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3.38 AVERAGE
3.38 AVERAGE
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Sweet, well-written stories, but missed reading a book I could sink my teeth into.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Sweet enough book, by a sweet enough man. Just not a page turner. I don’t think short stories are really my thing. So I may not be a fair judge of this book. Some cute stories, some thinkers, glad I read it, but was also glad when it was over.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I enjoyed the stories, though I typically don't read short stories. It took me longer to get through this book compared to others because it was easy to put down. The hard thing about short stories is that you don't get invested in the characters or story because they're short. That aside, it was an enjoyable collection of short stories.
Some stories were decent, but overall I found it meh. Hearing Hanks read it was great (even if he is not so good at accents), at times it felt like I was listening to You’ve Got Mail. But ultimately, I came to the conclusion that these stories are exactly what one might expect a successful white American guy in his 60s to write. And for me that’s just meh.
Hanks is a decent writer but these stories are just that--decent, not great.
I try to read a collection of short stories a couple of times a year, so I'm no expert. But I loved this assortment of stories that Tom Hanks crafted. I started reading the book and then came across the audio on sale so had the wonderful experience of Tom reading the rest to me. I found the diverse subject matters of the stories impressive and LOVED discovering the typewriter in each tale. I feel sorry for some of the readers who gave up, they missed some good stuff.
From the modestly folksy subtitle ("Some Stories") to the typewriter motif that threads throughout the stories, this does live up to the expectations one might have for the high concept premise, "America's Dad Writes Fiction." It's whimsical, friendly, non-offensive, and in the audiobook narrated by the author (and some choice friends on cameo), a warm and enjoyable read. It's also pretty forgettable. The two best stories lead off the collection, and subsequent stories featuring the first tale's central quartet and one notable time travel story are stand outs.