sarahcoller's review
3.0
Book Description: "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, we come to know the city's buried secrets - 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."
I can't say enough how very much I enjoyed this story. The development of Cormac's maturity and insight over time is outstanding. The author took him from a sensitive and devoted preteen to an innocent, curious, and brave teen, to a point where his age becomes fixed but his character growth and maturity is not. His character traits in each phase of his life were believable and sensible. That, above all else, really stood out to me.
I've skimmed through this book several times over the years but always decided against it because of the excessive language and sexual content. It is not at all the kind of book I normally read---but I'm not willing to not recommend it based on that. The story is fun, heartbreaking, amazing, and informative, all in turns. It's not at all what I usually read, but I'm glad I did. Just be aware---strong language and explicit sex run rampant from cover to cover. (Knocking off two stars for sex and language...and I'm pretty stingy with my five star ratings!)
There were some very interesting comparisons between Irish and African traditions and tribal rituals. I also gained some new insight on George Washington that will cause me to never see him the same again. A very fascinating history that I was not ready to tell goodbye...even after over 600 pages.
A couple things bugged me throughout---namely the "fight scenes". Cormac is not yet fully grown when his age is fixed, yet he manages to brutally massacre several armed men much bigger than him. Even in his early teens, he takes out a grown man with several "body guards". These scenes were laughable to me. I mean, I get it that it's a fantasy but... Also, the last few pages when he busts someone out of the hospital without knowing the extent of their injuries and then hauls them up a rock face in a makeshift sling? Um. Please. I even laughed at the ending---pretty abrupt and sort of a let down after 600 pages. Still, there was so much awesome in the rest of the book that I just have to take it as a whole and love it.
I can't say enough how very much I enjoyed this story. The development of Cormac's maturity and insight over time is outstanding. The author took him from a sensitive and devoted preteen to an innocent, curious, and brave teen, to a point where his age becomes fixed but his character growth and maturity is not. His character traits in each phase of his life were believable and sensible. That, above all else, really stood out to me.
I've skimmed through this book several times over the years but always decided against it because of the excessive language and sexual content. It is not at all the kind of book I normally read---but I'm not willing to not recommend it based on that. The story is fun, heartbreaking, amazing, and informative, all in turns. It's not at all what I usually read, but I'm glad I did. Just be aware---strong language and explicit sex run rampant from cover to cover. (Knocking off two stars for sex and language...and I'm pretty stingy with my five star ratings!)
There were some very interesting comparisons between Irish and African traditions and tribal rituals. I also gained some new insight on George Washington that will cause me to never see him the same again. A very fascinating history that I was not ready to tell goodbye...even after over 600 pages.
A couple things bugged me throughout---namely the "fight scenes". Cormac is not yet fully grown when his age is fixed, yet he manages to brutally massacre several armed men much bigger than him. Even in his early teens, he takes out a grown man with several "body guards". These scenes were laughable to me. I mean, I get it that it's a fantasy but... Also, the last few pages when he busts someone out of the hospital without knowing the extent of their injuries and then hauls them up a rock face in a makeshift sling? Um. Please. I even laughed at the ending---pretty abrupt and sort of a let down after 600 pages. Still, there was so much awesome in the rest of the book that I just have to take it as a whole and love it.
rachel_cotton's review
dark
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
evanmc's review
4.0
This book to me was like a series of shorter novellas with strong connecting thread. I really enjoyed most of these: the childhood and struggles in Ireland, the journey to America, early New York, the Revolution, the 1800s, and especially the story of the Countess. Our protagonist is a bit lacking in uniqueness but it allows him to be an effective cipher for the reader. The strength here are the women and other ancillary characters. Beware, this book bogs WAY down after the time jump to 2000, and is a slog for a good 100 pages. The ending picks up a bit, and we are left with an ending I found....honestly....I'm not sure I know how I feel about the ending yet. I'll have to let it sit a while. It didn't knock me out in either a good or bad way. Overall, a solid read if you are in the mood for historical fiction with a solid dash of magical realism.
laurjo's review
2.0
I really didn't like this book, mostly because of the centuries of sex and mystical beliefs. Cormac's loose morals had me cringing. Each conquest he had, whether they were female or he was avenging his father's death, had me anticipating that centuries end to see if the story would get better. It didn't.
It was slow going and hard to get into. Sometimes it was fast paced, but other times it lagged on miserably. It took me two months to read all the way through, and by the end of it I realized that both Cormac and I hadn't progressed much in the duration of this book. You'd think a couple centuries would change a man's perspective on life. Not Cormac. New hobbies, new friends, but nothing to show me he had learned anything or had changed for the better.
The sub-plot involving Delfina was a strange twist while nearing the end of the book. I could have skipped over that part and I would have been satisfied.
However, Pete Hamill's knowledge and obvious research of New York City that went into this book was impressive. I learned a great number of facts about the city while reading this. His way of blending fiction with facts was, maybe, the most interesting thing of all for me.
It was slow going and hard to get into. Sometimes it was fast paced, but other times it lagged on miserably. It took me two months to read all the way through, and by the end of it I realized that both Cormac and I hadn't progressed much in the duration of this book. You'd think a couple centuries would change a man's perspective on life. Not Cormac. New hobbies, new friends, but nothing to show me he had learned anything or had changed for the better.
The sub-plot involving Delfina was a strange twist while nearing the end of the book. I could have skipped over that part and I would have been satisfied.
However, Pete Hamill's knowledge and obvious research of New York City that went into this book was impressive. I learned a great number of facts about the city while reading this. His way of blending fiction with facts was, maybe, the most interesting thing of all for me.
offbalance80's review
1.0
I give up. This book is endless,pointless, and worst of all, tedious. I just had no desire to go on any further.
babydragonmom7314's review
4.0
Absolutely LOVED this book - it's really a 4 1/2 stars. Me thinks however, that you need to have NYC in your blood to really enjoy it.
It seems that all the other reviews and rankings fall into I hate it, or I really loved it. I can appreciate the parts of the book that people complained about - there are definitely a few disjointed points, and disconnections and a few places that seem a bit random in flow. However, there is so much of the actual story and the history that is woven into that story that is marvelous. Unless those parts are specifically "pointed out," or dwelled upon, for me, any weirdness got lost in the fabulous story itself.
I work downtown on Wall Street (where the story picks up when Cormac gets to NYC). How exciting Mr. Hamill has made my walk to and from work, my lunch hours and my exploration of lower Manhattan.
It's a few days later now that I finished the book, and I am still thinking about it. It's still resonating with me. And, contrary to others, I really, really did love the way the book ended. It was so completely satisfying.
It seems that all the other reviews and rankings fall into I hate it, or I really loved it. I can appreciate the parts of the book that people complained about - there are definitely a few disjointed points, and disconnections and a few places that seem a bit random in flow. However, there is so much of the actual story and the history that is woven into that story that is marvelous. Unless those parts are specifically "pointed out," or dwelled upon, for me, any weirdness got lost in the fabulous story itself.
I work downtown on Wall Street (where the story picks up when Cormac gets to NYC). How exciting Mr. Hamill has made my walk to and from work, my lunch hours and my exploration of lower Manhattan.
It's a few days later now that I finished the book, and I am still thinking about it. It's still resonating with me. And, contrary to others, I really, really did love the way the book ended. It was so completely satisfying.
jazzypizzaz's review
3.0
While it suffered some unexpected pacing issues, this book was overall an enjoyable and thoughtful adventure.
I spent most of the first half of the novel confused and impatient for the plot to represent the blurb on the back cover-- immortality and NYC history-- which made trudging through Cormac's young life more tedious than it needed to be. I think this is a trouble moreso with the choice of wording on the back cover (creating inaccurate expectations) than a problem with the novel itself, as I think Cormac's background and youth experiences are essential for understanding the latter half.
For example, his connection to Ireland, Irish folklore/religion, and his family are essential to fully comprehend and feel the weight of his "blessing" from Kongo as well as his ultimate decision. While the book feels like several separate novels, there are themes that tie them all together: Cormac starts off a boy with a hidden history and identity, a secret name, and this is a consistent theme in his latter life as well; his relationship with women starts as a boy, with Mary Morrigan in the cave, and this resonants throughout his history; the importance of connection to a community, faith, belief; more tangibly, the artifacts he carries over from Ireland.
Ultimately, while his life intersects with several major historical events in NYC, this is really a book about life and the long trudgery of living. Kongo tells Cormac that he must "live, truly live", but Cormac seems to spend the majority of his long life waiting to die and rejoin his family in the Otherworld, just passing time taking up hobbies and working a variety of jobs throughout NYC. He becomes more distant and less connected to the city as time goes on, until he's mroe or less a living ghost trying to leave no trace and go unnoticed. He makes few meaningful relationships with people, which is I think essential to "truly living", and the several connections he does make shows he disconnected from humanity he really is. While this frustrated me at the time, it does make the final chapters and his final decision all the more poignant.
Overall this is a great read if you don't mind settling in for the long haul and immersing yourself in vivid setting descriptions.
I spent most of the first half of the novel confused and impatient for the plot to represent the blurb on the back cover-- immortality and NYC history-- which made trudging through Cormac's young life more tedious than it needed to be. I think this is a trouble moreso with the choice of wording on the back cover (creating inaccurate expectations) than a problem with the novel itself, as I think Cormac's background and youth experiences are essential for understanding the latter half.
For example, his connection to Ireland, Irish folklore/religion, and his family are essential to fully comprehend and feel the weight of his "blessing" from Kongo as well as his ultimate decision. While the book feels like several separate novels, there are themes that tie them all together: Cormac starts off a boy with a hidden history and identity, a secret name, and this is a consistent theme in his latter life as well; his relationship with women starts as a boy, with Mary Morrigan in the cave, and this resonants throughout his history; the importance of connection to a community, faith, belief; more tangibly, the artifacts he carries over from Ireland.
Ultimately, while his life intersects with several major historical events in NYC, this is really a book about life and the long trudgery of living. Kongo tells Cormac that he must "live, truly live", but Cormac seems to spend the majority of his long life waiting to die and rejoin his family in the Otherworld, just passing time taking up hobbies and working a variety of jobs throughout NYC. He becomes more distant and less connected to the city as time goes on, until he's mroe or less a living ghost trying to leave no trace and go unnoticed. He makes few meaningful relationships with people, which is I think essential to "truly living", and the several connections he does make shows he disconnected from humanity he really is. While this frustrated me at the time, it does make the final chapters and his final decision all the more poignant.
Overall this is a great read if you don't mind settling in for the long haul and immersing yourself in vivid setting descriptions.
pidgevorg's review
2.0
Interesting premise, but the style is unoriginal and the story is too predictable--it felt like a hodge-podge of novels I've read before, and not necessarily good ones.
annakmeyer's review
3.0
I think I'd actually give three and a half stars. Given the plot summary, I expected more in New York - it took a while to get there. Also I spent the last part of the book wanting it to end a certain way and then it did and I ended up wishing I had been wrong.
I wish I hadn't read the reading group guide at the end that informed me the author had originally finished writing on September 10, 2001 and then rewrote parts.
I wish I hadn't read the reading group guide at the end that informed me the author had originally finished writing on September 10, 2001 and then rewrote parts.
martholomew's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
3.25