Tom hanks first book

Have not listened to a book that had others saying anything before it was good and if he does another I will buy that as well it bette than use level than 1 man telling the story

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1 person found this helpful

Did not find the stories interesting

The stories are well written, however I did not find them interesting with the exception of one. Tom Hanks's performance was very entertaining.

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Uncommonly good...

I’ll admit I bought this as I was curious to discover how a guy like Tom Hanks would write. The reviews were mixed so my expectations were middling. Well, I was taken aback by the writing. The empathy, humour, emotion and sheer range of vignettes made me realise that not only is Mr Hanks a great actor but a truly talented writer too. The typewriter motif throughout was a quirky but satisfying link, and for those of us of an age who can dimly still remember a time when those mysterious machines ruled the written word well it tweaked the senses and set the mind agog at where we find ourselves today. His observations of the human condition made me like him even more. The icing on the cake would have been a few minutes interview with him at the conclusion of the presentation to discover how he has arrived at writing and what more we can expect.
I sincerely recommend this as one of those wild card buys that really does reap rewards.

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Listen just for Tom Hanks' mellifluous voice

Tom Hanks turns out to be as authentically genuine a writer as can be. The stories in this book range from the hilarious to the deeply touching.

They move in period, location, and manner, but all demonstrate a joy in writing, a pleasure in communicating an intensely American sense of atmosphere, friendship, life and family that is every bit as smart and engaging as the man himself.

While the stories are witty, it is more so because of the man himself. They may not be Pulitzer material, but it truly is a pleasure to read his book while thinking about this imaginative man.

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6 people found this helpful

Happy and clever

This book read by the author made me happy. I loved more stories than others but each one engaged me some of them I wanted there to becmore which I guess is what short stories should do. Clever writing and listening to tom hanks reading something he obviously loves can only bring a happy feeling

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Hugely enjoyable collection

Before I review this collection of stories, I have a confession to make, I am a huge fan of Tom Hanks. He’s my favourite actor so I was delighted when I heard he’d released a collection of stories.

The audiobook was a different experience than reading the ebook. Tom Hanks narrates the audiobook and it was a pleasure to listen to him.

I loved this collection of stories. The tales cater to different tastes and cover different styles, some long, some very short across different genres. Each story features a typewriter in some form or another. I didn’t realise this until I’d listen to at least have the stories. I thought this was a nice touch.

Several stories including Three Exhausting Weeks and Alan Bean Plus Four feature the same characters. The stories are stand-alone and just have the same characters. These were my favourite stories in the whole collection.

I also liked the three stories featuring the title Our Town Today With Hank Fiset which were a lot of fun to read and listen to.

Some may be dubious of an actor turning his hand to creative writing but Uncommon Type: Some Stories is highly entertaining.

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Great actor is now also a great Writer

I purchased this book as a fan of Tom Hank's direction and acting. Now I can add author to that also. Thoroughly recommend!

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Disappointed

I can't believe I'm returning this book as Tom Hanks is a hero of mine. However brilliantly narrated by him the stories are quite frankly boring.
Some will love them and say I'm mad, but I need a little more spice and intrigue in my fiction.

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Perfect

Just what I needed for a long car journey where my mind tends to wander. The format of short stories worked perfectly and with Tom narrating it was like he was in the car with me. I’m tempted to go out now to buy a typewriter after them being a regular character in the stories. All in all just really pleasant. Will it grip you and keep you up all night unable to stop listening? Probably not. But is it an enjoyable listen rich with different characters and situations? Most definitely

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5 people found this helpful

This is a Gem!

 I have always enjoyed Tom Hanks in his starring roles in the movies. I was doubtful that he would be able to create a series of masterfully written short stories.

Being a lover of the short story format I was entirely delighted by these creations from the mind and typewriter of Hanks.

Some wonderfully absorbing characters and stories. So darn good!

I'll be honest I didn't care much for "Alan Bean Plus Four" and the four stories titled "Our Town Today With Hank Fiset". They were beautifully written however I didn't connect with them.

My favourites were "Christmas Eve 1953", "Welcome to Mars", "A Month on Green Street", These Are The Meditations of My Heart" and "Go See Kostas".

My all-time favourite is "The Past is Important to Us". It has a delicious Ray Bradbury flavour about it.

I sincerely hope Tom Hanks crafts many more enticing short stories. He has a clear mastery of this format.

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2 people found this helpful