Replay
by Ken Grimwood
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Description
A time-travel classic in the tradition of Jack Finney's Time and Again, Ken Grimwood's acclaimed novel Replay asks the provocative question: "What if you could live your life over again, knowing the mistakes you'd made before?"Forty-three-year-old Jeff Winston gets several chances to do just that. Trapped in a tepid marriage and a dead-end job, he dies in 1988 and wakes up to find himself in 1963, at the age of eighteen, staring at his dorm room walls at Emory University. It's all the show more same...but different: Jeff knows what the future holds. He knows who will win every World Series...every Kentucky Derby...even how to win on Wall Street. The one thing he doesn't know is: Why has he been chosen to replay his life? And how many times must he win---and lose---everything he loves?
Winner of the 1988 World Fantasy Award for best novel and published in eleven languages, Replay unravels the answers in a masterful skein that captivates our imagination.
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Member Recommendations
browner56 Both of these are well-written stories that deal with the concept of time travel in an interesting way.
Also recommended by Kichererbse, sturlington
120
dltj Shares a similar plot line that covers part of the same time period, and "Replay" even includes a story fragment about November 22, 1963.
110
BookshelfMonstrosity Life after Life and Replay feature characters who live multiple lives against their wills; the complications of dying and coming back to life form the core of each novel and create moving, sometimes funny, always thought-provoking situations.
30
amysisson Another, very different examination on where our choices take us in life.
11
PghDragonMan Reincarnation to learn a Life Lesson joins these works
Member Reviews
Despite being an early take on the now oversaturated reliving life genre, this was unexpectedly fresh. It doesn't make the mistake of getting bogged down in minutiae or trying to bullshit about the metaphysics of the scenario itself. In a Groundhog Day fashion that's not the point. Rather it's the meditation on the roads not travelled that shines; a plausible and very human set of reactions and counter reactions to having an opportunity to do it all again, starting with the usual responses to this hypothesis ("if I knew what was gonna happen I'd make millions on betting and the markets"), and letting that play out as the ultimately empty hedonistic fantasy it is. There's a lot of life philosophy at work behind the repeated lives, but show more not in a preachy way. show less
Replaying Replay
With what I like to call “the oppressive weight of unread literature” hanging over my head, I rarely indulge in re-reads. However, I have a hard time resisting beloved old titles when they go on sale at audible.com. I rationalize that audiobooks are a new take on old favorites. As for Replay, it must be 15 years since I first read it. I remember staying up to 3:00AM to finish the novel, and then bursting into tears once I had. Not a common response. Simply put, I loved it for being nothing more than a great story. Now, the danger of revisiting such cherished favorites is that the re-read rarely equals the remembered experience. I’m happy to report, however, that I loved Replay all over again.
It is the story of show more Jeff Winston, 42, who in the novel’s opening pages has a heart attack and dies. After which, he wakes up at the age of 19 in his college dorm room. He remembers everything from the life and death he just experienced, and it all appears to be starting over. So begins a series of Groundhog Day-like lives and deaths for Jeff Winston. I won’t tell you anymore of what happens, but I think that one of the reasons I always liked this tale is that I felt there was a universality to the responses Jeff had and the actions he took in the face of an utterly inexplicable situation. There were parts I remembered clearly from the first read, but other plot points I’d forgotten entirely. It was a great re-read!
I’ve been recommending this cult favorite for years, and I will be pleased to continue doing so. Wow, it occurs to me only at this moment that I am now the age at which Jeff dies. I was in my twenties when I first read the novel. Perhaps I’ll read it again in another 20 years. And, truly, if there is a book to revisit multiple times throughout life—given the storyline—this is the one! show less
With what I like to call “the oppressive weight of unread literature” hanging over my head, I rarely indulge in re-reads. However, I have a hard time resisting beloved old titles when they go on sale at audible.com. I rationalize that audiobooks are a new take on old favorites. As for Replay, it must be 15 years since I first read it. I remember staying up to 3:00AM to finish the novel, and then bursting into tears once I had. Not a common response. Simply put, I loved it for being nothing more than a great story. Now, the danger of revisiting such cherished favorites is that the re-read rarely equals the remembered experience. I’m happy to report, however, that I loved Replay all over again.
It is the story of show more Jeff Winston, 42, who in the novel’s opening pages has a heart attack and dies. After which, he wakes up at the age of 19 in his college dorm room. He remembers everything from the life and death he just experienced, and it all appears to be starting over. So begins a series of Groundhog Day-like lives and deaths for Jeff Winston. I won’t tell you anymore of what happens, but I think that one of the reasons I always liked this tale is that I felt there was a universality to the responses Jeff had and the actions he took in the face of an utterly inexplicable situation. There were parts I remembered clearly from the first read, but other plot points I’d forgotten entirely. It was a great re-read!
I’ve been recommending this cult favorite for years, and I will be pleased to continue doing so. Wow, it occurs to me only at this moment that I am now the age at which Jeff dies. I was in my twenties when I first read the novel. Perhaps I’ll read it again in another 20 years. And, truly, if there is a book to revisit multiple times throughout life—given the storyline—this is the one! show less
Replay greatly moved me. I've just recently started re-establishing my reading habits and this was one of the first books I picked up during that time. I used any small chance I could get to read on, as it builds on a simple, but ever-engaging premise.
"The unexamined life is not worth living" – this quote takes on a central role in Replay, as Jeff is forced to re-live and thus re-examine his life (or 25 years of it, for that matter) again and again. At the same time, I couldn't help but examine my own life and really ask myself the questions that Jeff is asking himself: Given the chance, what would I do differently? How would I make use of what I have learned so far? What is it that really brings me happiness and contentment? What is show more the "best" life that I can possibly live? And, most difficult of all, how would I deal with the inevitable loss, in each of these cycles? And why should I keep trying if all and everyone is to be lost again and again? Also, am I living this life, my real life, right now, to the fullest?
As Jeff's windows of opportunity keep shrinking, these questions grow ever more pressing. We all have to figure out our own anwers that suit our own lives, our own doubts and challenges, our mistakes and achievements. For me, some of the answers that the book points to are extremely life-affirming. The story and its conclusion really resonated with me and even set some stuck thoughts in a new kind of motion. It made me look at my wife and daughter with even more love and a grander kind of perspective.
Not every book has this kind of immediate impact.
_____
Writing this as a man myself, I should mention that there's a strong male gaze in the protagonist's perspective. Prepare for quite a few descriptions of breasts, hair and scent. It didn't get too obnoxious for me, but your mileage may vary. ;) show less
"The unexamined life is not worth living" – this quote takes on a central role in Replay, as Jeff is forced to re-live and thus re-examine his life (or 25 years of it, for that matter) again and again. At the same time, I couldn't help but examine my own life and really ask myself the questions that Jeff is asking himself: Given the chance, what would I do differently? How would I make use of what I have learned so far? What is it that really brings me happiness and contentment? What is show more the "best" life that I can possibly live? And, most difficult of all, how would I deal with the inevitable loss, in each of these cycles? And why should I keep trying if all and everyone is to be lost again and again? Also, am I living this life, my real life, right now, to the fullest?
As Jeff's windows of opportunity keep shrinking, these questions grow ever more pressing. We all have to figure out our own anwers that suit our own lives, our own doubts and challenges, our mistakes and achievements. For me, some of the answers that the book points to are extremely life-affirming. The story and its conclusion really resonated with me and even set some stuck thoughts in a new kind of motion. It made me look at my wife and daughter with even more love and a grander kind of perspective.
Not every book has this kind of immediate impact.
_____
Writing this as a man myself, I should mention that there's a strong male gaze in the protagonist's perspective. Prepare for quite a few descriptions of breasts, hair and scent. It didn't get too obnoxious for me, but your mileage may vary. ;) show less
¿Qué harías si pudieras vivir tu vida otra vez, recordando todo lo anterior, si pudieras arreglar los errores cometidos en el pasado? ¿Y si volvieras a repetirlo?
'Volver a empezar' es sin duda una de las mejores novelas de viajes en el tiempo que he leído. La premisa que nos propone Ken Grimwood es muy original. Este libro, escrito en 1988, y ganador del Premio Mundial de Fantasía, nos propone viajar al pasado como nunca se había hecho. Estamos acostumbrados a un traslado tipo 'Regreso al futuro', en el que puedes encontrarte contigo mismo, produciéndose las consabidas paradojas, y tus actos pueden afectar el continuo espacio-tiempo. Pues en 'Volver a empezar' lo que viaja es la mente.
Jeff Winston, de 43 años, lleva una vida show more aburrida y monótona, hasta que sufre un ataque al corazón. Es el año 1988. Despierta en 1963, con 18 años, en su joven cuerpo recordando toda su futura, o pasada, vida. Pero ahí no se acaba todo, porque Jeff sabe los resultados de carreras y competiciones deportivas, al igual que sabe qué empresas serán las importantes a la hora de invertir. Se da cuenta de que puede cambiar lo que fue su vida anterior. Pero hay más, mucho más, que no voy a desvelar porque es mejor ir leyéndolo uno mismo. Por ejemplo, ¿qué pasará cuando llegue de nuevo el año 1988, fecha en que "falleció"?
Este libro es apasionante, original y está muy bien escrita. Las vivencias de los personajes las haces tuyas, sientes con ellos. Porque, ¿quién no ha pensado alguna vez en lo que haría o dejaría de hacer si le diesen la oportunidad? Lo dicho, Imprescindible. show less
'Volver a empezar' es sin duda una de las mejores novelas de viajes en el tiempo que he leído. La premisa que nos propone Ken Grimwood es muy original. Este libro, escrito en 1988, y ganador del Premio Mundial de Fantasía, nos propone viajar al pasado como nunca se había hecho. Estamos acostumbrados a un traslado tipo 'Regreso al futuro', en el que puedes encontrarte contigo mismo, produciéndose las consabidas paradojas, y tus actos pueden afectar el continuo espacio-tiempo. Pues en 'Volver a empezar' lo que viaja es la mente.
Jeff Winston, de 43 años, lleva una vida show more aburrida y monótona, hasta que sufre un ataque al corazón. Es el año 1988. Despierta en 1963, con 18 años, en su joven cuerpo recordando toda su futura, o pasada, vida. Pero ahí no se acaba todo, porque Jeff sabe los resultados de carreras y competiciones deportivas, al igual que sabe qué empresas serán las importantes a la hora de invertir. Se da cuenta de que puede cambiar lo que fue su vida anterior. Pero hay más, mucho más, que no voy a desvelar porque es mejor ir leyéndolo uno mismo. Por ejemplo, ¿qué pasará cuando llegue de nuevo el año 1988, fecha en que "falleció"?
Este libro es apasionante, original y está muy bien escrita. Las vivencias de los personajes las haces tuyas, sientes con ellos. Porque, ¿quién no ha pensado alguna vez en lo que haría o dejaría de hacer si le diesen la oportunidad? Lo dicho, Imprescindible. show less
In 1988, a man in his forties has a heart attack and wakes up in his teenage body in early 1963, but with all his memories intact. He uses his knowledge of the future to navigate each of his 'replays', dying again every time in 1988. This book, as everyone points out, is a soulmate to the unimpeachable Bill Murray film Groundhog Day, only in Replay the protagonist is living his life over and over, as opposed to a single day. Like Murray in the film (which came years later, it should be said; Replay is not unoriginal), the protagonist alternates between hedonistic despair, isolation, altruism, revisionism and the 'good life' in each of his various replays, eventually reaching a fitting conclusion for both himself and the reader.
Now, show more you'll already know if this is your sort of thing; the only question if you're thinking of reading it is whether author Ken Grimwood pulls it off. Rest assured, he does. More bittersweet than comedic, Grimwood nevertheless touches upon the comedic, dramatic and thriller potential of his scenario, and I'd be very surprised if both Harold Ramis and Stephen King weren't aware of the book when creating Groundhog Day and 11/22/63, respectively. In retrospect, I would have liked more on the origins of the time loop in Replay (one character – though he may be insane – claims it is down to interdimensional aliens), but considering everything else that Grimwood does, it is easy to overlook it and just be carried along. Grimwood provides thoughts on ageing, acceptance and humanism that never get in the way of the pace of the story or the authenticity of the characters, and I love that sort of lightly stimulating intellectual bent to a good concept, just enough to make it more rewarding than merely on the entertainment level (see also Flowers for Algernon and the film The Man from Earth). Replay delivers all the best features of a crowd-pleaser. It's perfect fun. show less
Now, show more you'll already know if this is your sort of thing; the only question if you're thinking of reading it is whether author Ken Grimwood pulls it off. Rest assured, he does. More bittersweet than comedic, Grimwood nevertheless touches upon the comedic, dramatic and thriller potential of his scenario, and I'd be very surprised if both Harold Ramis and Stephen King weren't aware of the book when creating Groundhog Day and 11/22/63, respectively. In retrospect, I would have liked more on the origins of the time loop in Replay (one character – though he may be insane – claims it is down to interdimensional aliens), but considering everything else that Grimwood does, it is easy to overlook it and just be carried along. Grimwood provides thoughts on ageing, acceptance and humanism that never get in the way of the pace of the story or the authenticity of the characters, and I love that sort of lightly stimulating intellectual bent to a good concept, just enough to make it more rewarding than merely on the entertainment level (see also Flowers for Algernon and the film The Man from Earth). Replay delivers all the best features of a crowd-pleaser. It's perfect fun. show less
Replay by Ken Grimwood starts out small, like a curious fish-out-of-water scenario, but then grows exponentially into a tale of epic proportions. One that is literally unbound by a human lifetime.
If all you read was the short summary blurb on the back of the book, you'd be forgiven for thinking, "Oh, this is just like Groundhog Day" because it IS sort of like Groundhog Day at first, but then evolves in such wonderous and unexpected directions. Also, Groundhog Day came out after this book so, if we're comparing the two, it's the other way around.
There's a moment in the 2nd half of the book where the main character describes his predicament as like having been exiled from the human race. I thought that a powerful descriptor. There are few show more real-world equivalents of true human exile, and the concept is still mostly the realm of science fiction. We are, after all, confined to this planet, together. At least for the foreseeable future.
I highly, highly recommend Replay if you love a good time-bending adventure. Honestly, I was half expecting it to feel dated given its relative age, but once I was hooked, I couldn't stop. And I'm still thinking about it to this day. show less
If all you read was the short summary blurb on the back of the book, you'd be forgiven for thinking, "Oh, this is just like Groundhog Day" because it IS sort of like Groundhog Day at first, but then evolves in such wonderous and unexpected directions. Also, Groundhog Day came out after this book so, if we're comparing the two, it's the other way around.
There's a moment in the 2nd half of the book where the main character describes his predicament as like having been exiled from the human race. I thought that a powerful descriptor. There are few show more real-world equivalents of true human exile, and the concept is still mostly the realm of science fiction. We are, after all, confined to this planet, together. At least for the foreseeable future.
I highly, highly recommend Replay if you love a good time-bending adventure. Honestly, I was half expecting it to feel dated given its relative age, but once I was hooked, I couldn't stop. And I'm still thinking about it to this day. show less
recommended for: fans of sci-fi and romance books (I’m not really of the latter but I enjoyed it)
This is my favorite kind of sci-fi book: well written and thought provoking, and with completely believable people in unusual circumstances. I enjoyed the first two thirds of the book the best, although the portion (I found disturbing) near the two-thirds mark and the rest of the events in the last third were all “plausible.” I did think that most of the plot, at least up until the very end, was predictable, but that didn’t really detract from my enjoyment in reading it. It turned out to be not quite the book I expected when I’d first heard of it, but it was equally interesting.
I read it for my book club but it was already on my show more to-read list.
The more I think about it, the more immensely satisfying I find this book, and I can think of much to discuss. show less
This is my favorite kind of sci-fi book: well written and thought provoking, and with completely believable people in unusual circumstances. I enjoyed the first two thirds of the book the best, although the portion (I found disturbing) near the two-thirds mark and the rest of the events in the last third were all “plausible.” I did think that most of the plot, at least up until the very end, was predictable, but that didn’t really detract from my enjoyment in reading it. It turned out to be not quite the book I expected when I’d first heard of it, but it was equally interesting.
I read it for my book club but it was already on my show more to-read list.
The more I think about it, the more immensely satisfying I find this book, and I can think of much to discuss. show less
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Story about being reborn & living yor same life again with all you previous lifes memories in Name that Book (September 2011)
Author Information
6 Works 3,883 Members
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title*
- Replay - Das zweite Spiel
- Original title
- Replay
- Original publication date
- 1987
- People/Characters
- Jeff Winston; Pamela Phillips
- Important places
- Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Important events
- Assassination of John F. Kennedy (1963-11-22)
- Dedication
- For my mother and father
- First words
- Jeff Winston was on the phone with his wife when he died.
- Quotations
- The future: hideous plagues, a revolution in sexual attitudes achieved and then reversed, triumph and tragedy in space, city streets haunted by null-eyed punks in leather and chains and spiked pink hair, death-beams in orbit ... (show all)around the polluted, choking earth...Christ, Jeff thought with a shudder, from this viewpoint his world sounded like the most nightmarish of science fiction.
"Chateaugay, at eleven-to-one odds.
He sold the Chevy, his books, stereo, and record collection....
...Now he had to place a bet, a large one. But how?"
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... (show all) 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. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)The possibilities, Jeff knew, were endless.
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Last words in main story:
The possibilities, Jeff knew, were endless.
/////
Last words in epilogue:
Those years, those familiar and long-past years from 1988 to 2017, were his to live again, knowing the mistakes he'd made before. This time, Peter Skjoren vowed, he would do it right. - Blurbers
- Wood, Bari; Koontz, Dean
- Original language
- English
- Disambiguation notice
- Rowland Damaris is NOT the author of Replay, Ken Grimwood is.
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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