Ken Grimwood (1944–2003)

Really a 5.5/10. Well done and everything, but strikingly unoriginal. This type of story is part of modern culture, sufficiently similar to Slaughterhouse Five (1969), Groundhog's Day, and The Time-Traveler's Wife. This version is probably the weakest out of all of them, despite being the most different. For instance, the romance in The Time-Traveler's Wife was extremely potent, markedly distinguished from the matter-of-fact relationship in "Reply".
Not terribly recommended, except if you literally run out of all other books. Was surprised to see it included in the Fantasy Masterworks collection.… (meer)

Great premise. Starts off promising and chugs along nicely. But about 75% in it slows way down and meanders. It gets tangled in things that have nothing to do with the premise. The secondary character, Pam, is not as developed and fully flushed out. I didbt care at all about her. Jeff I Liked. The narrator was good, but needs a few more accents to improve the overall feel of the characters. He also needs to learn how to pronounce certain names. Its is not Joe Pepitonee. It is Joe Pepitone. Short e, not long… (meer)

Considered the original long form Groundhog day story before the Bill Murray/Harold Ramis movie. (there was a short story which predated it as well) A quick read, similar to All you Need is Kill. Enjoyable, though with a bit too much sexual content for my liking. But a nice focus on building authentic relationships. Interesting view. Some threads and ideas which are not developed. Apparently Grimwood was planning a sequel (an epilogue seems to give an opening for one), before he passed away. Wonder if somehow it would be published. I would probably read it.… (meer)