates' "Between the World and Me" recently - HullieAndMikes, 2016-05-25, 06:03
- Somewhat related: "The Classics" - Jim (OFD), 2016-05-24, 18:24
- Peak Chernow: The House of Morgan - JPH, 2016-05-24, 07:22
- Bill Gates recommends SevenEves by Neal Stepherson -
Bill,
2016-05-24, 06:06
- Yes, Seveneves is a pretty great novel + a novella - KelleyCook, 2016-05-24, 11:02
- Stephenson is a great author. - PAK, 2016-05-24, 06:22
- I've got two in my stack right now - HumanRobot, 2016-05-24, 05:01
- Hey Jay are you tagging book rec threads? -
Jeremy (WeIsND),
2016-05-23, 19:52
- Here you go -
Pat,
2016-05-23, 21:01
- Thanks Pat! -
Jeremy (WeIsND),
2016-05-24, 08:31
- Someone else did it. I just linked to it. - Pat, 2016-05-24, 12:26
- Thanks Pat! -
Jeremy (WeIsND),
2016-05-24, 08:31
- Here you go -
Pat,
2016-05-23, 21:01
- Red Rising trilogy by Pierce Brown - KelleyCook, 2016-05-23, 19:04
- Forever by Pete Hamill - Crehart, 2016-05-23, 18:21
- The Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson -
nedhead,
2016-05-23, 16:24
- Seconded! -
Ben,
2016-05-23, 20:48
- Just one (spoiler): - nedhead, 2016-05-24, 01:15
- Seconded! -
Ben,
2016-05-23, 20:48
- Great thriller-I am Pilgrim. Fluffy & fun-Crazy Rich Asians -
LT,
2016-05-23, 14:40
- Agreed on All the Light We Cannot See - HullieAndMikes, 2016-05-23, 15:10
- How many times have you read A Game of Thrones? -
Jeff (BGS),
2016-05-23, 13:14
- Anyone else annoyed with GRR Martin today? (no spoilers) -
HCE,
2016-05-23, 13:24
- It was a good one -
Jeff (BGS),
2016-05-23, 18:23
- Stark Team: Assemble! - Jay, 2016-05-24, 08:58
- The board is set, the pieces are moving... -
Jim (OFD),
2016-05-24, 05:46
- Possibly 18 episodes left: 5 + two shorter seasons of 7 & 6 -
Buck Mulligan,
2016-05-24, 07:24
- Huh. -
Jim (OFD),
2016-05-24, 10:51
- Yes, regardless, now it's a sprint. - Buck Mulligan, 2016-05-24, 12:27
- Huh. -
Jim (OFD),
2016-05-24, 10:51
- Possibly 18 episodes left: 5 + two shorter seasons of 7 & 6 -
Buck Mulligan,
2016-05-24, 07:24
- They feel liberated now - Jim (fisherj08), 2016-05-23, 19:23
- I rarely say this but I think it worked really well visually - LT, 2016-05-23, 14:28
- It was a good one -
Jeff (BGS),
2016-05-23, 18:23
- Anyone else annoyed with GRR Martin today? (no spoilers) -
HCE,
2016-05-23, 13:24
- it sounds promising - Pat, 2016-05-23, 12:29
- I'm re-reading the Night Manager - Bryan (IrishCavan), 2016-05-23, 11:02
- Erik Larson's Lusitania book is very interesting - DEM, 2016-05-23, 11:02
- Go full-on short story, brah. - Buck Mulligan, 2016-05-23, 10:46
- A few non-fiction ideas -
Coach Gillespie,
2016-05-23, 09:40
- Best and the Brightest is the ur-text of USA foreign policy -
HullieAndMikes,
2016-05-23, 09:50
- Agree, but I like The Fifties much more. -
Kevin,
2016-05-23, 09:57
- I agree, that is a great one -
HullieAndMikes,
2016-05-23, 09:58
- 'Coldest Winter' is the best Korean war book I've read. - hobbs, 2016-05-23, 10:04
- I agree, that is a great one -
HullieAndMikes,
2016-05-23, 09:58
- Agree, but I like The Fifties much more. -
Kevin,
2016-05-23, 09:57
- Best and the Brightest is the ur-text of USA foreign policy -
HullieAndMikes,
2016-05-23, 09:50
- 'The Siege: 68 Hours Inside the Taj Hotel' - hobbs, 2016-05-23, 09:23
- When Eco died, I reread Name of the Rose -
HCE,
2016-05-23, 09:10
- we read I, Claudius in Latin class -
Jay,
2016-05-23, 09:26
- Graves is a magnificent writer - HCE, 2016-05-23, 09:44
- we read I, Claudius in Latin class -
Jay,
2016-05-23, 09:26
- The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson - HullieAndMikes, 2016-05-23, 09:03
- Grand Illusions: American Art and the First World War - PMan, 2016-05-23, 08:55
- My recent attempts have been up and down. -
Kevin,
2016-05-23, 08:46
- Rise and Fall of the Third Reich -
Jay,
2016-05-23, 08:57
- Great history books always seem relevant -
Flann,
2016-05-23, 09:48
- HBO just premiered the Bryan Cranston LBJ movie -
Jay,
2016-05-23, 09:51
- I saw a lot of middling reviews; anyone here see it? -
HullieAndMikes,
2016-05-23, 10:18
- The Butler was weak. - Buck Mulligan, 2016-05-23, 10:25
- pretty solid reviews across the board - Jay, 2016-05-23, 10:21
- HBO did another LBJ/Vietnam biopic about 15 years ago -
hobbs,
2016-05-23, 10:11
- LBJ gives filmmakers and actors a lot of material - Flann, 2016-05-23, 12:34
- I saw a lot of middling reviews; anyone here see it? -
HullieAndMikes,
2016-05-23, 10:18
- HBO just premiered the Bryan Cranston LBJ movie -
Jay,
2016-05-23, 09:51
- Great history books always seem relevant -
Flann,
2016-05-23, 09:48
- I think you would love Paul Murray's 'Skippy Dies'. - Slainte Joe, 2016-05-23, 08:48
- Rise and Fall of the Third Reich -
Jay,
2016-05-23, 08:57
- Just finished Jeff Passan's "The Arm" - Jeremy (WeIsND), 2016-05-23, 08:36
- my my my. my my my. - JN, 2016-05-23, 07:02
- Saw a guy at a farmer's market today with a Bon Iver t shirt - Mike (bart), 2016-05-22, 16:39
- need a book rec -
Jay,
2016-05-23, 08:34