Replay

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I’d be 22 years old, almost finished with college and already I’m starting to think about things I would do different. The interesting aspect to this phenomenon is that Jeff Winston wakes up remembering his entire life up to when his heart gives a last shuddering heave. This is a similar concept to Groundhog Day as Bill Murray keeps waking up remembering everything he has done while repeating the same day over and over again; only Grimwood expands the scope of the idea. 24 hours becomes 25 years. The denoument was surprisingly undramatic and unresolved but,in the context of the weirdness and unnerving experience that the two main protagonists had had and that we the readers had shared with them over countless lives, it rang true. I can see how some readers, particularly younger ones, might be confused by this story as there are three distinct things going in Leo world: his loving but chaotic home life, his rich fantasy life, and the humorous chaos as he practices for a school play. I read this book with a 5th going on 6th grader I am tutoring this summer. She seemed to really enjoy this book. It is a good coming of age novel that is relatable for middle school age children who feel invisible within their family, who wonder who they will be one day and who enjoy a little mystery.

ReplayBook - Fraxiinus.ReplayBook

There has been much debate over whether it is more appropriately labeled "sci-fi" or "fantasy". Personally, I'll opt for fantasy as Grimwood made no attempt to discuss or hypothesize a mechanism for the re-playing phenomenon. At the same time, I'm going to deduct one star from its rating for a sci-fi quibble. Grimwood chose to fix Winston's and Phillip's baseline of experiences, knowledge and history at the level of their first life. As a sci-fi fan comfortable with the multi-worlds concept, I didn't see any reason to favour one world over another. As both Phillips and Winston re-played their lives in a linear fashion, there was no obvious fundamental reason to suggest that, of necessity, they would be re-born in their "first" universe. Why not their second, third or indeed a universe that they had yet to experience? One thing about "Replay" which is either positive or negative, depending on who you are, is that it is closely tied to American sports, popular culture, and political events from 1963 to 1988.

After Walk Two Moons came Chasing Redbird, Pleasing the Ghost, Bloomability, The Wanderer, and Fishing in the Air. I hope to be writing stories for a long, long time. Quizás no era mi momento para leerla, a mis compis de lectura de la Cafetería de Audrey parece que les gustó un poco más. What is odd about Replay is that there is seemingly no point to the time loops. In Groundhog Day, Bill Murray is doomed to keep repeating the same day until he becomes a better person. In Edge of Tomorrow, Tom Cruise is repeating the same day in the hope of figuring out how to defeat the alien invasion. In Replay, Jeff just keeps reliving a smaller and smaller section of his past. He lives his life differently each time, but his choices make no difference to the ultimate outcome. Nor does his extended lifespan make him a drastically different or better person.

Replay by Ken Grimwood - AbeBooks Replay by Ken Grimwood - AbeBooks

I went into this feeling pretty ho-hum. I’m not a big sports manga person and baseball is my least favorite so I was like at least there are some hottie manga boys for me to fawn over. I was looking forward to reading this book, because I am a fan of Love that Dog. There were some parts I liked, but overall I have to give it an "ehhhh." Leo (sardine, fog boy) is a very observant, sensitive curious boy who at times struggles with fitting in to his Italian family. I could relate to his quest to find out more about his family. He reveals his inner thoughts to us from up in his maple tree as he reads the journal his father wrote when he was Leo's age. 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. I really like Tsukahara Saki sensei’s shoujo manga drawing style, all her characters look very beautiful. However I have to admit storytelling is not her strong suit… Replay was released at the same time as Blue Note, the art and plot have improved compared to her earlier works Powder Snow Melancholy and Escape Drop. There were parts that were quite slow or didn't pertain to the story-line. However, the art was absolutely gorgeous and this mangaka definitely has become a favourite of mine with their art style. Also, let's just appreciate this gorgeous cover! I am loving the pastel colours.

I'm going with it's all a dream within a dream. I like George Berkeley's theory of subjective idealism, what little I know of it from Sophie's World. And, I appreciate the point made by Welwyn Wilton in a comment on her review. It's just such a shame that this amazing premise gets squandered. Jeff, and then Jeff and Pamela when he meets her during his third replay, speculate a little as to the cause and reason behind their staggered, spiralling reincarnations. Yet there is no payoff. None. We never learn why or how they keep reliving their lives, just that they have learned some big lesson about making the most out of their futures. Except I'm pretty sure that Jeff is just going to continue evaluating women's worth as sex objects and being a terrible husband, because he is the worst. I rally loved the book and the tension and sadness inherent in the plot. There was humour, there is challenge but over-riding it all there is a sense that we cannot remake ourselves differently to how we are, we cannot scale an impossibly high wall just by virtue of having a lot of runs at it. We are who we are and all we can do is begin to find a way to be that person more happily, more honestly, more real-ly. Qué harías si pudieras volver a vivir tu vida, pero sabiendo todo lo que sabes en la actualidad? A partir de esa interesante premisa el autor construye una historia que engancha. Una historia que engancha mucho.