Rating: 
Summary: My father gave me this book -- we both love it.
Review: When anyone asks me for the title of my favorite book, this is the one I tell them. My father, a history teacher and nostalgia buff, gave me this book when I was about 21, and I've probably read it twenty times since. I often fantasize about being able to do what Si does (sometimes I'll walk by Chicago's Water Tower and think, "Hmm...maybe that would work..."). I disagree that you have to be familiar with New York to appreciate this book. Having never been there when I read it for the first time, I actually became interested in seeing it! (Might be good for New York tourism.) Also, since it's obviously pure fantasy, I don't understand all the people who don't like it because it's implausible or not true sci-fi. It's not meant to be...just read it and enjoy. (I will admit that I've talked to more women who loved the book than men.) And check out some of his others -- especially "Forgotten News."
Rating:
Summary: Thought provoking and impossible to put down ...even today
Review: I am frankly very tired of pedantic science fiction buffs who are so eager to rip apart this charming little novel, loaded with fascinating historical tidbits and oddities from the Gilded Age of American history. It is not sci-fi, and never will be. It is a reflection of the author's careful attention, and devotion to the past. I can well imagine Jack Finney, in his advancing years, retreating to the comfort and seclusion of the newspaper microfilm room at the NY Public Library, escaping into a world he could only imagine. I too have discovered Finney's lost world, through my own explorations into vanished eras via the examination of old newspaper copy. Time and Again is the result of painstaking research - I applaud his diligence and attention to detail, the intricacies of the plot and the marvelous re-creation of old New York. Anyone who said they could not follow the story, or were bored, or thought the book was slow moving, does not know what they are talking about and should seriously consider taking a course in U.S. History 101.
Rating:
Summary: One of the books that influenced my life...
Review: In a group of friends, someone asked, as a discussion topic, "what books changed or influenced your life?" This was one of mine. When I read it, I was not at all interested in NYC per se, but I liked cities...I wouldn't dimiss this book, as some have, as a "NEW YORK" story that only New Yorkers would care about. Not at all. I'm also not especially interested in the 1880's either, but I still love this book!I was obsessed with TIME TRAVEL when I first read this book and still am. I live in San Francisco and sometimes see and feel the whispers of the past here...I admit I have been tempted to try the theories in this book! I am a hopeless romantic, okay, but...what if it WAS possible??? The plot points...well, it may be a bit rocky, but then so is life - in the universe of the book, it's what really happened to Si Morely...I mean, MY real life doesn't always flow smoothly so it didn't bother me that the book was uneven. I have been reading and rereading this book for 15+ years...It never gets boring.
Rating:
Summary: I enjoyed this book immensely
Review: It took me a while to get through the first few pages, but once I got through the set up of the story...I couldn't put it down, I got invovled with the characters, and I got fasinated with the actual history of NYC. If you have any fasination at all with things in the 19th Century.....you will enjoy this novel.
Rating:
Summary: An amazing journey through an incredible time
Review: Time and again is one of those books that you don't realize you are reading: it just flows. The charecters, story line, and the scenery are incredible while the ending will leave you speechless, yearning for more.
Rating:
Summary: one of the best books there is!
Review: I have read this book so many times that the cover is about to fall off. I have never been to New York City, but Finney makes me see everything vividly. I feel like I'm walking down the street in the 1880's. Whatever you do, be sure to read this book!
Rating: 
Summary: A great look at New York within an average novel.
Review: First, a disclosure: I'm a New Yorker, and I live within a mile of the Dakota building. I had seen it many times in passing, but after reading "Time and Again," I see it in a whole different light. Finney's general premise, that a few places in Manhattan have remained virtually the same over the last 100 years while the rest has changed dramatically, serves as the vehicle for his protagonist to visit the New York of 1884. I have never read a more detailed historical novel; Finney includes countless minutia about old New York, meticulously researched according to his afterword, and he really makes the city come alive for the reader. There are, however, several major problems with the story. If you're NOT interested in New York, don't even think about reading it: you'll be bored silly. Also, Finney's science of time travel is absurd, and hard-core sci-fi fans will be driven crazy by his theory that altering the past can almost never affect the present. Finally, the story is uneven, and Finney tries to make up for a slow first half with a ridiculously fast second half. In summary, New Yorkers and NYer-wannabees will greatly enjoy the book, while those simply looking for a sci-fi/time-travel story will be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: A very slow book of little interest to non New Yorkers
Review: If one is looking for action or passion this is not the book toread. I found myself to be an onlooker to the characters and at notime felt I was involved with their lives. The plot, if there was one, was very, very slow to develop. The only reason I finished reading this painfully slow book was to be prepared for meeting with my monthly book club. Most of the ladies in my reading group agreed that too much detail and description took away from any story line. For those readers who find this their all time favourite book ~ quite simply I don't get it! The plot was so vague that it was a mystery to me what the mystery was all about. The love interest never developed into a heart-gripping story. Overall I was left as cold as the winter. With so much research into the history of the time the author was off to a good start ~ perhaps a different editor could have helped ad a little zip!
Rating:
Summary: An All-Time Great
Review: This is simply one of my favorite books, by one of my favorite authors. Even when we read a great book, we are usually glad when we are done. That is not the case with Finney. He puts us so convincingly in another time and place that we don't want to leave. As an author, his tone is very much like having a good friend tell you a story. If you have only read the sequel, by all means read the original!
Rating:
Summary: Read this book..........................now!
Review: This is my all-time favorite book. It doesn't fit into any genre or any time. It is written so vividly that you can actually see the characters and feel the surroundings. (I could even here the background noise in the tavern after the sleigh ride.) Just pick up this book and read it. You won't be sorry you did.
|
