I wanted to like this book. But I couldn’t, i couldn’t follow the storylines or connect to the characters. It was a hard read for me.
*I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) through NetGalley. I received this copy free in exchange for my honest review.*

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Everlasting is a unique novel. It is comprised of four, loosely-connected stories spanning two centuries, all set in Rome. We hear from a modern-day biologist, a Christian child martyr, a medieval monk, and a princess—all of them pondering philosophical questions about love, relationships, identity, faith, joy, and meaning.

MY THOUGHTS
I really enjoyed Free Men, so I was excited to read The Everlasting. I’m so disappointed to say that I absolutely hated this book. Maybe I just wasn’t in the right mood, but I found it to be clunky, confusing, and pretentious. I was never able to feel connected to the characters or to the story. And I think the main reason for that is because the story isn’t meant to be the focus. The questions are the focus, the pondering. It’s a “let’s get in the van and drive” novel, and books like that always irritate me.

BUT for the people who enjoy that sort of thing—and I can see plenty of other reviewers on Goodreads who do—you may very well love this book. I am still giving it two stars, though, boo.

Told backwards in time, the four characters spanning the 2000 years in Rome have a connection. Love and faith in the Eternal City is well told here.

This book was truly beautiful. I loved reading about these four lives and how they connected despite living in such different times. It reminded me a bit of Cloud Atlas—the kind of book that makes you realize how every person is connected and more similar than different.

Broad and ambitious in scope, The Everlasting endeavors to capture the history and spirit of Rome across generations. It opens with an epigraph from the poem “Adonais” by Percy Bysshe Shelley:

“Go thou to Rome—at once the Paradise,
The grave, the city, and the wilderness.”

The plot begins in 2015 with a section titled “The Wilderness,” which introduces us to Tom, an American field biologist studying a group of crustaceans called ostracods. Though still married, Tom spends his days alone while his wife is back in California with their daughter, and reflects on the failed state of their marriage. This novel is dense at times, and Tom’s sections offer little reprieve; the crumbling marriage and allure of an enigmatic Italian woman a sort of clichéd setup that doesn’t feel like it quite earns its length, or the reader’s investment. This section does, however, establish the novel’s central theme: desire and temptation, and whether succumbing to temptation is inherently immoral.

Full review available on BookBrowse! https://www.bookbrowse.com/mag/reviews/index.cfm/ref/pr260736

I'm at a little bit of a loss regarding how I felt about this book. On the one hand, it was interesting and definitely had some really engaging ideas, but on the other I'm not sure that all the different elements of it cohered as well as they could have. I almost feel like this would've been better off as a short story collection with a connecting thread (or hook, rather) running through it. I definitely was expecting more out of the varying narratives.

And yet, despite that I have to say that the writing is very good and the separate narratives do wrap up nicely (and some of them in very emotionally satisfying ways). It's just that I think there's something missing that could've pushed this over the edge from good to great.

Wow, this probably one of the most sweeping novels I have ever read, spanning thousands of years. While the book wasn't perfect for me, I absolutely love Rome, and this book made me feel like I was there, and that I learned something.

"Jesus, young lord, lord closest to my age but Cupid, hear my confession: I'm not loud enough. I'm not bad, except in small ways, but my goodness is awfully quiet. Does that count as sin? Will you make me thunder-loud? [...] Is that what you meant by lifting the weak? I'm not a slave, I'm not a dead man waiting to be reborn, I'm not a leper or a whore. But let me tell you, sometimes being a little girl feels worse."


This one was challenging to get into but I'm so glad I stuck with it!

The story follows four people all in, or near, Rome hundreds of years apart. The first, a scientist on a research grant living apart from his wife for the first time and flirting with an extramarital-affair. The second, a Medici princess, widowed and remarried at a young age. Third, a Christian monk in charge of the "putridarium," a crypt used for draining fluids from deceased monks before interring them. Lastly, and my favorite, an early Christian child martyr, just twelve years old and struggling with her coming adulthood.

I really fell in love with this book. It's a beautiful, quiet musing on love and faith that really resonated with me. Like I mentioned above, I found this really challenging to get into, I was worried it would end up being impenetrable. I was also confused by the interjections by a character you quickly identify, but prior I felt lost as to what those pieces were about—though they ended up being my favorite parts, and I found myself highlighting every one. In the end this book was made better for every challenge. If any of this sounds like it might be up your street, or if you're interested in musings on love, faith and philosophy, I would definitely encourage you to give it a try, it's certainly worth the effort.

In "The Everlasting." Katy Simpson Smith has her four characters (all in different time periods) grapple with what the everlasting really is. Is it love? The sole? Reputation? Art? These characters are poetic, philosophical, and complex as they ponder, which requires the reader to slow down and digest them on two levels: the actions that take place and affect the other characters in the work and the internal world they navigate unseen to any but the reader. In short, if you're after something plot driven, this isn't it. But if you like to sit back and ponder between pages, this might be just the right accompaniment to your cup of coffee. Not an easy read, this one reminds us why the power of Rome has been around so very long and would, I think, be a great addition to a philosophy class.

Four eras. Four sets of characters, each of whom could support a novel. An omnipotent watcher whose identity soon becomes clear. The Everlasting started slowly for me, likely because one more troubled modern marriage didn't immediately grab me. But as layers of narrative settled like sediment and objects appeared linking stories, I was hooked. Highly recommended if you enjoyed Cloud Atlas, Wolf Hall, Jim Crace,s Harvest.

Sprawling and expansive. I expect this book to have a lot of buzz around it and to be highly requested. It wasn’t for me but I get the appeal.

This book was a beautifully written exploration of what it is to be human, to desire, to feel, to live, to age, to die. Each of the chapters created a singular character exploring their humanity in their own way, through their own failures and successes. There is Tom, sick of his life, but not of his daughter. Giulia, caught in her own notoriety. Felix, reminiscent of a past he can't hold onto. Prisca, a girl becoming herself. I particularly liked the narrative commentary; it added depth and richness to the story. I also enjoyed the connections to the various stories and how this speaks to the fleeting nature of life. I highly recommend this book.