''Nothing Lasts Forever''- Book review

Author: Sidney Sheldon
Published: 1994

Genres: Novel, Thriller, Suspense, Romance

Rating: 4 out of 5

Review

Before reading Nothing Lasts Forever, I had read three other Sidney Sheldon novels: The Stars Shine Down, The Sky is Falling, and Are You Afraid of the Dark?. I thoroughly enjoyed reading all three of them, but I must also say that I found none of them excellent. They were sometimes predictable and often silly. But they were very enjoyable reads. I was satisfied with them, but didn't find any of them excellent.

But I am really glad I read Nothing Lasts Forever. It is an impressive novel. And I mean it. It is a really very impressive novel. Though there are sometimes indeed some of the Sidney Sheldon cliches and a few times it did get silly, yet I found it a very pleasant and impressive novel. It was not a masterpiece, but I was really pleased with it.

Set mostly at a hospital, the novel's central characters are three doctors: Paige Taylor, Honey Tuft, and Kat Hunter. They work in the same hospital and live in the same apartment. The novel explores the lives of these three women: their feelings, their passions, their desires, their past, their pain.

The novel begins with a lengthy prologue. Kat Hunter has been murdered. Honey Tuft had almost closed down the hospital (reasons revealed in course of the novel). And Paige Taylor has been accused of murdering one of her patients because the patient had left her a huge wealth. But Doctor Taylor says that it was euthanasia. She knew nothing about the inheritance until after the death of the particular patient.

Most of the novel is told in flashbacks, starting with the time Paige, Kat, and Honey had joined the hospital. It tells the story of their stressful job, struggling personal lives, painful and secret pasts. And their meeting such odd and unfortunate fates.

One of the things that I like about Sheldon is the characterization in his books. In Nothing Lasts Forever the characterizations are definitely effective and deep! Along with the life of the three protagonists, the stressful life of doctors is also very well described in this book. (I really appreciated the epilogue, where what happened to most of the characters, is described).

I definitely enjoyed this one! The last chapter was so very emotional. As I mentioned before, some of Sidney Sheldon's cliches can be found now and then, but the overall novel is impressive and pleasant.

4 out of 5!