Replay

By: Ken Grimwood

Narrated by: Adam Sims

At forty-three Jeff Winston is tired of his low-paid, unrewarding job, tired of the long silences at the breakfast table with his wife, saddened by the thought of no children to comfort his old age. But he hopes for better things, for happiness, maybe tomorrow ...

But a sudden, fatal heart attack puts paid to that. Until Jeff wakes up in his eighteen-year-old body, all his memories of the next twenty-five years intact. If he applies those memories, he can be rich in this new chance at life and can become one of the most powerful men in America.

Until he dies at forty-three and wakes up in his eighteen-year-old body again ... and again in a continuous twenty-five year cycle each time starting from scratch at the age of eighteen to reclaim lost loves, make a fortune - or remedy past mistakes.

A novel of gripping adventure, romance, and fascinating speculation on the nature of time, Replay asks the question: "What if you could live your life over again?"©2019 Ken Grimwood (P)2019 Orion Publishing Group

Critic reviews

"In 1986 (seven years before the release of the film Groundhog Day), Grimwood published this riveting novel about a man who dies of a heart attack and then wakes up in his college dorm room 25 years earlier. He discovers that he has the chance to live his life over again. And again. And again. This is one of the most elegant and moving time travels stories ever written. A thrilling adventure that also explores the nature of destiny and the human experience." (Ernest Cline, author of READY PLAYER ONE)

"I didn't just love Replay, I believed in it, I dreamed of it ... I also discovered that I wasn't only believer; at the time, there were fan sites dedicated to Replay. Hundreds of people - like the fellow replayers we never realize are out there - were all dreaming my same dream" (Brad Meltzer)

What a gem

First off, the book is absolutely fantastic. It messed me up good, wrenched my heart, and stirred my emotions. It also made me appreciate life, and realize just how little time we all have here.

Second, the narrator did a terrific job. If I could choose one audiobook to convince someone to start listening to books, this would be the one.

His cadence was always on point, and he did the voices in a way I never had to wonder who he was speaking on behalf of. The different accents he portrayed seemed impeccable to me, and even the slight differences in male and female voices he did made things easy to follow. I can't wait to listen to more of the books he narrated.

Don’t hesitate just buy

Been a while since I loved every single minute of a newly found book. It can scratch the itch of everyone who likes time travel and at the same time drowns you in the characters’ ups and downs in a consuming way.

One of the best books I've ever listened to

A great story with a great narrator. A beautiful book about the delicacy of life and the struggle to make the most out of it.

Profoundly moving story

A book that really makes you think about one’s life and the nature of life itself. An incredible accomplishment and one of the most beautiful love(s) stories.

One of my all time favourites

This is the one, every reader has one, dog eared, coffee stained, read repeatedly.

The audio version didn't disappoint.

I first read this in the 80s and King's novel about JFK's assassination has some similarities.

The story poses an interesting question. Would you do things differently if you were given a second chance? How much of that decision is based on who you've become and how much is based on local knowledge? How much would you remember if you found yourself reliving your youth?

Like Ground Hog day, the answer for most is in the nuance. Its not about drastic change, but rather fine tuning. Including of one's self.

People say hindsight is an exact science. This tends to sway us towards being more negative about the lows and more positive about the highs.

I think Replay is an example of how most of us would approach such a situation. And in that it has a reality that some other stories miss.

Highly recommend,

Enjoyed it... Loved it...!!!

I really liked how the story developed and wished that there was a sequel to this.

Also, the performance was really great.

What a great book!

What a nice surprise, one of those rare books I just couldn't put down, absolutely lived it.

Love it!

I especially like the narrator’s voice :)
the story is also something i haven’t heard before.

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

A real feel-good story that doesn't get boring.
The reason this book is super difficult to review without spoilers, is because it has very little plot, making mostly everything a spoiler. The lack of plot is usually something that turns me off right away, but there's a feel-good essence about this book, and you're never bored with it either, even if it IS pretty darn slow in the beginning.

I feel like Ken Grimwood glanced over way too many things that would have been great to have been dived a bit more into. I feel like too many times was something started, but not concluded, and I feel like maybe Mr. Grimwood might have written this book without planning anything ahead, as it often seems to go a certain direction, only for that direction never to be explored again.
This honestly bothered me quite a bit (also the fact that, at one point, the difference between Cinema movies and TV is explained, and the conclusions he makes are dead wrong, but this is not a major thing in the book, it just really bothered me personally).

So why did I give it four stars Overall?:
Well, like I said, it's a nice feel-good book, and it does all seem like the exact thing someone might do, if he/she was granted this gift/curse of reliving ones life multiple times. It also explores, or at least touches upon, many interesting ideas and many emotions that one might have to go through, that are unique to an experience like this.
A very interesting read. A very thoughtful read. And it's funny how the ending almost has an ominous feeling to it, even though it isn't.

A similar (better?) book:
I couldn't help but compare this book to a somewhat similar book; "The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August"
Replay came first, with almost 30 years. But this other "Harry August" book has a very specific plot, and a great story, so I suggest maybe checking both of these two books out and see for yourself, which one you think is better.
I will say, though, that I think these two books as very different in story, plot, and style, though extremely similar in concept.

Would I recommend Replay?:
Yes. Though it would never win any prices for outstanding writing, character development, or plot outlining. It makes sense that it won the "Best novel" at World Fantasy Award in 1988, as this was a great and somewhat groundbreaking idea and read back then. And like I said it really IS a nice read and has a very rare feel-good feeling to it, even though it isn't always happy.
I wish it had more relevant and thought-through conflict though, but oh well, to each their own, and it's still a great and wholesome read, written in a somewhat unique way.

Great!

I am a science fiction /alternative reality fan on my heart (alternative reality = Dark Tower series by Stephen King etc) so this book ruled. It became so much more than I expected! So I will recommend it wildly! (Also Dark Tower, I think you will enjoy it if you like this! The movie is ruining the story btw.)