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Replay
by
Jeff Winston was 43 and trapped in a tepid marriage and a dead-end job, waiting for that time when he could be truly happy, when he died.
And when he woke and he was 18 again, with all his memories of the next 25 years intact. He could live his life again, avoiding the mistakes, making money from his knowledge of the future, seeking happiness.
Until he dies at 43 and wakes u ...more
And when he woke and he was 18 again, with all his memories of the next 25 years intact. He could live his life again, avoiding the mistakes, making money from his knowledge of the future, seeking happiness.
Until he dies at 43 and wakes u ...more
Paperback, 311 pages
Published
July 22nd 1998
by William Morrow Paperbacks
(first published January 1st 1987)
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Jan 06, 2014
Jeffrey Keeten
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science-fiction
To see a world in a grain of sand...more
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.
Every night and every morn
Some to misery are born,
Every morn and every night
Some are born to sweet delight.
Some are born to sweet delight,
Some are born to endless night.
God appears, and God is light,
To those poor souls who dwell in night;
But does a human form display
To those who dwell in realms of day.
All poetic excerpts in this review are from Auguries of Innocence by
This book crushed me. It sparked such a deep feeling of loss and regret in me. Made me examine my own life, my own decisions, missteps and regrets and wasted time and opportunities. Life is short, and this book will remind you of that. It will remind you of lost loves and what could have been. It will remind you that life should be lived to the fullest, that you shouldn't ever waste a single day. It will teach you about true loneliness. And finally, it will teach you about acceptance. I loved it
...more
(4.5) One of my favorite premises is a character reliving their life over and over. So this book was on my radar.
I really liked Grimwood's take on it as, for once, I could relate with the main character's decisions and he added a nice twist to it.
It did become more philosophical and would recommend it if, as a literary fiction or contemporary reader, you're trying to get into sci-fi. ...more
I really liked Grimwood's take on it as, for once, I could relate with the main character's decisions and he added a nice twist to it.
It did become more philosophical and would recommend it if, as a literary fiction or contemporary reader, you're trying to get into sci-fi. ...more
I had very high expectations for this 1988 World Fantasy award winner. The main character, 43-year-old Jeff Winston has a heart attack and dies, only to wake up in his college dorm room 25 years earlier with his current memories intact. He "replays" his life several times throughout the book trying to correct the mistakes of his "previous" lives. After the second "replay", I got tired of reading about Winston's miserable life and sexual escapades and wished he would just die and stay that way. T
...more
5.0 stars. I did not go into this book with high expectations, despite the numerous awards this book was nominated for and won. Well I just finished it and I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!! Calling it the best "time travel" novel ever does not adequately explain the emotional depth of the novel. This was an incredibly well-written, extremely well plotted novel that is at times both gut-wrenching and uplifting. HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION!!
Nominee: Arthur C. Clarke Award for Best Science Fiction Nove ...more
Nominee: Arthur C. Clarke Award for Best Science Fiction Nove ...more
The horse race was good.
I expect that I am just brimful of wealthy self-centered mediocre individuals undeservedly basking in privilege and power. But, all that irksome name dropping worn thin. I get it. There's a disproportionate lack of insignificant villagers in the past lives of people who claim to remember them. Nobody wants to be part of the three serf families that the Rostov's neighbor traded for a dog.
When I'm disengaged and uninterested in the story, it's awfully easy to find low hangi ...more
I expect that I am just brimful of wealthy self-centered mediocre individuals undeservedly basking in privilege and power. But, all that irksome name dropping worn thin. I get it. There's a disproportionate lack of insignificant villagers in the past lives of people who claim to remember them. Nobody wants to be part of the three serf families that the Rostov's neighbor traded for a dog.
When I'm disengaged and uninterested in the story, it's awfully easy to find low hangi ...more
I'm a total sucker for time-travel novels, and Replay is a damn clever one filled with unexpected twists and traumatic experiences.
After a fatal heart attack at age 43, Jeff Winston wakes up baffled to learn he is not dead, but a young college student again back in 1963, (no spoiler here) and as he begins to relive his life over and over and over again, he becomes a bit more prepared and curious each time. Wanting to know the cause of this unusual phenomena, he finally stumbles across an interes
...more
Jun 26, 2011
Eh?Eh!
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
babble-added,
goodreader-gave-to-me
There was a period of time where I made myself think through what I wanted, realistically, and how to achieve them, ultimately. Were you one of those kids who wanted to set the world on fire and initiate changes for the better, if not for fame then for purpose? I was saddened by how scaled back my plans became once I was a bit ground down by circumstances. Then I set it all aside and half-numbly addressed day-to-day tasks.
Recently, I was in a situation where a man-boy poured his little heart out ...more
Recently, I was in a situation where a man-boy poured his little heart out ...more
I read this book for a book club I'm in, and it surprised me that I hadn't heard about it before. I bought the book and I read it and I wanted to like it. There had been a lot of hype when it came out in 1986 and won the World Fantasy Award of 1988. I like fantasy. I write fantasy. But I don't think this book is actually real fantasy. I don't think it's science fiction either. I think it is a failed attempt to write a story where a human being finds redemption through an unusual method.
I feel i ...more
I feel i ...more
It's a shame that REPLAY by Ken Grimwood is not more well known. The writing and story are stellar, and this book is still one of my all time favorites.
...more
This one’s about time travel.
Now, as a reader of comic books, this phrase has a chilling effect on my brain, because time travel stories are usually (but not always) the last refuge of the unimaginative or gassed out writer, but this book has been sitting on my shelf for a while and heck, because Stephen King wasn’t available, even Dean Koontz has some nice things to say about it on a cover blurb.
The story unfolds like so: Henpecked, depressed dude dies in the middle of a phone call with his wif ...more
Now, as a reader of comic books, this phrase has a chilling effect on my brain, because time travel stories are usually (but not always) the last refuge of the unimaginative or gassed out writer, but this book has been sitting on my shelf for a while and heck, because Stephen King wasn’t available, even Dean Koontz has some nice things to say about it on a cover blurb.
The story unfolds like so: Henpecked, depressed dude dies in the middle of a phone call with his wif ...more
As I read this, I had to go through a period of adjustment that included shock, pleasure, annoyance, and eventually acceptance.
It’s by no means a bad book. Indeed, it’s a great book that kept me riveted throughout the reading, and despite... or rather, BECAUSE of the associations I kept making as I read it, I must give this novel many more props than I might have done otherwise.
What the hell am I talking about?
This book won the World Fantasy Award back in the mid eighties, but since then, we’ve ...more
It’s by no means a bad book. Indeed, it’s a great book that kept me riveted throughout the reading, and despite... or rather, BECAUSE of the associations I kept making as I read it, I must give this novel many more props than I might have done otherwise.
What the hell am I talking about?
This book won the World Fantasy Award back in the mid eighties, but since then, we’ve ...more
With a setup that recalls Groundhog Day and Back to the Future II (a middle-aged man, Jeff, relives his life from age 18 to his "death" at 43 over and over, able to change things each time but never escaping the loop; going back in time gives him a chance to make a fortune betting on horse races), Replay promises to be a fun sci-fi wish fulfillment story, but winds up something else entirely, a wistful meditation on the relentless passage of time and the regrets we all carry about the choices we
...more
Jan 10, 2018
Iulia
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
honorable-mentions,
read-2018
I enjoyed Replay mainly because it is a great example of wish fulfillment. The main character, a middle aged man with a regular job and stuck in a lackluster marriage, gets to go back to his younger body while retaining all the knowledge and wisdom he accumulated during the years. This gives him a huge advantage over everyone else; he has knowledge of the future that can potentially make him rich, he can avoid all the mistakes that lead him to the bleak future he just escaped, and he can enjoy
...more
Review on English, followed by the Bulgarian one. Ревюто на английски е първо, следва това на български.
I had read it twenty years ago and I did not remember anything about "Replay", except that I did liked it a lot.
Now, after rereading it, I can say with a clear heart that Ken Grimwood's book is great.
How would you live your life if you can start it again at the very beginning of it? Combined with the knowledge and experience accumulated during your previous lives? Will this be an obstacle or w ...more
I had read it twenty years ago and I did not remember anything about "Replay", except that I did liked it a lot.
Now, after rereading it, I can say with a clear heart that Ken Grimwood's book is great.
How would you live your life if you can start it again at the very beginning of it? Combined with the knowledge and experience accumulated during your previous lives? Will this be an obstacle or w ...more
Jeff Winston is a 43 years old radio journalist, trapped in a tedious job and a dysfunctional marriage, when he gets the chance of a lifetime: when he's having a heart attack, instead of dying he wakes up 25 years earlier, in 1963, with all his memories intact. I don't think there's any person on this planet who, approaching the 50 years milestone, has not fantasized about starting over with the wisdom that only age and experience can grant, and enjoy all the perks a young body and financial for ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Well see Bill Murry is in this small town and for some reason he wakes up there every day and it's the same day. He's living Ground Hog day over and over and he needs to learn....
No wait, that's a movie this is a book. Okay Jeff Winston is 43 years old and he apparently has a heart attack...and wakes up in his old college dorm room 25 years before. He died in 1988 and woke up in 1963.
We now follow the story of his life...his redeath and his reawakening again, and again. While Murry in Ground Hog ...more
No wait, that's a movie this is a book. Okay Jeff Winston is 43 years old and he apparently has a heart attack...and wakes up in his old college dorm room 25 years before. He died in 1988 and woke up in 1963.
We now follow the story of his life...his redeath and his reawakening again, and again. While Murry in Ground Hog ...more
One of my favorite books about time.
May 28, 2008
Chloe
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
Anyone who has ever wanted a do-over
Recommended to Chloe by:
Seth Ball
Shelves:
scifi-fantasy,
time_is_a_flat_circle
Replay is a book that had been lingering on my to-read stack for well-nigh three years before I finally got up the gumption to actually crack the cover. Once again I find myself a victim of the too-many-books-too-little-time syndrome which seems to plague all of us various Goodreaders and am kicking myself for waiting so long before reading this eminently enjoyable time travel romp.
I think that one of the reasons I avoided reading this for so long is that it is saddled under the unfortunate umbr ...more
I think that one of the reasons I avoided reading this for so long is that it is saddled under the unfortunate umbr ...more
Reading this on a train journey where I was travelling to meet up with a friend and was very excited about seeing him could have meant that this book would rather have been like 'musac' going on in the background and ought not to have made any real impression but it did. It was a really clever concept of one man who dies of a heart attack at 43 but then keeps reliving the decades leading up to that moment. And each 're-life' is informed by what he has been and done in all his previous incarnatio
...more
Replay one of most interesting and compelling science fiction novels I've ever read. It's cleverness is only exceeded by the book's probing insights into love, values and the human spirit. Replay is a page turner, so be prepared to miss meals and train stops.
...more
Apr 21, 2008
Rachel
rated it
liked it
Recommends it for:
adults wanting a quick, easy, thought-provoking read, but especially American Baby Boomer MEN!
The author does a great job of illuminating the main character's inner dialog and questions about his predicament. At each point in the novel, the protagonist responds to his situation sensibly and/or understandably, demonstrating smarts, will-power, perseverance, and human fallibility (his patience can and does reach a limit). I liked the plot twists and turns ... at least for the first 2/3 of the book, I really had no idea WHAT was going to happen next. I was hoping it wouldn't end the way it
...more
Mar 08, 2008
Chris
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
anyone aware that their future self is trapped in the past
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
5+ life affirming Stars
Replay is winner of World Fantasy Award for Best Novel (1988)
I absolutely loved this mesmerising book with it's unexpected twists, beautiful romance, intelligent plot and incandescent characters. I read Replay on a whim, without knowing what it's about except that it has something to do with time travel, and now I'm so glad I took a chance on it this summer.
“All life includes loss. It's taken me many, many years to learn to deal with that, and I don't expect I'll ever be ...more
Replay is winner of World Fantasy Award for Best Novel (1988)
I absolutely loved this mesmerising book with it's unexpected twists, beautiful romance, intelligent plot and incandescent characters. I read Replay on a whim, without knowing what it's about except that it has something to do with time travel, and now I'm so glad I took a chance on it this summer.
“All life includes loss. It's taken me many, many years to learn to deal with that, and I don't expect I'll ever be ...more
Ok, so I'm a time travel novel addict. This is my tenth in a little over two years and I'm still on the lookout for more! This one is pretty good: the narrative has elements in common with other books I've read (the JFK assassination, how to make money quickly & well, if you get it wrong this time there's always next time...) but, in truth, it never really feels believable in a way the King novel, 11/22/63, does. Still, it's pacy, there are plenty twists and, like all books of this genre, it doe
...more
This book is pure fun. It is a fantasy about Jeff Winston, a middle-age man with a marriage that has turned sour. He suffers a heart attack, and wakes up to find himself 18 years old again, in his college dorm room. He has retained all his memories. He figures out how to relive his life--differently. The story is sort of reminiscent of Groundhog Day, but instead of reliving a single day over and over, Jeff relives many years of his life, again and again.
With each replay of Jeff's life, he takes ...more
With each replay of Jeff's life, he takes ...more
Imagine being trapped in a time loop where you travel back to your college years and experience being eighteen years old all over again. That is exactly what happens to Jeff Winston when he sits in his office and suffers then dies of a massive heart attack. The novel won the 1988 World Fantasy Award and I can understand why it did. It takes you on quite a wild ride through the 1960's through the 1980's and it lots of fun to read especially if you lived during that time. I enjoyed the book and ad
...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Loop-de-loop!!! Written in 1986, this one surprised me as to the time wrinkle element. I'm not sure if that is a old or new aspect to fantasy, but it feels modern. There are many great parts to this story. . . .and I don't want to ruin it for anyone. I've been thinking about this response for days now. If you like time travel, fantasy, science fiction, a liberal doses of sex, opportunities to "redo" and redeem - and an eerie ending. . . .
This is the book for you!
4 stars. 5 if I am moved to rerea ...more
This is the book for you!
4 stars. 5 if I am moved to rerea ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goodreads Librari...: Please add cover to B07GXRFNVF | 3 | 7 | Nov 30, 2020 09:01AM | |
| Tampa Nerd Night ...: Replay – June 2016 | 1 | 6 | May 01, 2020 06:21PM | |
| Play Book Tag: Replay by Ken Grimwood -- 3.5 stars | 2 | 15 | Sep 13, 2019 01:07PM | |
| Replay | 26 | 270 | Apr 04, 2019 11:39AM | |
| Time Travel: REPLAY: December 2014 | 113 | 193 | May 09, 2017 07:39AM | |
| Francophonie: CLUB DE LECTURE Avril 2015 - Replay, Ken Grimwood | 24 | 64 | Apr 30, 2015 10:20AM |
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“All life includes loss. It's taken me many, many years to learn to deal with that, and I don't expect I'll ever be fully resigned to it. But that doesn't mean we have to turn away from the world, or stop striving for the best that we can do and be. We owe that much to ourselves, at least, and we deserve whatever measure of good may come of it.”
—
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“Jeff," she said, sobbing, "I'm scared! I don't want to die! Not … die forever, and—"
He hugged her tightly, rocked her in his arms and felt his own tears trickle down his face. "Just think of how we've lived. Think of all we've done, and let's try to be grateful for that."
"But we could have done so much more. We could have—"
"Hush," he whispered. "We did all we could. More than either of us ever dreamed when we were first starting out."
She leaned back, searched his eyes as if seeing them for the first time, or the last. "I know," she sighed. "It's just … I got so used to the endless possibilities, the time … never being bound by our mistakes, always knowing we could go back and change things, make them better. But we didn't, did we? We only made things different.”
—
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More quotes…
He hugged her tightly, rocked her in his arms and felt his own tears trickle down his face. "Just think of how we've lived. Think of all we've done, and let's try to be grateful for that."
"But we could have done so much more. We could have—"
"Hush," he whispered. "We did all we could. More than either of us ever dreamed when we were first starting out."
She leaned back, searched his eyes as if seeing them for the first time, or the last. "I know," she sighed. "It's just … I got so used to the endless possibilities, the time … never being bound by our mistakes, always knowing we could go back and change things, make them better. But we didn't, did we? We only made things different.”
