Very enjoyable read and loved the concept! Imagine never leaving Manhattan! ( )

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. ( )

350 ( )

bookclub book approx. 2009??

This is a novel about the growth of New York City from the 1700's to 9/11. It starts with the religious abuse of the Irish in Northern Ireland in the early 18th Century. If you like to know about how people lived during that time it is a wonderful book. ( )