There are no such things as automobiles, no planes, computers, television.

'And when you awake, everything you know of the twentieth century will be gone from your mind.

Were there any particular moments, places or characters in the 1882 scenes of the novel that you found particularly vivid and emblematic of the time?

In addition to the illustrations, Finney's descriptions of New York in 1882 are highly detailed.

How did Finney's inclusion of actual period photographs and drawings, ostensibly created by Simon Morley, affect your experience of the novel? NYPL Digital Gallery Time and Again is an illustrated novel. The former General Post Office, where Jake Pickering mails the letter to Carmody.How would you categorize Time and Again? Is the novel primarily science fiction, mystery, thriller, historical romance? Which elements appealed to you most?.What's your verdict? Here are some other questions to consider:

In the previous post, I asked if you found Jack Finney's portrayal of life in 1882 overly nostalgic. Other things, such as the revolting spittoons and tobacco juice stains to be found everywhere or the warm, familial atmosphere of the Gramercy Park boarding house clearly belong to a bygone New York. And the financier Carmody's explanation to Pickering of his leveraged economic circumstances could not have sounded more familiar to 21st century Americans. Please feel free to comment on any character, scene or aspect of the book that interests you.įor example, I was intrigued by Si's exposure to 1880s era food, which, we are told, had so much more flavor than the processed and packaged food of 1970, sentiments that are commonly expressed today by organic and local food enthusiasts but would have been heard less frequently 40 years ago. If you've been reading the book, why not share your thoughts with us through the comments form at the end of the post? There are some discussion questions (which include a few spoilers!) that can be used as a starting point, but don't feel obligated to stick to them. Welcome back to the Reader's Den! I hope you enjoyed taking a trip to the New York of 1882 along with Si Morley, the protagonist in Jack Finney's classic 1970 novel, Time and Again. 'It had become habit, leaving the Dakota, to walk out and back into the winter of 1882.'

Time and again by jack finney