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3.38 AVERAGE
3.38 AVERAGE
Audio version read by Mr. Hanks. Entertaining short stories, many set in NYC and with old fashion typewriters.
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I enjoyed how each story mentioned a typewriter, no matter WHAT the story was about. It was fun to read short stories thinking there would be no closure and then get to another short story that included the same characters in a different context, so you didn't feel like you needed closure.
Adding the audiobook to my wishlist to hear Tom Hanks read it...
I LOVED reading about Southern California stuff; anything that reminds me of home always wins when I read. :-)
Adding the audiobook to my wishlist to hear Tom Hanks read it...
I LOVED reading about Southern California stuff; anything that reminds me of home always wins when I read. :-)
The writing is good and the stories flow but much of it is very surface level. This is a good beach read but not for you if you're looking for something more substantive.
I really enjoyed the sweet, luddite nature of these stories, except the story-as-screenplay at the end kind of ruined it for me.
medium-paced
I love a themed short stories collection, and the theme here is typewriters. this was a mixed bag, and I felt like they gradually got better (like they were published in the order they were written in?) I don't know, but I felt the first few stories were rough and then they got better.
They cover a whole range of topics. you have war veterans, a group of friends on bowling nights, an eccentric billionaire buying a motel, a snarky newspaper coloumn, the mundane lives of people, the not-so-mundane lives of film stars and more, and they're all connected by a typewriter that plays some role in the story. in some stories, a typewriter was just there on a shelf, but in others it was the focus of the story in some way, and those were my favorites.
I don't always like fiction written bu film stars, because some times (especially in memoirs) it's ghostwritten, but this felt authentic. It felt like it was written in the voice of Tom Hanks, and while that doesn't give it 5 stars, it's defintely a point for it.
short review for each story:
1- Three Exhausting Weeks: so this was a story about two friends who didn't really work out as a couple. she's manipulating him and he's letting himself be manipulated. nothing new, but I have one question, where was the typewriter? I assumed each story would deal with typewriters in one way or another, but the first one didn't at all.
2- Christmas Eve 1953: this story features a typewriter. I was starting to doubt the selling "theme" of this collection. I don't really like veteran stories of the war, and half of this story was that. felt sad and nostalgic, but I can't help comparing to one of Tom Hanks' films.
3- A Junket in the City of Light: I'm not gonna lie, i'm losing enthusiasm for this collection with each story. this one follows two film stars on their press tour for their new film in Paris. it was pretty boring.
4- Our Town Today with Hank Fiset - An Elephant in the Pressroom: The first piece of writing I liked in the collection. a newspaper coloumn where the writer is worried about their newspaper going digital, presenting the stereotype of old-school journalists.
5- Welcome to Mars: I'm not into reading about surfers, at all. but this story had its twists. I just expected the whole "typewriter" theme to be more in some stories, than just "and there was a typewriter in the room" and getting on with the story. oh well.
6- A Month on Greene Street: I actually felt like this story had some sort of a plot and I liked it. The main character Bette is such an interesting character, and the idea of the images or visions she has for her life and how they dictate her decisions is so intriguing to me.
7- Alan Bean Plus Four: that's interesting, there are recurring characters from the first story, is this the first time or did they appear before and I didn't notice? this was funny and wholesome in a very Tom Hanks way.
8- Our Town Today with Hank Fiset - At Loose in the Big Apple: a love letter to New York (or not). the city of tv shows and films.
9- Who's Who? the naive theater actress coming to New York chasing her dreams, and the "fairy godmother" figure who helps her, a bit too idealistic but also sweet.
10- A Special Weekend: a slice of life melancholic story about a ten years old boy celebrating his birthday with his mom and realizing a lot of things about life, losing his innocence in a way. it was sweet, but maybe too mundane.
11- These are the Meditations of my Heart: this was a proper love letter to typewriters. I would've been disappointed if this collection didn't include a story like this one. cozy and just lovely.
12- Our Town Today with Hank Fiset - Back from Back in Time: I've grown to love these newspaper columns sections. have a distinctive humor, even different from the humor of the other stories in the collection. and it's interesting being the second in a row story dedicated to the love of typewriters.
13- The Past is Important to Us: is it actual time travel or just a scam? I had fun guessing and re-guessing through the entire story. I would really love to see this one adapted into a film! a love story and a story about nostalgia.
14- Stay With Us: this one is formatted like a film script. I like how Tom Hanks seems to be playing with form in this collection. a bit too wholesome and sacchrine sweet for my taste, and the characters are written like they're roles to be played? the dialogue and everything. an eccentric millionaire and his assistant go on a low-key adventure without their money and stay at a motel run by an old sweet couple. it just felt like the script of a Tom Hanks film.
15- Go See Costas: I liked this story about an immigrant and his struggles coming to the US, the ending seemed a bit weird and came out of nowhere, but it was heartwarming seeing this young man's journey and struggles.
16- Our Town Today with Hank Fiset - Your Evangelista, Esperanza: I loved this one, the character "Evangelista" could be the heroine of a novel on her own. a woman working in a coffeeshop, typing on her typewriters, helping people with their poems and letters. short and sweet.
17- Steve Wong is Perfect: I'm pretty sure Steve Wong and his friends were mentioned in two stories at least. but I love the humor in the stories about these four.
They cover a whole range of topics. you have war veterans, a group of friends on bowling nights, an eccentric billionaire buying a motel, a snarky newspaper coloumn, the mundane lives of people, the not-so-mundane lives of film stars and more, and they're all connected by a typewriter that plays some role in the story. in some stories, a typewriter was just there on a shelf, but in others it was the focus of the story in some way, and those were my favorites.
I don't always like fiction written bu film stars, because some times (especially in memoirs) it's ghostwritten, but this felt authentic. It felt like it was written in the voice of Tom Hanks, and while that doesn't give it 5 stars, it's defintely a point for it.
short review for each story:
1- Three Exhausting Weeks: so this was a story about two friends who didn't really work out as a couple. she's manipulating him and he's letting himself be manipulated. nothing new, but I have one question, where was the typewriter? I assumed each story would deal with typewriters in one way or another, but the first one didn't at all.
2- Christmas Eve 1953: this story features a typewriter. I was starting to doubt the selling "theme" of this collection. I don't really like veteran stories of the war, and half of this story was that. felt sad and nostalgic, but I can't help comparing to one of Tom Hanks' films.
3- A Junket in the City of Light: I'm not gonna lie, i'm losing enthusiasm for this collection with each story. this one follows two film stars on their press tour for their new film in Paris. it was pretty boring.
4- Our Town Today with Hank Fiset - An Elephant in the Pressroom: The first piece of writing I liked in the collection. a newspaper coloumn where the writer is worried about their newspaper going digital, presenting the stereotype of old-school journalists.
5- Welcome to Mars: I'm not into reading about surfers, at all. but this story had its twists. I just expected the whole "typewriter" theme to be more in some stories, than just "and there was a typewriter in the room" and getting on with the story. oh well.
6- A Month on Greene Street: I actually felt like this story had some sort of a plot and I liked it. The main character Bette is such an interesting character, and the idea of the images or visions she has for her life and how they dictate her decisions is so intriguing to me.
7- Alan Bean Plus Four: that's interesting, there are recurring characters from the first story, is this the first time or did they appear before and I didn't notice? this was funny and wholesome in a very Tom Hanks way.
8- Our Town Today with Hank Fiset - At Loose in the Big Apple: a love letter to New York (or not). the city of tv shows and films.
9- Who's Who? the naive theater actress coming to New York chasing her dreams, and the "fairy godmother" figure who helps her, a bit too idealistic but also sweet.
10- A Special Weekend: a slice of life melancholic story about a ten years old boy celebrating his birthday with his mom and realizing a lot of things about life, losing his innocence in a way. it was sweet, but maybe too mundane.
11- These are the Meditations of my Heart: this was a proper love letter to typewriters. I would've been disappointed if this collection didn't include a story like this one. cozy and just lovely.
12- Our Town Today with Hank Fiset - Back from Back in Time: I've grown to love these newspaper columns sections. have a distinctive humor, even different from the humor of the other stories in the collection. and it's interesting being the second in a row story dedicated to the love of typewriters.
13- The Past is Important to Us: is it actual time travel or just a scam? I had fun guessing and re-guessing through the entire story. I would really love to see this one adapted into a film! a love story and a story about nostalgia.
14- Stay With Us: this one is formatted like a film script. I like how Tom Hanks seems to be playing with form in this collection. a bit too wholesome and sacchrine sweet for my taste, and the characters are written like they're roles to be played? the dialogue and everything. an eccentric millionaire and his assistant go on a low-key adventure without their money and stay at a motel run by an old sweet couple. it just felt like the script of a Tom Hanks film.
15- Go See Costas: I liked this story about an immigrant and his struggles coming to the US, the ending seemed a bit weird and came out of nowhere, but it was heartwarming seeing this young man's journey and struggles.
16- Our Town Today with Hank Fiset - Your Evangelista, Esperanza: I loved this one, the character "Evangelista" could be the heroine of a novel on her own. a woman working in a coffeeshop, typing on her typewriters, helping people with their poems and letters. short and sweet.
17- Steve Wong is Perfect: I'm pretty sure Steve Wong and his friends were mentioned in two stories at least. but I love the humor in the stories about these four.
The stories were well-written in terms of technique, but all the stories felt familiar as though I'd already read a variation elsewhere. Nothing that exciting. And a couple of little things, like calling a gaudy western shirt "fruity," that made me arch my eyebrow. Not really recommended unless you're a big Tom Hanks fan.
Great audiobook
I strongly recommend the audio book version it is so much better to hear these stories in Tom hanks own voice. I enjoyed his writing style.
I strongly recommend the audio book version it is so much better to hear these stories in Tom hanks own voice. I enjoyed his writing style.
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Who knew Thomas Hanks could write like this??
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated