Replay (Paperback)

by Ken Grimwood (Author) "Jeff Winston was on the phone with his wife when he died..." (more)
Key Phrases: other replayers, New York, Pamela Phillips, Montgomery Creek (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In this intriguing fantasy adventure, Jeff Winston, a failing 43-year-old radio journalist, dies and wakes up in his 18-year-old body in 1963 with his memories of the next 25 years intact. He views the future from the perspective of naive 1963: "null-eyed punks in leather and chains . . . death-beams in orbit around the polluted, choking earth . . . his world sounded like the most nightmarish of science fiction." But Grimwood has transcended genre with this carefully observed, literate and original story. Jeff's knowledge soon becomes as much a curse as a blessing. After recovering from the shock (is the future a dream, or is it real life?), he plays out missed choices. In one life, for example, he falls in love with Pamela, a housewife who died nine minutes after Jeff; they try to warn the world of the disasters it faces, coming in conflict with the government and history. A third replayer turns out to be a serial killer, murdering the same people over and over. Jeff and Pamela are still searching for some missing part of their lives when they notice they are returning closer and closer to the time of their deaths, and realize that the replays and their times together may be coming to an end. 60,000 first printing; 75,000 ad/promo; film rights to United Artists; Literary Guild selection.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
The possibility of traveling back in time to relive one's life has long fascinated science fiction writers. Without a single gesture toward an explanation, this mainstream novel recounts the story of a man and a woman mysteriously given the ability to live their lives over. Each dies in 1988 only to awaken as a teenager in 1963 with adult knowledge and wisdom intact and the ability to make a new set of choices. Different spouses, lovers, children, careers, await them in each go-round of the past 25 years, as well as slightly altered versions of world events. Their deep commitment to one another continues through the centuries of their many lifetimes. This delightful and completely engrossing story will appeal to a wide variety of readers. Literary Guild selection. Marcia R. Hoffman, M.L.S., American Hoechst Corp., Somerville,
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 313 pages
• Publisher: Ace (September 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441715923
• ISBN-13: 978-0441715923
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (335 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,503,446 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

76 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyably enlightening read, June 1, 2005

By	CreepyT "CreepyTendencies" (Colorado, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Replay (Paperback)

Let me begin by stating that I'm not a huge fan of the science fiction or fantasy genres, but there are some books whose unique plots immediately draw my attention, and beckon to be read. This is one of those books.

Jeff Winston dies, for the first time, within the first couple pages of the novel, and from there we go with him as he learns of his unique condition, or ability, if you will, to relive life over and over again. Jeff transcends time and space, taking his "aged" and experienced mind with him to his more youthful body, and he uses his wisdom and foreknowledge to exact changes in his life, and therefore the lives of those around him. He is given a second chance...and a third, and a fourth, etc. But what changes will he make, and are they really for the better?

The plot thickens when Jeff learns that he is not the only one with this unique asset. Another person, a woman, is also living her life in "replays." Pamela is an artist and a housewife who wants to use her knowledge of the future to attempt to exact changes for the greater good, whatever that may mean. However, she finds that her intentions, though benevolent, bring with them a complex web of consequences.

Together, the soul mates Pamela and Jeff share lifetimes of love and joy, an opportunity that many would eagerly vie for. They gather wealth and knowledge, they travel to various reaches of the globe, they form meaningful relationships with a wide variety of people, and they seemingly ascertain everything anyone could possibly want. But the lessons learned are still the same at the end of many lifetimes as they would be, it would seem, for one lifetime.

This book will run you through a wide gamut of emotions, making you laugh one moment while you cry the next, and when you turn the last page you'll wish it wasn't over. Ken Grimwood forces his readers to evaluate their lives and ponder their existences. Though we may not all have the opportunity to live several lifetimes, we do have time to exact our own changes here and now. Replay is a novel I will be reading and rereading over again, and one I will be giving to friends and family to read as well. Don't pass up this brilliant, unforgettable work.

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Isn't The Effect Of This Book On Your Personal View, EERIE!?, October 14, 1999

By	The Action Guy (London, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Replay (Paperback)

I first read "Replay" when it was new, back in the 1980s. I remember picking it up on a whim at a now-defunct bookstore in the middle of London, and taking it home with me. I'd just suffered a breakup with a girlfriend, and was entrenched for yet another lonely and dull Saturday night in.

I thought.

Well, I kept reading, and reading, and reading. And just couldn't put the damned thing down. It was early the next morning, and I'd finished the thing in one sitting, and...it was WEIRD. It was almost a chemical reaction, like something had gone "clonk" in my brain. I know precisely what people here mean when they liken it to a religious experience (and I'm not even remotely religious.)

I've lent this book to SO many people over the years; purchased copied for others. It's almost a litmus test...you can tell a lot about a person by their reaction to it.

I met someone at a party once, and the title came up in casual conversation. The reaction was like "lighting the blue touch paper"...the room IGNITED. This book is so loved, it's almost eerie.

A friend of mine, a fellow screenwriter, casually dropped it into a conversation with me, and we ALSO went nuts over this. The feeling is evangelical...you just WANT this book to be read by others! (A friend of mine in Scotland just got a copy through Amazon as a referral from me...hi, Lee!)

As a coda, I'd like to add that this book *IS* currently in the early stages of development as a movie at Warner Brothers, but from what I've heard about the script drafts to date, the producers seem to have cut a lot of the guts and heart from the story. I feel myself, and other "Replay" fans, could be very disappointed with the results.

This is *my* favourite book ever, period. (And I'm so picky, I can't even compile a list of my top 100 movies!) Buy it now!!!!

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How many times does a person have to die?, October 17, 2006

By	SirGeorgeMartini "ElDorado" (Chihuahua Legs, Wyoming) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Replay (Paperback)

I love time travel books and this is one of the best ones I've read. Some details in the character's lives are slightly dated because it was written in the 80s, but that doesn't make it any less interesting. Hopefully Grimwood will write a sequel in the future. Even though the ending was decent, I wondered what happened to the main characters after they returned to their normal lives and if there were any other people that went through the same ordeal.