Forever [Hardcover]

Mccann Timmothy B (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Beginning with one wedding and ending with another, this romantic follow-up to McCann's Until borders on the sugary as it exalts friendship and marriage among middle-aged, professional African-Americans in Gainesville, Fla. After a brief courtship, attorney Betty Robinson marries Drew Staley, a financial analyst, even though both are rebounding from previous relationships. Betty is soon drafted into a volatile murder case in which she must represent a famous white football player accused of killing his wife and his black mistress. Drew is preoccupied with his ailing mother, who has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and cancer. With these new burdens to distract them from each other, the newlyweds find reason to question their hurried marriage. Meanwhile, Jacqui Jordan, Betty's charming best friend, is finding it hard to love any man as much as she adores her successful restaurant, Jacquetta's even her longtime beau, Stefan DeCoursey, an aging wannabe model. As Betty and Jacqui banter about love and sex, it becomes apparent that McCann's strength lies in his ability to weave an engaging tale from the lives of ordinary folk, although his dialogue isn't always plausible. Over the course of a year, the Staleys marriage comes dangerously close to collapse as they struggle to make mature decisions, and a life-altering event causes Jacqui and Stefan to reevaluate their future together. McCann makes faith in God, friendship and love an important theme of this simple, contemporary novel as his characters attempt to gauge when to stand by their lovers and when to move on.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

McCann follows his highly successful debut novel, Until, with another compelling novel, this one about two couples and their interconnected lives. Over the course of a year, they learn from their past relationships and personal shortcomings as well as grow from their friendships and choices. The women have been best friends since college, and their current partners bring sweet joy and bitter pain to their already hectic lives. Betty Robinson, a lawyer, is hired as lead counsel to an O. J.-type murder case that will cause her to reevaluate all that she holds dear. Her husband, Andrew Staley, a successful financial analyst, feels incomplete without Betty yet does not know how to give or ask for help. Jacqui Jordan, a successful restaurant owner, loves a man who is not ready to be with only one woman. Her boyfriend, Stefan DeCoursey, a struggling model, still chases his dream in spite of disappointments and rejections. These four deal with all of life's pressures and promises. Yet, the relationships survive, the careers progress, and the individuals grow. Lillian Lewis
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Kensington; 1St Edition edition (April 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1575667576
• ISBN-13: 978-1575667577
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (64 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,927,837 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sequel To Until, May 3, 2001

By 

Yasmin Coleman (PENNSYLVANIA, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Forever (Hardcover)

Forever is The Sequel to Timm McCann's debut novel Until. Forever picks up where Until left off and brings back intelligent, sensitive and sassy characters Betty, Drew and Jacqui.

After only 3 months of dating and barely getting over prior lovers, Betty and Drew decide they're ready to spend the rest of their lives together and to say, "I Do". But what they didn't envision were the bumpy curves at every turn. The wedding day is eventful with hitches galore and a clear indication of what is yet to come during the first year of marriage. From the wedding day delay, the reader feels that Drew and Betty's marriage will be a rollercoaster ride filled with more mid-air suspension than dips. Drew and Betty quickly realize that staying together Forever is more than simply saying I Love You or I Do. Situations, circumstances and people threaten to tear them apart as they try to hold on to a tumultuous relationship that they hurried into.

Betty's sidekick, best girlfriend, Jacqui continues to be a business savvy professional woman. Her restaurant Jacquetta is a big hit. However, Jacqui's personal life is crying out for love and commitment. Always a bridesmaid and never a bride, as her biological clock begins to sound like a bomb ticking away and time running out, she wants more. Unfortunately, her current beau, Stephan isn't sure that commitment is what he seeks. In the process, Stephan experiences a tragedy that makes him rethink what's most important in his life and whether or not it should even include Jacqui.

Forever is a well-written and satisfying sequel. I was pleasantly surprised that I liked it better than Until...and I really enjoyed that book! McCann gives us mature characters that jump off the page and into our lives as we live vicariously through them for a moment. The secondary characters were equally impressive and included Drew's mom-the woman any daughter-in-law could easily learn to hate and Blue...a man of much wisdom and knowledge. Every man should know an elderly friend named Blue.

As the storylines intertwined, I quickly turned the pages to see what would happen next. Although Forever is not a mystery...there was much suspense and intrigue as we witnessed events in the main characters' lives and wondered what effect those situations would have on their relationships. All I can say is pick up this book and experience it for yourself. I believe you will be pleasantly surprised as well.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Gift of Hope wrapped in Tender Loving Care, July 19, 2001

By 

"mztandee" (MS) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Forever (Hardcover)

Wow, comes to mind when I think of Timmothy B. McCann's latest novel. I eagerly awaited his sequel to Until and Mr. McCann did not disappoint in picking up where he left off.

Mr. McCann ended Until with a beginning, so I expected Forever to read like a gushy novel filled with "I love you bookie wookie" type romantic cliches. Timmothy kept it real, he blinded the reader with a realistic portrayal of a first year marriage. He skillfully showed that marriage is about much more than an abundance of love its about compromise, but more importantly-communication.

Mr. McCann has everything in this book except for the kitchen sink. He threw in a lot of love, shimmers of hope, jealousy, faith and pounds of healing. The characters are so colorful you can't help but find yourself rooting for them. His writing is so vivid, its conducive to sitting down and watching your favorite television show.

Mr. McCann brings back Drew and Betty more powerful than ever, with a lot more issues than before. Drew has taken on the role of caring for his dying mother, while Betty has taken on a court case to rival that of the O. J. Simpson trial. Both are so caught up in what's going on in their own lives, that they fail to see their marriage deteriorating before their eyes. They focus more on the "me, me me" instead of "US". Drew and Betty have all the love in the world, but is love always enough?

Throw in Betty's ex-fiance, Evander, who's back trying to insinuate himself into her life. Her childhood friend, Jacqui, who still has not learned to keep her over opinionated comments about Drew to herself and you've got a mixture of trouble brewing for the Staleys. Forever is full of surprises, wisdom and inspiration. You will see each of the main characters growth by the time you turn the last page, from Betty and Drew's acceptance of what Til' Death Do Us Part really means, and a more mellower Jacqui as she faces her own relationship issues with her boyfriend, Stefan.

My favorite character was Mr. Blue, an older being who unwittingly teaches Drew how to step up and be a man. Mr. Blue is truly the foundation of this novel spreading words of wisdom we can all learn from.

Overall, Timmothy does such a fantastic job with this novel, it will make you take a closer look at your own relationship. It's as if he challenges you to ask yourself if you know what Forever really means? And, I challenge you to read it and find out.

Keep up the great work Mr. McCann and I look forward to your next novel.

.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ANOTHER JOURNEY WELL WORTH THE RIDE, April 26, 2001

By 

M. Hodge (East Coast) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Forever (Hardcover)

"Forever" is a story that explores the notion of just what that entails. It follows the lives of Betty and Drew from the moments before their wedding into their first year of marriage. We often arrive at the church with rose colored glasses and soon after the honeymoon discover what we thought we were getting isn't what we get. Well the glasses have come off for the newly married couple, with career, family and ex-lovers getting tossed into the mix. As I read this wonderful, engrossing story, I found myself counting the remaining pages, never wanting the story to end. Mr. McCann has brought together a great ensemble of characters, woven it around a heartfelt truthful story, with life long lessons sprinkled throughout. If you are looking for a good read, then "Forever" will not disappoint. And if you haven't had the chance to pick up Timmothy McCann's previous works, then you have done yourself a great injustice. In this day and age of flash-in-the- pan fiction, "Forever" stands high above the rest. Kudo's Timm for another story well woven and you know I am eagerly awaiting the next.