Customer Reviews

Forever

5 star:		(181)
4 star:		(68)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(17)
1 star:		(22)

 

 

I just read through all 104 customer reviews, and while I agreed with most of them, I couldn't believe the ones from people saying that this book was 'perverted', 'disgusting', and whatnot. I'm 14 years old and read this book in 2 hours the day I got it. It's a very good example of first love - you think it will last forever, but it ends up that it isn't going to happen. I don't know if the sex scenes are realistic or not, but I know this much: they are NOT your typical perfect, amazing, swooning scenes of other books and movies. It's a very honest book. Yes, it is somewhat graphic at times, but for us girls who haven't had any sexual encounters yet, it shows us how it will very likely be for us at first. Katherine is nervous, and scared when she loses her virginity - Judy Blume shows the emotions and fear that comes with it. Overall, this book is fantastic, and I recommend it to anyone who likes Judy Blume and is 13 or older!

...that being that it is still as topical now as it was when I read it more than 20 years ago. It is not a "how to" manual for sex, but rather illustrates the disappointment that can come from giving yourself sexually to someone who doesn't deserve you. That's what I took from it all those years ago, and *this book* was one of many factors that encouraged me NOT to have sex as a teenager.

To the reviewer who said "I can tell you that many young women I knew became sexually active at a very young age, due in large part to this book. It made sex seem 'hip' and 'cool'. The saddest part of all is what this book says about our culture..." If you think a book is what makes teenagers have sex, you need a lesson on hormones. This book makes sex seem special, and not something that you want to do with just anybody. And what is says about our culture is that teens are naturally curious about sex, and if their parents instill in them some self-esteem and self-respect, they won't want to just give their bodies away to someone who doesn't appreciate them. Don't blame a book because people are poor parents.

"Forever" is the 'adult' novel about Katherine Danziger and Michael Wagner, two teenagers experiencing first love together. They meet at a mutual friend's New Year's Eve party. Initially, Kath isn't too impressed with him, but as the night wears on, she finds herself growing more and more attracted to him. Then he shows up the next day and admits he's interested in her.

From there, everything's pretty obvious, so I'm not going to prattle on about details and events. They spend countless hours together, going skiing, making out, etc. The sex scenes are explicit (but not trashy) and sometimes funny. You'll understand what I mean when you meet Ralph.

Then comes the dreaded summertime when Katherine and Michael are separated by jobs. This is when their relationship is on the line: Does Katherine cheat on Michael or not? Answer: You'll just have to read "Forever" and find out for yourself.

When I picked this book up recently, I was surprised to see it was written back in the 70s. Even though it's a 'dinosaur' of a book, the material is pretty much up-to-date about teenage pregnancy and sex. The one thing that's changed over the years is AIDS, which Judy Blume briefly talks about at the beginning of this book. Otherwise, this book will probably be passed on for generations, and the issues will probably still be the same.

One complaint: Nobody in this book seemed to have any major hang-ups about sex or birth control. Kath's family and friends were eager and open to talk about sex; Kath's grandmother even gave her birth control advice. Now, I don't know of anyone who could be so lucky, so in that respect "Forever" failed to be realistic.

Even though "Forever" is not my favorite Judy Blume book, it's definitely worth reading. If you're pretty comfortable about sex, you'll probably enjoy this book. If not, you'll probably cringe and either burn it or secretly continue reading it.

Three years after it was published, "Forever" was made into a TV movie. I wasn't born yet to see it, but from what I heard, I didn't miss much.

As a conservative father of 2 daughters and a son, I spurned the idea of this book at the outset, and agreed with fellow parents that it was a scourge. Fortunately, I went against my better instincts and then READ the book. I found it to be an informative view into growing maturity mixed with sexuality. In fact, it was the opposite that the close-minded protestors proclaimed it to be. I even encouraged my son to read the book when he was beginning high school to give him a good perspective into what sex can do to both him and his partner.

I found the sexuality, though graphic by my standards, to be as tasteful as possible, and not glamorized or put in Hollywood standards. If you are a conservative parent like I am, you might balk at first, but this was a great way for me to connect with my daughters, and to teach my son responsibility. Take the plunge.

"Forever..." takes place during the mid-1970s, in New Jersey. The story centers around two 17 year-olds, Michael and Katherine, who meet at a New Year's Eve party. Shortly afterwards, they start dating, and fall in love. During the course of the story, Katherine has trouble deciding when the right time to lose her virginity will be. The dialogue regarding the sexual pressure and activity between the two characters is very explicit. Katherine loves Michael very much, but she is not sure whether she is ready for sex. They both think that their love will last forever. The summer entering their freshman year in college, the couple is separated. During this short time, Katherine questions her true feelings toward Michael. She must decide whether she will really love Michael "forever". Even though I really enjoyed this book, I did not give it 5 stars, because I was dissatisfied with the ending. Otherwise, it was a very quick book to get through, and I would definitely recommend reading it.

I read Forever back when I was much younger, and now that I'm twice the age I was then, I can still read it and find it as good as it was the first time. It is a very realistic look into a teen's first love. I didn't find any of the sex scenes disgusting or perverted like some other reviewers did. It was as close to real life as it could possibly get. I think that Judy Blume has a great talent to write and appeal to a young audience, and she seems to know them so well. I would recommend this book to girls, ages 13 and up, for a quick, summer read. It's a good love story, and it also has meaning to it. Forever is also a very easy and fast read, perfect for a day at the beach reading.

I believe Forever was a great book, and should be read by many teens. I also feel that people who think its "wrong" to read it because its "gross" or "nasty" need to grow up! You can't hide from life. These people need to wake up and realize, that their children are going to have to face these problems in their life sooner or later. So why not allow them to read it? I think its better to read it, so then if you have any questions you can ask someone. Sure, there are some sexual scenes in this book, and if you are not mature enough to deal with it, then close the book and go back to it when you are ready. I know you'll end up coming back to the same page you closed and start reading it looking to solve your problems and/or questions. Every teen should read this book!

I read this book (and Judy Blume's "Deenie" and "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret") for a research paper on literary censorship. It seems that the negative reviews written here are actually a form of control of what can and cannot be read by individuals. We are sexual beings by nature. For a great deal of parents it is awkward to talk openly and frankly with their pre-teen or teenage children about sex, protection, and other related topics. This book, as well as "Deenie" and "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" should be used as tools by parents to help introduce these topics. It is also very important that they realize that these books are merely tools and they have to back it up with clear communication. Saying, "Here, Nancy, read this." is not enough. Parents have to provide their children with information about sex when they are old enough to understand it and in a timely manner. For example, "Deenie" and "Margaret" are targeted to girls that are entering puberty, while "Forever" is targeted to older teenagers that may be considering sexual activity. Also, while these books are targeted primarly to girls, there's no harm in guys reading them, either. At least it's one avenue of information for them. Well, I'll wrap this up... if you've got a pre-teen or a teenager, and you're willing to sit with them and explain to them what puberty is and what it represents, then these books are great tools to help you explain it.

I read this book when I was 15 and passed it around to all my friends until someones mother confiscated it! It is a beautiful novel of first love and sex. I got it for my niece and she finished it in 10 hours!! This is not a particularly graphic novel so I wouldn't worry about letting your teenager read it, it's no worse than they hear from their friends and might get a reluctant reader to start reading.

In a recent phone conversation, my sister mentioned that her 13-year-old daughter had just read Judy Blume's "Forever ...", which had provoked, in her words, "a pretty decent conversation on sex and relationships." I managed to find my dog-eared copy in a box of books destined for Goodwill, and despite the fact it was written over a quarter century ago, I was amazed at how true much of it still rang. Yeah, when I was in the sixth grade we giggled at the "dirty" parts (which, upon re-reading, Blume handled fairly tastefully), but overall it's a very realistic picture of a "first love" relationship. Modern readers may decry the lack of condom usage after Katherine goes on the Pill, but in 1975, the year the book was published, AIDS wasn't an issue. There's also two nice little subplots about teenage pregnancy and wanting to lose one's virginity that are also handled very well without "Hollywood" endings. The 1970s had a lot of excellent young adult authors, but Judy Blume reigned supreme, and "Forever ..." is one of the many reasons why she did. If your kid wants to read this, let them. Chances are a good conversation will come out of it.