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"Delightful family relationship"

At eighty-three, Mickey Sienna lives alone in his New Jersey home ever since his beloved wife Dorothy died a few years ago. Mickey's four children worry about his living alone at his age, but do nothing until he dozes off while making fried eggs, setting his kitchen on fire. The siblings discuss what to do. The three oldest want to move dad into assisted living while the youngest by twelve years Jesse wants his father to move in with him.

When threatened with the home, Mickey leaps at moving in with Jesse. The two men walk gingerly on eggshells as they struggle to find a middle ground and avoid a generation war. Mickey forces Jesse to bring his girlfriend Marina to him so he can meet her. He quickly realizes these two have a rare chance for a once in a lifetime love, but his son is a moron who thinks love eventually dies. Mickey relates the story of his one true love, not his spouse of fifty years though he loved her too. Will Jesse understand what he has before he loses it or is fatherly advice too late for a grown up son?

THE FOREVER YEARS is a delightful family relationship drama with a wonderful romantic subplot. The story line is amusing yet poignant as Mickey struggles with his decreasing capacity and his adult children tussle with what is best for their beloved dad. Jesse is an enjoyable individual who is a mocking cynical Metro New Yorker (oxymoron?) as well as a nurturing person. Though Marina seems too perfect to be real, fans will appreciate Ronald Anthony's enchanting and beautiful modern day novel.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted April 10, 2003

Do you believe that love can last forever? Jesse Sienna doesn't. His own parents' marriage was caring, but passionless, and his own romantic history tells him that love burns brightest before fizzling out completely. So when his elderly father, Mickey, moves in with him and seems unable to understand Jesse's no-strings-attached relationship with his current girlfriend, Jesse barely pays attention. It's just another example of how different they are-and more evidence that he and his father will never connect on any meaningful level.But the truth is, Mickey Sienna knows more about love than most people learn in a lifetime. More than half a century ago, he found the truest love that life can offer. He knows the endless rewards of investing your heart and soul in someone . . . and he knows the devastating costs of letting that perfect someone slip by.When Mickey sees Jesse taking an extraordinary woman for granted, he decides it's time to tell Jesse his story-a story he's never shared with any of his children before. Over the course of the next few months, Mickey explains his most private and fulfilling moments to his youngest son . . . and forever changes Jesse's perception of love and the possibilities of a lasting relationship.At once a stirring family drama and a touching romance, The Forever Year is filled with richly drawn characters and powerful situations. You will respond personally to the people you meet in this novel, and you will find yourself deeply enmeshed in their stories. And you might find yourself looking at love in a new way.