Time Travel discussion

For the month of December (2014), we will be reading Replay by Ken Grimwood (first published 1986). I'm excited to visit an old favorite. I hope it has aged well for me. I first stumbled upon a copy years ago in a used bookstore. The theme of time travel by reincarnation intrigued me, and there seemed to be nothing else out there like it. That’s probably why it always seems to show up on best-of lists for sci-fi including the following:
*Modern Fantasy: The Hundred Best Novels (1988)
*Aurel Guillemette's The Best in Science Fiction (1993)
*David Pringle's Ultimate Guide to Science Fiction (1995)
*Locus Reader's Poll: Best Science Fiction Novel (1988).
*#32 on the Locus poll of the best fantasy novels published prior to 1990 (1998)
*#43 on the Internet Top 100 SF/Fantasy List (2000)
*#19 on the Internet Top 100 SF/Fantasy List (2003)

GoodReads Blurb:
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 up back in college again…

About the Author:
It turns out that the author grew up in Dothan, Alabama, which is very near my hometown. He escaped into the world of radio journalism and wrote several other books besides Replay. His debut novel, Breakthrough, also includes a reincarnation theme. And you can pick up a copy of Elise for low, low prices of $600 used or $7000 new. One of Grimwood’s friends described him as living a “free spirit lifestyle" and said that "he was a loner, almost a recluse. He liked small gatherings of friends. We had many dinner parties with him and some friends, and he would always be the one to keep the evening hilarious; he was a great storyteller. He did not like publicity and was actually quite shy... He was a media junkie. He owned the first Betamax sold; he had the largest video library I've ever seen. One of his favorite things to do was for he and I to watch some old movie in the afternoon; we did it often." Ken Grimwood was working on a sequel to Replay when he died of a heart attack in 2003.

Movie:
United Artists has owned the film rights since 1986. Bradjolina sniffed at it for a while. Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future director) was looking at directing the film in 2011. Ben Affleck said in 2012 that he’d be interested in possibly acting in it. In recent news? David Twohy (director of the last Riddick movie) may be interesting: http://www.denofgeek.us/movies/replay...

NPR Feature Story (2008):
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/st...

Where to Find
*Ebook - not available (any links to illegal eBooks will be deleted)
*Amazon (new, used, and audiobooks starting at $0.89 + shipping): http://www.amazon.com/Replay/dp/B001N...
*From your local or nearby library (free): http://www.worldcat.org/title/replay/...?
*From your bookshelf collecting dust (also free)

Pre-Reading Questions
1. Does anyone else have the cover with the guy falling through the clock face? (from Ken)

2. Is this your first time reading Replay, or is this a re-read?

Reading Questions
1. What happens to the consciousness/soul/entity/existence of the Jeff W that existed just seconds before "future" Jeff W inhabits (or takes over) his body? (from Beth Sniffs Books)

2. There were one or two of his lives that I at first thought, "Wow, I would NEVER try that kind of life." But then, I'm in the single-life mindset. If I knew, or thought, that I had an unlimited number of lives to spend, I might try a decadent one or two, knowing that it was impermanent and wouldn't matter in the long run. It's hard to truly put yourself in that position, mentally, isn't it? (from Michele)

3. The thing that struck me the most when it was all said and done is the question I posed to myself the first time I read it and again now: If I learned from his experience, and I 'replayed' back into my eighteen year old self with all my memories intact, what would I do differently? … What would you do differently? (from Glenn)

Post-Reading Questions
1. I'm wondering if I found it so compelling because I fit the demographic of the intended audience (W/M/BB). I'd be interested to see how it rates with ethnic women born sometime after the summer of love. (from David)

2. [If you didn’t like the book], what didn't work for you about it? (With spoiler tags of course in case anyone hasn't finished it!) (from Michele)

3. I'm curious what people think the overall point or message of the book is. Do you see it as ultimately hopeful, not hopeful, neutral? Is Grimwood trying to say something about life in general? (from Michele)

4. Every time we read a book, we bring different life experiences to the reading. If this was a re-read, did you enjoy it less, more, or about the same this time around?

5. I'm curious, having read 2 other books this year about lives that "replay", how this one will stack up. Has anyone else read Life After Life or The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August? If so, how do you feel Replay compares?

I read this book for the first time a few months ago and really liked the plot, the characters and the pace.

I see that you are a night owl like me. This time of night is when I get my best reading done. No distractions!

I'm so excited to actually get to read along with the group read this month! I just picked this up from the library today and plan to get started asap (it's a busy time of year at work, but a girl has to have her priorities, right?)

This will be the first paper book I've ready in probably 2 years. LOL If that isn't dedication to the group, then I don't know what is. ;)

I read this a few years ago and knew that the physical book was pretty hard to find, so I hung on to it. Now I can do a reread with the group-perfect!

I read this several years ago and loved it, look forward to a reread - I hope my library fills my request soon or I might have to buy it! ;)

Beth Sniffs Books wrote: ... For those of you who have never read it, you're really in for a treat!

All right, I was thinking of sitting this one out, but I think you are convincing me of my need to read it...

This is my favorite time-travel book of all time. I'm attaching a link to a Youtube video review of the book by Darren DeBari that has some interesting information about Ken Grimwood. It's a little spooky how Ken Grimwood's life is so similar to Jeff Winston - both end up dying of heart attacks, work in radio, etc.
You may want to wait until after you've read the book to watch the video - there are a few plot spoilers in the review.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiirX...

It is a =great= book, well deserving of its awards. And what a pity the author died!

I was completely absorbed into this book. It is completely enthralling in my opinion. It was about a year ago that I read it. It actually has a lot of similarities to the Harry August book, though the main characters differ in how they deal with their respective replaying lives.

Spoiler Warning: This actually may not be a spoiler but I thought better safe than sorry. I was quite disappointed that the book doesn't cover the mechanics of why the main character replays his life over and over. I had just read "A Tale of Time City" which despite being a youth book, is very complex and enjoyable for adults. That book explained its system of time travel so well, that I think I was expecting the same from Replay.

Beth Sniffs Books wrote: "I'm curious about what happens to the consciousness/soul/entity/existence of the Jeff W that existed just seconds be..."

Now that's an interesting question -- I have to say in all the times I read this book, I never thought of that! Parallel universes might explain it: each time he jumps back, a different universe splits off. In one of them the previous Jeff goes right on, and in one of them he's replaced with the traveling Jeff.

I think that must be the case, actually. Because the original Jeff (we'll call him Jeff[0]) experience his entire life normally, right up until the end, without interruption. Likewise, the first Jeff that returns, Jeff[1], experience *his* repeated life normally, right up until the end, without interruption. Same with Jeff[2], Jeff[3], and so on. None of them were "booted" by a later version of themselves.

I usually have three or four books going at a time, and will read the first two or three chapters of a new book and put it back on the bottom of the stack. But I picked this up last week (had never heard of it) and read straight through. I'm wondering if I found it so compelling because I fit the demographic of the intended audience (W/M/BB). I'd be interested to see how it rates with ethnic women born sometime after the summer of love.

Libby wrote: "This will be the first paper book I've ready in probably 2 years. LOL If that isn't dedication to the group, then I don't know what is. ;) ..."

I hear that, Libby. I keep trying to highlight, insert notes, and look up words with my index finger. It'll take a day or two.

I had to root through a couple of boxes of old books before I found my copy. I'm glad I did because I enjoyed the reread and also found I few other books I'd read years ago which are now in my TBRA pile.

Great book with fantastic characters and a super storyline. There were some parts which dragged a little but overall a solid 5* read.

Does anyone else have the cover with the guy falling through the clock face?

I started this last night, and I have to say that I'm hooked already. I was initially afraid that I wouldn't have time this month to finish it, but now I'm afraid that I'll find myself putting off everything else in order to read instead! I think I'm going to have to take a day and just finish the whole thing because I can tell that this is one that's going to occupy my mind for a while.

Beth Sniffs Books wrote: "I have to say, I'm glad Replay wasn't made into a movie..."

Well, not yet, but there's one in the works (or at least it was as recently as 2011, I think). See here.

It probably got lost in development hell. But, plotwise, it is not as difficult as INCEPTION, which was a delightful movie, so it could be done.

I guess I am the odd one out. I bought and read this good a couple of months ago. I heard a lot of good reviews about it here at Goodreads. But I didn't like it very much. I love time travel and time travel/reincarnation books. But this one just didn't grab me. Like I said, I am the odd one out.

Maybe you could say what didn't work for you about it? (With spoiler tags of course in case anyone hasn't finished it!)

I'm curious what people think the overall point or message of the book is. Do you see it as ultimately hopeful, not hopeful, neutral? Is Grimwood trying to say something about life in general?

Might not be able to discuss this fully until everyone has finished it...

Well, you -could- be very solipsistic about it. In an infinity of universes, everybody could be Replaying and you would never know it. And this would in theory allow everybody to finally get their sh-t together. But since to write about all these people would take zillions of volumes, and be very dull, the author wrote about one.

Anytime. :-)

Glenn wrote: "does anybody by chance know of a place in Italy I might find it?"

Just for future reference, you might try zvab.com -- they're based in Germany, so you'd still pay shipping, but since it's part of the EU maybe not quite so steep?

I read this in 2010 and must have liked it because I gave it 4 stars. Too bad I didn't "review" it. When I think back about the book though I seem to remember getting a bit fed up with the main character. I'll follow this discussion to see if anyone else feels that way later on, and why... :)

Glynn wrote: "I read this in 2010 and must have liked it because I gave it 4 stars. Too bad I didn't "review" it. When I think back about the book though I seem to remember getting a bit fed up with the main cha..."

You might consider reading it again. It's a quick read.

Michele wrote: "Glenn wrote: "does anybody by chance know of a place in Italy I might find it?"

Just for future reference, you might try zvab.com -- they're based in Germany, so you'd still pay shipping, but sinc..."

Thanks Michelle. I've put in in my notes.

So, where is everybody in the book?

I'm just starting Chapter 14. I keep finding myself "taking a break" from work to read "just a few pages." Admittedly, there has been one of his replays so far that I didn't care for AT ALL, so I found myself skimming. It's still a great book though, and I'm anxious to see how it ends!

Libby wrote: "I'm just starting Chapter 14. I keep finding myself "taking a break" from work to read "just a few pages." Admittedly, there has been one of his replays so far that I didn't care for AT ALL..."

There were one or two of his lives that I at first thought, "Wow, I would NEVER try that kind of life." But then, I'm in the single-life mindset. If I knew, or thought, that I had an unlimited number of lives to spend, I might try a decadent one or two, knowing that it was impermanent and wouldn't matter in the long run.

It's hard to truly put yourself in that position, mentally, isn't it?

Yes. I can see saying, "You know what, this time around, I'm just going to do whatever the heck I want because it won't matter in the end anyway."

And I can see someone reaching the point where they were willing to do *anything* to end the seemingly endless replaying of their life, up to and including making choices that invite early death - "Maybe if I die sky diving this time, that will finally be the end!"

I'm not reading Replay now because I've already read it several times in years past. It is one of my all-time favorite books.

I started reading it around 2am just to start and finished it the next day. A couple of chapters in, I remembered reading it back in the nineties.

The thing that struck me the most when it was all said and done is the question I posed to myself the first time I read it and again now: If I learned from his experience, and I 'replayed' back into my eighteen year old self with all my memories intact, what would I do differently?

Naturally, my answer today is different than it was twenty years ago.

Then, it was one of the things that made me pack up and move to Italy on an adventure. Now, I'd get a degree in literature and writing and live in NYC.

What would you do differently?

Michele wrote: "It's hard to truly put yourself in that position, mentally, isn't it? "

Yes! I finished this last night, and I found myself trying to think about what I'd do differently. Initially, I thought I wouldn't do anything differently because I wouldn't want to end up having to lose my children again. Then I got to thinking that any number of things could happen so that the children that I had weren't the SAME children that I know in this life. For example, if we conceived on a different day, I may have had a boy instead of a girl.

So, I think ultimately, I probably WOULD do some things differently. Like others have mentioned, if we knew that the choices we were making didn't really matter in the long run, I'd probably be tempted to try a new path each time.

Having said all of that, I was still very disturbed at some of the choices Jeff made.

All in all though, it was an excellent read, and I'm sad to think that there will never be a sequel. A movie would be fabulous though, and I can absolutely see Ben Affleck in that role.

I can think of a lot of lives I would try out.

1) Going to college in another country; England or Wales probably
2) Having kids
3) Getting a different kind of education - I would probably try a bunch of different things here, like majoring in math or creative writing instead of history, or skipping college altogether to go learn bookbinding here.
4) Becoming a hobo and wandering the country
5) That guy in college that I was madly in love with but he thought we were just friends (don't we all have one of those?), I would tell him I loved him and see what happens
6) Live in a different part of the country - Maine or Idaho or Nevada
7) Run a horse farm
8) Run for office

The hard part would be never knowing which one was your last chance. In the book, Jeff suspects, because (view spoiler)[each time he replays starting from a little later, so he's approaching the moment of his first/real death and he knows that will be when it stops (hide spoiler)]. But if I didn't know, it'd be tough to choose.

Which is kind of how life really is, I guess. I don't know if I'll get any other chances, none of us do. Maybe that's the message of the book: that it doesn't matter whether you get one life or a hundred, you still have choices about how to live the one you're in.

Beth Sniffs Books wrote: "I think what's interesting is how quickly some of y'all are reading Replay..."

We might be fast -- or it might be that we've read it before ;)

Beth Sniffs Books wrote: "I wonder what would happen if a Replayer did succeed in making a choice that did lead to an early death..."

Doesn't Jeff try this at some point?

I'm done/ couldn't stop reading last night. Re trying to find out if an early death would change the cycle, (view spoiler)[I wonder if Pamela knew that she'd always survive accidents, but was simply trying to avoid the pain & stress... I know I have no fear of death, but lots of fear of pain... (hide spoiler)]

Btw, if you just can't get enough of this motif, there's an MG (early teen) book that's fun, and sweet, and smart (and clean!), by Wendy Mass called 11 Birthdays. (yes, it's the first of a series, but each book does stand alone well enough)

Libby wrote: "Michele wrote: "It's hard to truly put yourself in that position, mentally, isn't it? "

Yes! I finished this last night, and I found myself trying to think about what I'd do differently... Then I got to thinking that any number of things could happen so that the children that I had weren't the SAME children that I know in this life. For example, if we conceived on a different day, I may have had a boy instead of a girl"

I love that thought - a major mental hiccup! It opens up a whole different tangent of thought. Perhaps your child would be different because you and your husband were in different mindsets and emotional frames at the point of conception, even if it were on the same day? Also, you would have all your memories in tact. Your husband would still be who he was in his younger version. I wonder what would that do to the conception of children - their sex, personality, natures?

I think most people would be tempted to try things differently or suffer the emotional ennui of repeating over and over the same predictable life.

I think we all have paths taken that we might regret and wish to do differently. But that's life neh?

Michele wrote: "If I knew, or thought, that I had an unlimited number of lives to spend, I might try a decadent one or two, knowing that it was impermanent and wouldn't matter in the long run. ..."

Ahh, but all choices still join the compilation of our "Replayed" lives and influence who we are and who we become. Jeff gives us much to think about. Nothing wrong with a little decadence, however.

I'm not expecting another life, but maybe we could prepare with personal "NTA" lists, just in case. (Forget Bucket Lists.) Imagine what we might do differently Next Time Around and, just as important, what we definitely would NOT do differently. Don't be late for that "meet cute" event with the love of your life. And don't screw it up!!

I have learned that preparing NTA lists with friends (Replay fans) at a pub is not particularly productive, though it sure can be hilarious.

Beth Sniffs Books wrote: "This site seems to have viruses and malware..."

Woah, yeah. I checked them out and got some seriously sketchy/weird stuff. scamadvisor warns against it as well.

Yikes So sorry. Never again

You have to be very careful of pirated books. Crooks know to use them to sneak stuff into your systems.

Jeff’s limited number of replays doesn’t eliminate the burden of opportunity cost (each replay seems to follow a singular line of logic). Do we really feel so constrained by our previous choices that we need a reset to move in alternate directions?

David wrote: "Do we really feel so constrained by our previous choices that we need a reset to move in alternate directions?"

I think it depends on what that "alternate direction" entails. I can decide to change jobs or get a divorce or go back to school or move to Italy at any time, sure.

But suppose I wish I'd gone to a different college as an undergrad. I could decide to go there for graduate school, but that's not the same as being there as an undergrad.

Or suppose I'm 60 with no kids and I wish I'd had kids when I was 20. Or suppose I have four kids and I wish I had none.

These changes would require a reset because they involve altering past events, which I can't change no matter how unconstrained I may feel.

I didn't think being super-busy at work and home for a week would make me late to the book club party, especially since it's not available as an ebook. But, wow; we're already on page 2 of comments.

By the way, this book is NOT in the public domain and cannot be available free legally anywhere. In the countries with the loosest laws, this book won't even be in the public domain until 2028. It will be in the public domain in the USA and in Russia (where these links came from) in 2073. So if you're downloading it for free, you're downloading it illegally. The only legitimate publisher of this book that I can find is a paperback company that doesn't have an eBook version of this book. I deleted all the links to illegal downloads of eBook versions of the book in this discussion thread. Since Amazon owns GoodReads, I don't think it's a good idea to be loading up your Kindle with illegal eBooks AND announcing it here, so I've deleted all those website references. As many of you mentioned, they seemed like possible carriers of viruses anyway.

If anyone is looking for a legitimate copy, abebooks has a ton of used copies starting at $1 :)

If anyone is late to join us in reading/re-reading (like me), I've collected all the discussion questions here. Feel free to add any questions as we go along.

Pre-Reading Questions
1. Does anyone else have the cover with the guy falling through the clock face? (from Ken)

2. Is this your first time reading or a re-read?

Reading Questions
1. What happens to the consciousness/soul/entity/existence of the Jeff W that existed just seconds before "future" Jeff W inhabits (or takes over) his body? (from Beth Sniffs Books)

2. There were one or two of his lives that I at first thought, "Wow, I would NEVER try that kind of life." But then, I'm in the single-life mindset. If I knew, or thought, that I had an unlimited number of lives to spend, I might try a decadent one or two, knowing that it was impermanent and wouldn't matter in the long run. It's hard to truly put yourself in that position, mentally, isn't it? (from Michele)

3. The thing that struck me the most when it was all said and done is the question I posed to myself the first time I read it and again now: If I learned from his experience, and I 'replayed' back into my eighteen year old self with all my memories intact, what would I do differently? … What would you do differently? (from Glenn)

Post-Reading Questions
1. I'm wondering if I found it so compelling because I fit the demographic of the intended audience (W/M/BB). I'd be interested to see how it rates with ethnic women born sometime after the summer of love. (from David)

2. [If you didn’t like the book], what didn't work for you about it? (With spoiler tags of course in case anyone hasn't finished it!) (from Michele)

3. I'm curious what people think the overall point or message of the book is. Do you see it as ultimately hopeful, not hopeful, neutral? Is Grimwood trying to say something about life in general? (from Michele)

4. Every time we read a book, we bring different life experiences to the reading. If this was a re-read, did you enjoy it less, more, or about the same this time around?

Ken, I have the version of the book with the guy falling through the clock face. It's even got mildew damage on the cover. The first time I read it, I put clear contact paper on the cover because I knew it was a book I wanted to keep and probably couldn't easily find again.

My first time reading, this book became an instant favorite, but I had a hard time visualizing the settings of the book. I remember feeling as if I were living inside the main character's head, but that I wasn't really IN the world itself. I'm interested to see if I feel the same way when reading it the second time.

Post-Reading Question 5:
I'm curious, having read 2 other books this year about lives that "replay", how this one will stack up. Has anyone else read Life After Life or The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August? If so, how do you feel Replay compares?

I've not read Life after Life, but I *much* prefer Replay to Harry August. Imo, it makes more sense, doesn't have so much clutter with the conspiracy & Big Mystery, and is, ultimately, more thought-provoking.

Re' Michele's post-reading question #3 - I believe that the easy and obvious point or message is simply that we need to choose our lives' paths wisely, cuz even if we get a chance to be a replayer, we won't effectively be able to change anything.

But that's just the first theme. I hope to see more opinions/ answers.

The closest cognate to REPLY I can think of is GROUNDHOG DAY. In which, you may recall, the Bill Murray hero does learn better from his replays. And he gets off the merry-go-round.