Replay

Rating:
Summary: Unfortunately it is not possible for me to go back in time..
Review: and stop myself from reading this book. I do not understand why people love it so much or how they could read it numerous times. It was hard enough for me to get through it the first time. I have to admit that the premise was interesting, even though it is kind of cliche, but many plots out there are recycled, it's how the author uses that plot which can make it new and exciting, and Grimwood's use of it was definitely not exciting. I must admit that up until the 3rd Replay, the book held my interest. Jeff was making some pretty big mistakes and I was hoping to see him redeem himself, but when I got to the 3rd Replay it took a different direction from what I was hoping to see. I read in one of the reviews of it on Amazon that during the 3rd Replay the book drags, which it did, but that after that part it's really good. After reading that review, I decided not to give up on the book, but I wish that I had stopped reading. I literally had to force myself to finish it, hoping that it would get better, but it did not. I also heard that there was a big payoff at the end, and my curiousity about what that was helped me drudge through the rest of it. But when I finally got there, I did not see it as a big payoff at all. I saw it as very disappointing. I felt that there were too many questions left unanswered. Throughout the whole book, I did not like Jeff, nor could I relate to him (maybe that's because I'm not a yuppie and a baby boomer like he is) and it's hard to like a book when you don't like the protagonist. He started out as a selfish yuppie baby boomer having a midlife crisis, and despite all his replay experiences, I thought that he did not change that much for the better by the end. I was hoping the book would be more like Groundhog Day, where the protagonist becomes a selfless person at the end and has a new perspective on how he should live his life, but that was not the case here. There are plenty of other books and movies out there that deal with time travel and changing how one lived their life, this is not the first one. Peggy Sue Got Married and Groundhog Day are two films which have similar plots to Replay, but are much much more enjoyable. And in books, I would recommend reading The Door Into Summer by Robert A Heinlein, instead of Replay. Heinlein's book also deals with a man who is able to change his life using time travel, and it is a much more thought provoking book than Grimwood's. The Door Into Summer is a real page turner, where as Replay made me want to rip the pages out of the book and tear them up.

Rating:
Summary: Very entertaining
Review: It's a plot that has been done numerous times, but Ken Grimwood gives his own unique take on it, and he does it very well. When I first started reading it, I thought about the things I would do, and I expected to see some similar ideas in the book. I wouldn't have accepted the story if the main character didn't use his knowledge of the future for financial gain, and other things like that.
This was a very entertaining story, and I read through it quickly. A science fiction novel, perhaps for those who aren't science fiction fans.

Rating:
Summary: Still looking
Review: for a book that even comes close to providing the riveting adventure set forth by Mr. Grimwood in "Replay". I did not want it to end and am still searching for a similar good time with a modern "time travel" novel.

Rating:
Summary: You've gotta love a book...
Review: ...Where the main character dies in the first chapter!

Jeff Winston dies at age 43, and wakes up to find himself in 1963, in his own body as it was at age 18 -with all his memories in tact! This is of course, an idea we have all dreamed of... getting to relive your life with complete knowledge of what is going to happen. I heard the summary of this story and knew I had to read it.

First there is the obvious- you know who will win the World Series, or what stocks are going to fly, so you take advantage of that and live large. You're 18, but you aren't as foolish as you were then, so relationships are a piece of cake. In short, you can do anything you ever dreamed of. Grimwood's character does just that, and your imagination gets a fantastic ride in the process! But why was he given this fantastic opportunity?

I highly recommend REPLAY to anyone who has ever dreamed of a second chance like this. It won the 1988 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel for a very good reason, however, I've only seen it for sale here at Amazon. It was certainly worth every penny- What a great read!

-Lysander

Rating:
Summary: The best gift book you'll ever give
Review: Since I first read REPLAY several years ago, I have given away a half dozen copies as gifts. Each of those recipients has gotten into the REPLAY gift-giving habit, too.

Imagine the chance to live your life over again . . . and again . . . and again. From different start dates, and always with clear memory of all previously-lived lives. Is there a human on the planet who can resist this idea? The writing is as breezy as the concept is contagious, so it's a surefire hit with everyone - no matter their age or circumstances.

If you haven't read it yet, get it and do so now. Then, spread it around!

Rating:
Summary: Great Concept - Well Written
Review: The concept was great (although I wish he would have given an explanation) The book was well written. He described thoughts and feelings associated with interpersonal relationships with great understanding. It gave various perspectives on life.

Rating:
Summary: Two roads diverged in a yellow wood.....
Review: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
--Robert Frost

Take them both. Turn around and go back. Go down the middle. Cut through the forest. In the end, you will find yourself at the original fork. Jeff Winston dies of a heart attack on the 4th page, October 18th, 1988, 1:06pm. The year is 1963, Jeff awakes in his dorm room at Emory. The next 25 years are clear in his memory... Such is the premise of Replay, the magnificent novel from Ken Grimwood.

How can I explain the wonder and excitement I felt while reading this book? How can a book revolving around time be so timeless? Like the mystical Mount Shasta in Northern California, this book awes you with it's quiet expanse, punctuated with perfectly placed cliffs and crevasses.

I cannot recommend this book enough. I would not be surprised if it was an autobiography, written with the focused clarity of many lifetimes.

When you reach the divergent roads, have this book with you.

Rating:
Summary: That's what a book is for...
Review: 168 reviews before mine, and it still keeps a five-star rating average.
So what more could I add? Yet, if even a reader who -like many others- devoures books by the hundreds feels like he has to post an online review for the first time ever, well, there must be a reason for that.

The reason why this book should be read (and re-read, and re-read again...) does not lie in the plot, which nevertheless the author succeeds in keeping original throughout its 300 pages. Neither it lies in the characters, never dull and cardboard-like.
To cut it short, it is for the processes this book helps stimulate in your mind, since 'Replay' has the ability to make you reader THINK. Think of your everyday's life -from today on- as something you can really start hoping to take control of, no bed of roses as it may be, irrespective of your age and the mistakes you may have made so far.

Believe me or not, you will feel better after reading 'Replay'.

Rating:
Summary: Compelling and Thought Provoking
Review: Although this book isn't my usual style of fare, I bought it based on a "Book of the Day" calendar's recommendation. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. I finished the whole book within 24 hours, and even now, a week later, it's preying on my mind.

The story surrounds a man who dies in his early fifties only to find himself reinserted into his past at age 18, along with the accumulated experience and memories from his "previous" life. His familiarity with the evolution of world events turns him into a financial wizard. However, he finds himself no happier or more fulfilled. When the day of his previous "death" arrives, again, he dies, despite his careful attention to his health.

Suddenly, he's again reinserted again into his college-aged life, to "replay" his time on earth again, this time with the memory of two lifetimes to his credit.

This happens over and over, with only changes in his lifestyle based on his decisions and philosophies in that particular go-round. Eventually, the question emerges, "When you can have all the resources in the world... all the women, all the attention... and when you know what to fear from future world events... when you've established connections with others... then what?" Don't "regular" people often imagine how life could be different (better?) with more money/ fame/ sex/ success? Don't "regular" people often wonder what's the point of the rat race, of our purpose on earth as individuals and part of the collective humanity? Here is a book undertaking the daunting task of investigating answers to such age-old questions.

I could say a lot more, and I would love to discuss this book with someone who's read it, but I don't want to ruin the story for its potential readers by saying more about it. Suffice it to say that this is a challenging book to read... but for someone who loves to read, who's interested in self-actualization, or who enjoys finely wrought literary fiction (and who doesn't mind some unduly graphic scenes), this book would be a valid and enriching contribution to your personal library.

Rating:
Summary: Great Time Travel Tale
Review: Jeff Winston had a heart attack and died at age 43, in 1988, only to be reborn again as his 18-year old self. He is a replayer--a human who replays his life over and over. Replay is a great, imaginative novel--as enjoyable as Finney's Time and Again. About halfway though the novel, I started to get nervous as to how Grimwood would resolve the novel. It appeared as if it was headed in a very unsatisfying direction--but no--that was just a plot twist that made it that much more entertaining and engrossing. Replay is a great fun read--perfect for any reader, science fiction fan or not. Enjoy.