A teen-age boy loses his lover, his chemistry teacher, and inherits his journals, which give us all the backstory of his pursuit of the secret elixir of eternal life. It's always nice to read a book about scientists rather than more writers and writers thinly disguised as artists. This book had a lot of action and mystery, which isn't what I was expecting from the beginning. The plot seemed to hold together well, though I did get confused about a lot of things, so don't hold me to that. In the end, though, I didn't really care very much. ( )

Enjoyed this bit of alchemy, science, and love. ( )

Conrad Aybinder, a sixteen year old genius, has been thrust into his recently deceased teacher's search for the formula for the Elixir of Life in THE HISTORY OF LIVING FOREVER by Jake Wolff. The deceased teacher, Sammy Tampari, was also his first love. As Conrad digs deeper into Sammy's research, questionable people from Sammy's past appear and Conrad has to decide who to trust, all the while trying to determine why Sammy has orchestrated an elaborate plan to guide Conrad to the Elixir of Life.
The book is about the scientific and emotional discovery for Conrad that morphs into a high stakes adventure to find the elusive formula for eternal life that Sammy Tampari has been searching for. Wolff weaves Conrad's present, Sammy's past, and historical reference on self scientific experimentation harmoniously so that the story is always progressing and entertaining at the same time. Conrad is a character that a reader can connect with and cheer for almost immediately, as so many of us as teenagers struggled with who we are and what we want. As the plot moves forward, Wolff begins to subtly layer characters and events on top of each other so that at the climax of the book the story is rich with texture and presents pleasantly complex puzzle that Conrad has to find his way through.
Heartfelt and captivating, THE HISTORY OF LIVING FOREVER is a book I won't soon forget. Wolff has created a book that is both moving and inspires introspection into one's soul; and all along the way, some thrilling and fun searching for missing pieces and people that keeps the book exciting.
Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux, as well as Jake Wolff and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! ( )