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3.38 AVERAGE
3.38 AVERAGE
Love Tom Hanks, but I found this boring.
Dear Tom Hanks, I love your acting. I really really do. But this book just doesn't work for me. I managed to finish more than half of it and I can say with confidence that the stories are.... you know, really really bland. I appreciate the common denominator of the stories, namely typewriter, but that's all about what I can appreciate. Please continue acting.
The subtitle of this collection of 17 short stories by Tom Hanks is "Some Stories," but it could have more accurately been called "Some Nice Stories." Nice characters, good dialogue, and some humor, but not a whole lot of conflict in the stories. Standouts for me were "The Past Is Important To Us" (I'm a sucker for time travel stories), "Christmas Eve 1953" and "Steve Wong Is Perfect."
3.5 stars
3.5 stars
As with most short story compilations, these are hit and miss. The saving grace was that I read the Audible version which is read by Hanks who does a great job. If you're interested in this, I'd recommend the audiobook version for his performance but overall it isn't too memorable.
I received this book as an ARC through a Goodreads giveaway.
I really wish 1/2 star ratings were possible. While this collection of short stories fell short of a 5* rating, I do think it merits higher than 4*.
I have to admit that my expectations were not high going in to this read. Tom Hanks is a great actor, but can he also write? However, I was curious, entered the giveaway and settled in to read the stories once my book arrived. I soon discovered a lovely, heart warming collection where I identified with the characters and was invested in reading their stories to their conclusion. I found myself reading a little slower than usual to savour the images and feelings Hanks was able to evoke.
While each of the stories stands completely on it's own, there is a series of 3 stories that follows the same group of 4 friends that I particularly enjoyed as we got to know them a little better: Three Exhausting Weeks; Alan Bean Plus Four; and Steve Wong is Perfect. I was least enamoured with 4 offerings written as newspaper commentaries titled Our Town Today with Hank Fiset -. I just didn't relate to them in the same way. Hence missing the 5* rating.
Each of the other stories is completely independent from the others, but each reaches out and grabs you. All of them tell simple stories of love, loss, endings and beginnings. Simple, but so true to the collective human experience that you can easily imagine yourself right there.
I highly recommend this collection and look forward to seeing it in stores. I have a feeling some of my book loving friends will be getting this as Christmas presents.
I really wish 1/2 star ratings were possible. While this collection of short stories fell short of a 5* rating, I do think it merits higher than 4*.
I have to admit that my expectations were not high going in to this read. Tom Hanks is a great actor, but can he also write? However, I was curious, entered the giveaway and settled in to read the stories once my book arrived. I soon discovered a lovely, heart warming collection where I identified with the characters and was invested in reading their stories to their conclusion. I found myself reading a little slower than usual to savour the images and feelings Hanks was able to evoke.
While each of the stories stands completely on it's own, there is a series of 3 stories that follows the same group of 4 friends that I particularly enjoyed as we got to know them a little better: Three Exhausting Weeks; Alan Bean Plus Four; and Steve Wong is Perfect. I was least enamoured with 4 offerings written as newspaper commentaries titled Our Town Today with Hank Fiset -. I just didn't relate to them in the same way. Hence missing the 5* rating.
Each of the other stories is completely independent from the others, but each reaches out and grabs you. All of them tell simple stories of love, loss, endings and beginnings. Simple, but so true to the collective human experience that you can easily imagine yourself right there.
I highly recommend this collection and look forward to seeing it in stores. I have a feeling some of my book loving friends will be getting this as Christmas presents.
I absolutely adore Tom Hanks, and I think he's a great writer, it's just really hard for me to get into short stories. I wish he had taken one story and made it into a whole book.
BUT DON'T THINK I MISSED THAT MAGIC SHOES REFERENCE, TOM.
BUT DON'T THINK I MISSED THAT MAGIC SHOES REFERENCE, TOM.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Such a fun collection of short stories! Enjoyable from beginning to end
Overall, this was a fun read. I don’t usually go for collections of stories like this, which is reflected in the rating. I did like the individual snapshots into peoples lives, it left me wanting more of a story from each one. I also enjoyed the themes that connected each story.
I found this beautiful and heartbreaking and very - dryly - funny. I loved listening to Hanks read his work. I was caught off guard and deeply touched by both 'Christmas Eve 1953' and 'Go See Costas'. This book is absolutely delightful. Careful, your heart might break