The Forever Year

by Ronald Anthony (psuedonym)

Jesse Sienna, in his 30s, has never known his father the way he wanted to. Mickey Sienna, in his mid-80s, finds himself facing an uncertain future after his wife of 50 years dies. In a move that stuns even himself, Jesse asks his father to come live with him-an arrangement that begins disastrously.

Then Mickey starts telling his son the story of a remarkable woman Mickey once loved, a story that has stunning implications for the young man's current relationship with an equally exceptional woman. And in sharing this powerful part of the past, father and son are changed in ways neither could have imagined.

A romantic novel of rare intensity and intimacy, a father/son story like no other, The Forever Year will bring you into the hearts and souls of its unforgettable characters. It will make you celebrate the undying power of true love.

And it will make you believe in forever.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Chick Lit

320 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 10, 2003

About the author

Is the pseudonym for Lou Aronica.

Reviews

[SM Surber · Rating 3 out of 5]

A library applied sticker to the spine of this book, “Hidden Gem” caused me to check it out. Parts of it hit “close to home,” which is probably why I liked it. Some parts required quick skimming, fyi Pal.

[Maureen Kilroy Furtado · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started out wonderfully. Unfortunately it became somewhat disjointed as the book went on.
World's oldest story. Boy falls in love and gets burned - and is forever unable to believe in true love from that moment on even when it's staring him right in the face.
Jesse's story is the oldest story in the world when it comes to men and their emotions. It's only when he invites his widowed father to live with him that he begins to question whether or not love really exists.
Jesse's relationship with his girlfriend Marina really didn't present too many surprises or offer anything new to a reader looking to explore the many facets of love.
His relationship with his father Mickey, however, was entertaining from beginning to end. Their ups and downs help them learn so much about each other - and themselves - on the way.
I've read two of Lou Aronica's books in the past (he used the pseudonym Ronald Anthony originally for this title). "Until Again" and "Blue" were wonderful stories (and IMO should be read together as "Until Again" is the prequel to "Blue").
"The Forever Year" managed to capture the strained relationship between a father and his child equally as well as his two previous books. Unfortunately the love story should have been equally captivating but unfortunately it seemed to fall flat. Most women wouldn't have been able to stand by a man wrestling with his ghosts of past failed relationships as long as Marina did. That's where it lost me.
It's still worth reading if you're a fan of Lou's other books, but I don't think it's as enjoyable. Hopeful that his next book will kick start some emotions for me where "The Forever Year" failed to do just that.

[zaira. · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the end I almost cry. Beautiful book.

[Charly Flores · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una historia romántica un poco diferente a lo que estamos acostumbrados.

Esta novela va de amor, pero no va del amor imposible, del amor perfecto que todo lo puede ni del amor dividido...
La historia se centra en Jesse, el menor de una familia de gente exitosa, aquel hijo "sorpresa" que nunca tuvo un vínculo fuerte con su padre tal como sus hermanos. Jesse tiene una relación con Marina, una hermosa e inteligente chica que es muy especial para él, sin embargo ambos saben que el amor no es para siempre y que en cualquier momento todo puede terminar.
Entonces Jesse tiene una inesperada oportunidad de formar un vínculo con su padre y lo invita a vivir con él. Su padre es viejo, Jesse quizá demasiado joven. Pero poco a poco se van acostumbrando a su nueva rutina juntos hasta que sale un tema inesperado que ninguno creyó que podría salir entre ambos: el amor. Y es que el amor no cambia a pesar del paso del tiempo ¿o sí? Ellos intentarán averiguarlo juntos.

A ver, esa sería la sinopsis que yo le daría (aunque no me queda claro que debería contener una sinopsis) y esos también, son los puntos principales de la novela. Pero lo que a mi mas me gustó fue, precisamente, esa diferencia tan marcada entre las ideas de los personajes acerca del amor.

Y aunque a mi no me atrae mucho la idea del "amor romántico", en esta novela lo presentan, si acaso, de un modo un poco mas real, sobretodo por esa misma variedad de perspectiva.

Conforme avanza la historia y los personajes empiezan a tener dudas acerca de su idea personal del amor, también en el lector se van suscitando esta misma clase de dudas sobre sus referentes posturas en cuanto a las relaciones románticas.

Y aunque el final (como últimamente me pasa) se me hizo un poco apresurado, también me pareció acertado ya que parece cerrar y englobar lo que el autor parecía querer transmitir.

"El hecho de no hablar mas de lo 'inevitable' podría indicar algo acerca de su manera de pensar. Sin embargo, le bastaba con ver una fotografía de la familia Sienna para recordar que él no la había invitado en modo alguno a integrarse."

Otra de las cosas que me gustaron, fue el formato en el que esta escrito. Pasando del presente, desde la perspectiva de Jesse, hacía el pasado desde la perspectiva de Mickey (el padre), y a veces una narración en tercera persona cuando se necesita ampliar el campo de visión entre personajes.

No es muy extensa y además es muy fluida, así que vale mucho la pena tanto para los románticos sin remedio como para las personas que ven (vemos) el amor de un modo un poco mas lógico y distinto.

[Patrícia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Debby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a sweet story

[Sandy Carmichael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story about younger generation taking care of older one, and wisdom passed on but not in a preachy way.

[Kim Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy light reading , sweet story.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

It sometimes seemed to wander, but the story, when it wandered back, was pretty good.

[K9stylist · Rating 1 out of 5]

So predictable I thought I was reading a Nicholas Sparks book.

[Kathy O’GORMAN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great love story

[Alberto Jacobo Baruqui · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una novela que describe la dinamica intra-familiar basando la historia en la relación Padre-Hijo, con valores como el amor verdadero, el soporte, y la intimidad familiar como base para detonar grandes cosas.
Al morir la esposa de Mickey (el Padre), éste tendrá que cambiar su forma de vida sustancialmente, pero no será menos que el cambio que le espera a su propio hijo Jesse, quien se ve obligado a apresurar el cambio y compartir su casa con su padre, que a su vez ya comenzaba a mostrar su incompetencia en la vida diaria al encontrarse solo sin la esposa que le resolvía la vida, y tras provocar algunos desastres que ponen a temblar a propios y extraños se deciden ambos por aceptar.

Como era de esperarse con la nueva relación, la juventud del hijo y la madurez del padre, frecuentan constantes diferencias en sus puntos de vista y los llevan al límite. Sin embargo, como la mayoría de lo bueno en esta vida, en lo pequeño puede uno encontrar esa chispa que nos motive a algún gran cambio, y con una historia muy personal que el padre le compartirá, les dará la llave para abrir no sólo el corazón de Mickey sino también el de su hijo Jesse para marcar con claridad que la vida es mas sencilla de lo que a veces creemos y que la clave es la entrega incondicional.

A decir verdad, la famlia de Mickey no es precisamente lo que en nuestra cultura llamaríamos una familia "unida", sin embargo en los canones Estadounidenses serían incluso sobresalientes.
La lectura es rápida y ligera. AJB

[Samantha March · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of The Forever Year by Lou Aronica in exchange for an honest review. I’m a big fan of this author and I enjoy books he send my way, because they take me out of my comfort zone from chick lit and women’s fiction novels. The Forever Year is a novel about father and son, and the relationship they forge when Mickey moves in with his youngest son, Jesse, after his kids decide he shouldn’t be living on his own. Mickey and Jesse never had the best relationship, as Jesse was much younger than his siblings and it always seemed Mickey just didn’t know what to do with him. But the pair begin a new relationship once Mickey moves in, and Mickey decides Jesse should hear a story that he hasn’t told anyone else.

I thought this book was very gripping, especially since Mickey’s story comes out in little pieces over time and really leaves you wondering what he will say next and when he will say it. I enjoyed watching the relationship between Mickey and Jesse get stronger as I continued reading. The supporting cast – Jesse’s siblings and girlfriend – are all unique characters and I thought they were interesting to read about as well. The love story that is told is so touching, and really made me evaluate my own relationship and understand how special it really is. I fell for this book, and I hope you will too!
**4.5 stars**

[Priya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although written along a path of predictability, The Forever Year is an amazing read that unconsciously brings a lump to your throat and maybe even tears to the eyes. It is touching and memorable, in the way reminiscent emotional narratives tend to be.

What stirs me to give this a full 5-star rating is the amazing ability of Ronald Anthony to put forth such realistic and credible dialogue: the interactions between two lovers who tread cautiously due to past experiences and the vocalizations of their insecurities superimposed on the depth of their relationship hit the bullseye for me due to the sheer levels of 'relatability' upon which they rest.

Reiterating, the overall story is one that isn't exactly new. The juxtaposition of two POVs, however, make for a wonderful dynamic temporally. I was given this book as part of a cohesive Readers Digest collection that sought to share 'authors' who aren't well known. Ronald Anthony may not be, and his writing certainly reminds us of that of Nicholas Sparks and the like, but this story in itself is definitely worth a read.

[Charmaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first read this book, I didn't understand it fully because of lack of interest. But now, I can't believe how wonderful the story is. I was so transfixed on the relationship of MICKEY and GINA. I can't even imagine how passionate and perfect their love for each other. And how that love remain until they both died. However, I've felt sad for DOROTHY. Even though MICKEY did love her, still there is someone in his heart. My opinion about JESSE is, I am really annoyed of him. He's really stupid. He hurt MARINA so much because he doesn't want to get serious on their relationship. He believes that if they get serious, in end everything will fall apart and they will broke up eventually. He took this notion of his from his past experiences. Yes, he's hurt. But I found him really, really stupid. He even have to hear his father's story for him to know what to do. To see the big picture. He's just really lucky that MARINA really loves him.

[MARGO · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well before I read this book, I looked up some book reviews at Amazon.com and some people who wrote reviews said that the book reminded them of Nicolas Sparks novels. I am sorry to say that I do not agree, first of all Nicolas Sparks can make me cry especially the book "The Notebook" and although the description of the Father's long ago love affair in "The Forever Year" was somewhat interesting, it did not bring me to tears. I found that the "The Forever Year" lacks the emotional depth and character development that a Nicolas Sparks Novel would have. I found it a quick, easy and just a so-so read.

[Carol Drufke-Zeller · Rating 1 out of 5]

This had promise to me and then was dying a slow death as it went along. It was intriguing and interesting with good scene description, I felt I was in New York in the 50's in those flashbacks, the romance was a somewhat corny but believable due to the son's new perspective on his father. The characters stopped developing, the plot jumped on a treadmill, and in the end, the ending was predictable and flat. I felt this had the potential at the beginning to go far, and it was a disappointing read.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A writer decides to have his aged father move in with him. The novel covers a year of their lives together. As their relationship unfolds, so does the son's relationship with a new love interest. Interwoven throughout is the remembrances of the father's true love- who is NOT the writer's mother. This only solidifies his own belief that true love never lasts. I really liked the girlfriend and found the father character believable. The narrator/writer was a pain- probably because I found his philosophy annoying.

[Lisa Montanaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book so much more than I expected. It is told from the perspective of two characters, father and son. The father is in his 80s and is a retired stock broker who is an Italian American from NY, and the son is in his 30s and is a freelance writer. Although at times I may have found that story a bit predictable, I still enjoyed every moment of it. I liked the characters and cared about them. Nice read.

[Marilee]

This was recommended by Barnes & Noble and only cost me $1.99 on special on my Nook. It wasn't the type of book I usually read but the description looked interesting.

I really enjoyed it!! I loved the relationship he shared with his father and what they learned from each other. The father's flashbacks were so wonderful.

I highly recommend this book!

[Elaine Cougler · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Forever Year by Ronald Anthony is a dual story of a son and his father. Hard to tell who is the main character because the book starts with the old man and then connects to the son and their relationship. Warm, insightful--a feel good story. Sometimes children can gain so much by letting their aged parent live with them.

[Geraldine · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book was really good. i liked it because it was about people you love and that if you hesitate sometimes you'll loose youre opportunity to be happy in the end.
it also was about go with your gut feelings and follow your heart.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

there was nothing really "dramatic" about this book but I really liked it. It was more about relationships between people than anything else, but that's a good thing. It was a great read and I'd definitely recommend it, if only to make a person think about the people in their own lives.

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the condensed version. Nice story of elderly father moving in with his son. Son has fantastic girlfriend that he cannot commit to, which just got irritating as the story went on. Some interesting moments, but overall just OK for me.

[Amber King · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Forever Year is one of my absolute favorites.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sweet story. A quick read, too.

[Rita Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good character development, but a little slow at times.

[Blaine Morrow · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fair tale of love and family.

[Kim Faires · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of Nicholas Sparks style but more realistic. I enjoyed it very much!

[Val Doepker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story very much. Interesting family dynamics and some very touching moments.