Customer Reviews

Forever . . .

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

FOREVER... is the most romantic teen love story ever written!

Katherine and Michael are normal teens who meet in a normal way - at a party! What they have together is so bonding it seems like it will last forever. It's also the most difficult kind of relationship, because they are truly in love.

After meeting and going out a few times, Katherine feels like she is in love. When she and Michael begin getting closer in a sexual way, they both feel as if this could be it.

If I say any more about the plot then I will give away the whole book!

Once I started reading this book I couldn't put it down! It isn't often that you come across such an amazing love story because it is told as if Ms. Blume has really been in this intense of a relationship. FOREVER... is a must read for any older, mature teens due to sexual content.

Reviewed by: Taylor Rector

I liked this book mostly because of the way the author wrote it. I wasn't forcing myself to read it or anything which is always good. Also, I think it is very realistic with the teen love thing. At first I thought that the fact that they mostly expressed themselves sexually just showed that they only lust for eachother but then I thought well they're teenagers so that not really too odd. I still wished the main characters would have showed there love in more ways than hanging out and just going home to have sex.

Another reason I only thought it was okay was because the storyline just seemed so fast. It just went from one scene to a completely different one and too fast it was over.

I did like the ending though <<WARNING SPOILER>> At first I thought there would be this big happy ended where love always conquers and all that bull, but the ending was more realistic. She ended up breaking up with Michael so now she'll be able to get some experience with other guys instead of just being tied down to one person she "loves." It's rare that your first boyfriend will be the one you spend your life with and at 18 you've barely explored a world outside of high school.

So like I said it was just alright. I don't think that I'd suggest it to anybody else though.

At first I wasn't liking the story that much but the story got better as it went along but I wish that the story felt more real. I mean it was good but I never believed that Michael loved Katherine like he said he did. He only wanted to have her and that was that. The other stories and characters are much more interesting than Michael and Katherine also. Their stories had my mouth drop to the floor so that definetly kept me reading. And it saved the book from being boring.

This book dates from the 1970s when it was pretty hard for teens to get any information whatsoever about sex and sexual relationships - no Internet then, and parents and school officials were even more reluctant to talk about it than they are now. As most people know by now, the book is about two nice, normal older teenagers who meet at a party, date, fall in love and eventually find themselves wanting to have a sexual relationship with each other. The sex scenes are described in detail but in an informational, not a dramatic, scary or otherwise "weird" way. At the time the teens are having sex, they truly think they will be together forever, but later events cast doubt on their promise.

A couple of things should be noted: First of all, these are older teens, on the verge of going off to college and generally becoming adults. Second, although they keep their relationship pretty private, they have families who are not too concerned about whether they're having sex with each other, i.e. they don't really have to sneak around or worry about whether Daddy will be mad or Mother will disapprove, if they find out. Third, the decision to have sex is presented as not having too many consequences. No one gets pregnant, gets an STD, gets ostracized at school, gets jealous, gets too obsessed with sex, or gets dumped immediately after having sex. One character does get a little too attached, but the way it's presented, that's fairly minor - that person just needs to move on with their life and likely that will happen.

On the one hand, I can understand why all these issues were left out. The focus of this book is on presenting a sexual relationship that wasn't accompanied by a horrible tragedy or "punishment" for the people involved, so that teens could just focus on what a "normal" relationship was like, sexually and a little bit emotionally. Many if not most or all of the books prior to this time that involved teen sex had something terrible happening to the teens as a result, such as an unwanted pregnancy, ostracism or even death. It was a relief when this book came out that someone was presenting a view of teen sex divorced from the "drama".

On the other hand, it's highly unlikely that everyone's first teen sexual relationship would go as smoothly as it's portrayed in the book. This book is sort of like "Barbie and Ken Have Sex". The teens in the book don't have any big problems or issues or insecurities in their lives; they don't have disapproving families and they really love each other so it's not a case of someone just being hot for someone else. I'm sure there are relationships like the one in "Forever" but I'm equally sure there are ones that are more like "The Story of a Girl" by Sara Zarr, or like the ill-fated teen couple who seek an abortion in "My Darling, My Hamburger, or like numerous other books where sex doesn't go along like peaches and pie. Furthermore, one character ends up being very upset by the relationship in "Forever" and the book just kind of pushes that aside as a personal-growth moment. I would have found this book more realistic if it had contained a few stories to contrast with the main characters, to show that not every sexual relationship goes along as smoothly as theirs generally does, and also if it dealt a little more realistically with the emotional impact that can happen when one person changes their mind about "forever".

It's still an OK book to read, but aside from the physical descriptions of what happens between the couple, I didn't find it particularly realistic when I first read it in the early 1980s, and I don't find it that realistic now. I did hear that the author has added a section to the book addressing AIDS (a disease which emerged some years after the book was published), and I think that's a good addition although I have not read it.

in a sentence or two: Katherine is a senior in high school who takes the time to really think through relationships and sex. so when she meets Michael, she will have to decide if and when she is mentally, emotionally, and physically ready for...should she even think the words 'sex' and 'love'?

Katherine and Michael meet at a new years eve party, where he is so immediately interested in her that he comes back the next day for a chance to see her again. their 'weekend only' relationship is tough for the puppy love teenagers. but as they learn more about each other and spend more time together, the pressure for more physical expressions of their relationship start.

throughout the book, we have Katherine and Michael, Katherine's friend Erica and Michael's friend Artie (Artie might be gay, but Erica is determined), and Sybil (the girl who hosted the NYE party and is intimate with far too many guys). Blume takes the time to explore all of these relationships in her story, which creates a diversity and realistic feel. she takes a good look at the journey of first love. the inside cover blurb says that Katherine is in love with love, while Michael is in love with Katherine. i'd say that's a pretty solid analysis, at least for Katherine as the narrator.

i've heard sooooo much buzz about this book, and i think i expected more. now, of course this was written in 1973 so the subject manner (sex) and the way it was dealt with (not scary, but thoughtful) was groundbreaking. i think some of that is lost on me because of the generation i come from, but i still found myself giggling at parts and nodding in understanding at parts. proof that first love and relationships have some undeniable similarities.

at times poorly veiled advice for sexual relationships, at other times insightful, this book was one that kept me thinking after i'd finished. Katherine's family is understanding, supportive, loving, and patient. i think that of all the advice Blume sprinkles in the book - that is the nugget i took out of it. the good news is, there are many nuggets to choose from!

fave quote: "...because I love you too,' I whispered into his chest. Saying it for the first time was the hardest. There"s something so final about it. The second time I sat up and said it right to him. 'I love you, Michael Wagner.' 'Forever?' he asked. 'Forever,' I said." (75)

fix er up: while i know that some people find the idea that Michael calls his weenie Ralph, i find it bizarre and silly goose. there's just something about penis-names that weirds me out.

i read this book when i was about 14. I read it all in about 3 hours. Girls believe in the fairy tale stories of love, but this story is the real deal. It has loves ups and downs and all arounds. It takes you to places where love is also important - the bedroom. It's a sweet book and i was probably interested in it so much because i was experiencing my feelings of love in my personal life while i read this book, and there was alot of sex in the book honestly, HUMAHUMA. I was young a didn't know what was hitting me and this helped. I guess Judy Blume told me how love was before it hit me. Thanks for covering that JUDY!

My 11 yr old daughter wanted this book - I flipped through it and was really surprised at the content (for an 11 yr old). I told her it was meant for older girls and we then talked about sex being a very good thing when the time is right... - but that this book was not for her yet. I'm thinking maybe high scoool?? I'm just gald that I reviewed it myself first. Again not a bad book - just NOT for younger girls.

At first it is a really sweet love story but as it goes on it gets to a point where it just wasnt what I was looking for. Judy Blume is an amazing author and it is written very well but it was not what I was expecting and not the kind of story I thought it was going to be. I was looking for a romantic love story and this is not it.

About:
I always felt that Judy Blume is one of those authors I missed out on. I never read her as a teen and didn't even find out about her until I was an adult. Well, I guess it's better late than never.

The story starts off with Katherine and Michael meeting at a New Years Eve's party. The two are seniors in high school. Michael has a date to the party, but Katherine catches his attention and he winds up getting in contact with her the next day. The two begin to date. Michael has slept with one girl already, where Katherine is a virgin. The couple want to have sex, but Katherine is hesitant.
When they do finally sleep together, the two are in love and think they will be together forever. Katherine's parents are concerned because she begins to try to change her college plans in order to be situated closer to Michael. He is the only thing that matters to her. They make her go to a summer camp and work for a few weeks during the summer after senior year, hoping it will get Katherine's mind off Michael for a while.

Meanwhile Katherine's fellow classmate becomes pregnant. No shocker there, see the first line quoted above. Katherine's best friend Erica, is in a relationship as well, and has issues of her own to deal with.

My thoughts:
It's funny because now that I read this as an adult and mother of a teenage son, I was almost weary of what Katherine and Michael would do.
After I caught myself being judgemental to Katherine's behavior, I stopped myself. I focused more on Katherine and Michael's storyline and tried to remember what it was like being that age when hormones are running rampant.
There's a few things going on in the story with Katherine's best friend, her sister and her classmate as well. You get to see different issues these teenagers are dealing with.
Although this is technically classified as young adult romance, I'm old-fashioned and I think due to the graphic sexual scenes, this one is for ages 17 and up.

Judy Blume's writing is frank and open as the characters in this story discuss and have sex. I do think she does a good job at writing teenaged characters.
read my full review here
[...]

Everyone should read this. Okay. I admit I read a ton of Judy Blume back in Elementary School, but it's been a long time. I found this because I was trying to find out how edgy YA books really get, particularly with regard to sex. Incredibly, a quick googling seems to indicate that 1975's Forever is still about as much sex as YA gets. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong (and link me to some books) because I really want to answer the question as to how extreme (when well done) is appropriate for YA books today. In any case, somehow I had missed Forever in the 70's -- probably because I stopped reading Judy Blume at 10 or 11. I shouldn't have. It's great, and holds up perfectly well as an adult novel. After reading so many recently published and truly mediocre YA books (I'll get around to reviewing some of them) this was like a breath of fresh air. First of all, I'm in awe at Blume's skill at holding your attention with nothing but normal life. Mostly through dialog and a bit of interior monologue she paints incredibly real people effortlessly. I've now read a couple other books recently, and all her characters are always distinctive and real. In Forever she writes in a tight first person present. This drops you nicely inside the head of the narrator, but she doesn't overdo the interior monologue (which I find tedious). There is none of the snarky-boy-crazy quality of so many current voices, just a very real teenager. Also, having grown up in the 70's, I loved the subtle nostalgic flavor of suburban 70's life. The book is never preachy, and despite the fact that absolutely nothing out of the ordinary happens, holds your interest through every word. The sex is frank and quite funny, using a clever device to soften it. You'll know when you meet Ralph. Basically it just sticks your head right into this little slice of life, particular person, time and place, and holds it there for about two hours.