Nothing Lasts Forever [Audio Cassette]

Sidney Sheldon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1994

From the best-selling author of Master of the Game, Rage of Angels, Memories of Midnight, and many other blockbuster novels comes an abridged audio rendition of his newest tale of passion and adventure. Simultaneous.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Aficionados of cliches and stereotypes will derive extraordinary pleasure from practically every page of this formulaic potboiler from the bestselling Sheldon. As the novel opens, Dr. Paige Taylor is on trial for the mercy killing of a patient (Did she off the guy for his fortune?); the action then flashes back five years, when Paige and two other female doctors meet as first-year residents at a San Francisco hospital. Paige is the dedicated one, Kate Hunter ("Kat") an African American whose mother inspired her to lofty ambitions ("You can be anything you want to be. It's up to you") and Betty Lou Taft ("Honey"), the plain Southern belle whose diligent application of techniques gleaned from the Kama Sutra has assured her a professional niche. The trials and tribulations of both patients and medicos include suspenseful operations, natural deaths, murder and suicide ("All this time he was calling out for help and I didn't hear him."). Even Sheldon's typically careful research seems forced and out-of-place: tidbits about African tribal lore and medical terms and procedures only interrupt the bathos. Nonetheless--contrary to the book's title--Sheldon's popularity will no doubt remain undiminished. Literary Guild main selection.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

The lives of three young female doctors are the focus of this novel from the ever-productive Sheldon.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Dove Entertainment Inc (November 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558009655
• ISBN-13: 978-1558009653
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (71 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,201,338 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A High-Speed, Twisting Journey, April 1, 2005

By 

Susie Morris "Book Junkie" (Southern California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nothing Lasts Forever (Mass Market Paperback)

Many critics have blasted Sidney's Sheldon's recent books as being sub-par, as we've come to expect so much from this great writer. Written in 1994, Nothing Lasts Forever takes the reader on a roller coaster ride that will leave you a little dizzy and completely fooled by the ending, which is one of the reasons most critics who have recently criticized Sheldon agree that this is one of his all-time best!

Three roommates, who just happen to be young, female doctors, are featured in Nothing Lasts Forever. The various aspects of their lives unfold before us - their hopes, dreams, fears, loves, ambitions, and their mistakes in life. We see what they endured as interns and see the daily rigors of life as a doctor in a large San Francisco hospital. The decisions made on the spur of the moment, only to be later dissected and examined by each of the doctors to verify in their own minds if they made the right decision. It's an interesting concept of young doctors not always being sure of their choices, but having to live with those conclusions. And what happens when faced with a dire situation - do you stick with your moral values and beliefs or do you euthanatize to prevent suffering? And if not you - who would?

Not only are we given glimpses at the insights of these three, but also we're allowed to feel like you're part of their lives - a friend or neighbor perhaps. Sheldon builds a relationship not only between the three main characters, but involves the reader in the formula as well. You'll become emotionally engaged while reading about the doctors' everyday lives.

The decisions and moral beliefs are all brought out in a courtroom when one of the doctors is accused of killing her patient for monetary purposes. Sounds plausible, but did she commit the crime? And every aspect of each of the three women's lives are brought out and inspected to try and solve the murder. Many surprises await!

Nothing Lasts Forever has been dubbed a "thriller of suspense" and rightly so. It will grab you from the beginning and not let go until you read the very last page. The plot is extremely well engineered and the writing is superb! Sidney Sheldon mixes humor, wit and intrigue with the perfect blend to entice even the most ardent critic.

There are so many twists and turns in this high-speed page-turner that I'd warn the reader to hold on tightly. You won't want to put it down, so it should come with a warning that you may miss sleep in order to finish Nothing Lasts Forever. I'd highly recommend it if you're ready for a wild reading journey!

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FLAWLESS - that's the best concept for this book!, August 5, 2000

By 

Marco Aurelio - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nothing Lasts Forever (Mass Market Paperback)

Sidney Sheldon is not the same anymore. His latest books are not up to his real standard. That's not what happens with this 1994 wonderful book, though.

The plot, wonderfully conceived, is a real thriller of suspense. The characters, the very well-developed three main characters, are just as funny and smart as your best friend. And actually this is the kind of feeling you get from the three doctors you have the chance to meet on this book.

From beginning to end, Sidney Sheldon hooks you until the very end! That's the kind of book you read, read, read and want it never to end, and, when it does, you miss a lot the places and people you've met. It's the kind of story that remains on your mind for many years. The kind of book you tell everyone to read, and that everyone just can't help but read and adore. That's what you feel when you read the books by Sidney Sheldon. And that one is one of his best works!

Marco Aurelio.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fun and fast paced, but not authentic of life in a hospital., June 26, 2004

By 

Stuart-Little - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Nothing Lasts Forever (Mass Market Paperback)

If you like sex that is highly suggestive and titillating, but not really graphic, a murder mystery with a few twists, medical detective work, a neatly tied up ending, and are willing to suspend reality for a few hours you will enjoy this book. It is pure escapist fun. (If you are a doctor you likely won't like the book, as the depiction of life in a county hospital for the three female residents, while somewhat entertaining, is mostly off the wall and in the realm of a day time soap opera.)

Sidney Sheldon has no trouble hooking the reader by the first page or two. The writing is fast paced enough that it is easy --if one is willing -- to suspend reality and any disbelief long enough to enjoy the ride.

The main characters, while not exactly flat, aren't exactly multi-dimensional either, despite the author attempting (and sometimes succeeding) to make things suspenseful and interesting through the literary device of alternating depictions of the three main female characters, who have past histories, that shape their current life. (One who grew up in Africa; one who is brilliant, but with deep sexual wounds that time has not healed; and one who is an expert in the sexual arts of the Kama Sutra.) Ironically, the potentially more multi-dimensional and engaging character is killed off too soon in the story, mainly to emotionally tear at the reader, add some gratuitous violence and set up a subplot to investigate a murder. None the less, the characters and details are still interesting enough to keep the reader's attention. Most of the villains, however, come across as flat and self centered, hence they quickly become boring and are unmemorable -- fortunately they are not central to the story.

The book starts out with Dr. Paige Taylor being on trial for the murder of one of her patients, with the motive being money -- lots of it. The story then flashes back to events that lead to the murder charge as well as the tragic murder of her roommate and associate. The reader's sympathies are deftly manipulated and by the end of the book one feels complete sympathy towards the characters one started out not liking.

A part I really liked is where the murder of Dr. Taylor's associate is solved through clever medical detective work. (Not going to give many details, so as not to spoil things.) While the setup for the investigation is not real believable, the medical sleuthing is engaging and done with more care and attention to detail.

By no means a piece of literature, but totally in line with mass market pulp fiction. If you have a long evening you want to kill and you like to read, you will likely be entertained and not disappointed.