Reviews

Time and Again by Jack Finney

tdannecker's review against another edition

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adventurous informative mysterious medium-paced

4.0

moinc's review against another edition

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3.0

I didn't finish it. Too much detail describing NY and how it looked. I think if you know NY well you would be more interesting.

sue_reilly's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5 stars. The first third of the book dragged, but the last 2/3 were pretty suspenseful and good. It left me with a bad taste in my mouth at the end with the comparison of 1882 to 1970, which I would argue is naive.
SpoilerI'm pretty sure there are a lot of downsides to living in 1882 NYC if you are not a white guy. Also no thanks to 1882 medical care.
But anyway it had some interesting ideas and the mystery part of the plot was good. I like the combination of time travel and mystery.

rossbow's review against another edition

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3.0

The time travel story was really compelling, but felt about 200 pages too long to me. The author clearly loved describing 1800’s NYC, but in more detail than I cared for and largely unnecessary to the story.

gudgercollege's review against another edition

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2.0

The romance with Julia was not believable or interesting, but the premise was a fresh take on time travel.

cagebox's review against another edition

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3.0

Time and Again has a mysterious plot and an original take on time travel, but I found much of the middle sections to be dull.

meganq1's review against another edition

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5.0

A favorite that I've read several times.

grrrlstyle86's review against another edition

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5.0

Halfway through this book I was really annoyed at the main character because he made a paternalistic reasoning for a decision that would become the turning point in the novel. Thankfully upon finishing the book, it paid off grandly. It wasn't enough that the mechanism of time travel is not a vessel per se (as HG Well's Time Machine, Bill & Ted's telephone booth or even the Doctor's TARDIS) was beautifully executed, but the late 1800s New York City is depicted so lovingly (in both word and illustrated form) that I have to admit, I walked around the city looking at older buildings more than I already do. But, somehow, the return to modern NYC was even more magical after what the characters have been through, and their choices were heartbreaking (turning out to be a pretty darn good love story, and a dissolving of another relationship that was actually handed in a mature fashion--who knew??). The central plot begins innocuously enough, with a slight mystery that results in an action-packed pay off. On top of all that, there were incredible twists to the story, right up to the last page. Phew. Good stuff!

kfrench1008's review against another edition

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5.0

One of my favorites (this was my third time through it). A great story, well-told and researched; and possibly the most perfect ending to a novel ever!

elizarex's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0