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Fiction. Literature. Short Stories. HTML:A collection of seventeen wonderful short stories showing that two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks is as talented a writer as he is an actor. A gentle Eastern European immigrant arrives in New York City after his family and his life have been torn apart by his country's civil war. A man who loves to bowl rolls a perfect game�??and then another and then another and then many more in a row until he winds up ESPN's newest celebrity, and he must decide if the combination of perfection and celebrity has ruined the thing he loves. An eccentric billionaire and his faithful executive assistant venture into America looking for acquisitions and discover a down and out motel, romance, and a bit of real life. These are just some of the tales Tom Hanks tells in this first collection of his short stories. They are surprising, intelligent, heartwarming, and, for the millions and millions of Tom Hanks fans, an absolute must-hav… (more)
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All of the stories provide slices of life that take you in almost instantly and make you turn the pages. I loved the writing, I loved the characters and I loved the plots of the stories. After each story I found myself hoping it would not end so soon and continue just a little more. This, however, does not subtract from the quality of the reading experience. Rather, it makes you wonder and stay in the world that was created in the stories a little longer. I really found myself rooting for some of the characters and have grown quite fond of them. I am really glad that I found this book. 5 stars.
He’s not going to win the Nobel Prize for Literature for these stories, but they’re far from a waste of time. If the ten-year-old’s point of view in “A Special Weekend” becomes cloying, that of a still-young veteran in 1953, providing for his family despite his physical and emotional scars, is moving. And given that Hanks has spent the last thirty years living in L.A., wealthy and famous, I was surprised by his ability to conjure the lives of ordinary people such as the divorcée in “A Month on Greene Street” and the immigrant in “Go See Costas.” If there’s a message in these stories, it’s that people in general are interesting, work crazily hard, and deserve your understanding and respect. It’s not hammered home or overdone. It’s as genuine as Tom Hanks, and, as they used to say in the ‘50s when several of these stories are set—my hat’s off to him.
I won an ARC through a Goodreads giveaway. Thank you to Knopf for my copy.
Over the course of 17 short stories - all connected with images and references to manual typewriters
I found these stories full of wit and charm and would recommend Uncommon Type to anyone feeling either nostalgic for the 50s and 60s to those who may like a bit of fanciful musings. His stories are clever, some probing deeply into the human psyche with others being purely fanciful.
I am grateful to author Tom Hanks, his publisher Penguin Random House and Goodreads First Reads for having provided me a free advance reader's edition of this book. Their generosity, however, did not influence this review - the words of which are mine alone.
Synopsis (from book's back cover):
A rocket ship constructed in a backyard takes four friends to the moon and back. A teenage surfer stumbles into his father’s secret life. A second-rate actor plunges into sudden stardom and a whirlwind press junket. A small-town newspaper columnist shares his old-fashioned views of the modern world.
These are just some of the people and situations that Tom Hanks tackles in his first work of fiction, a collection of stories that examines the human condition and all its foibles.
Known for his honesty and sensitivity as an actor, Mr. Hanks brings both those characteristics to his writing. Uncommon Type is a book that will delight readers and establish him as a welcome new voice in contemporary fiction.
This is a short story collection that threw me for several loops. Firstly, because when I saw it was by Tom Hanks, I didn't realize it was that Tom Hanks. And secondly, because I hadn't realized he was such a good writer.
Short
But these stories are genuinely good. Not just good-for-being-written-by-a-famous-actor, but good. The characters are fully-formed, unique, and so interesting to read about. The style of writing is engaging. I like the voice. And, of course, the running theme of typewriters was lovely.
So, if you're into short stories and typewriters, definitely give this one a short. Don't be scared off if you're not a big Tom Hanks fan, either.
I'm not a Hollywood fan, nor I enjoy watching films all that often. My tastes lean more on British and European Cinema. I don't read actors' biographies or books written by celebrities. However, in the case of "Uncommon Type", it's Tom Hanks we're talking about. I can't think of another actor who makes you feel as if you actually know him, as if every role of his is performed for each and every member of the audience. He is widely loved in Greece, he is widely loved everywhere and quite a few of his films are considered classics of the 7th Art. This collection of short stories is written in a simple, eloquent, flowing writing style. Humane, immediate, confessional. It is a brilliant token of the distinguished American writing, it is the voice of Tom Hanks, the Everyman, and if you don't like it, well....you need Jesus in your life.
In 17 stories, Tom Hanks creates characters out of life. The inspiration seems to be the types of New York (mainly) residents, even some of the roles he has performed in his astonishing career. Each story is embellished with the photo of a typewriter that plays a characteristic part in many of the stories. The importance and joy of writing is everywhere, the need to communicate feelings and thoughts first to ourselves and to the people around us. His themes are universal and relevant to our daily lives. Love, companionship, the errs and joys of the past, self - dignity, immigration, togetherness and a deep, acute feeling of nostalgia. A journey through the USA, with the metropolis of New York ever present, in one way or another.
So, without further ado, the 17 stories are:
‘’Three Exhausting Weeks" : Two best friends decide to become an item, but they seem to be highly incompatible. Poor guy starts feeling as if he has signed for the Olympics preparations or the NASA training. Anna is one of the most authoritative people to ever grace a book and this story is hilarious and nostalgic at the same time.
"Christmas Eve 1953": A beautiful Christmas story that takes us back to 1953 and to 1944, the D-Day, its aftermath and the wounds, physical and psychological that are inflicted upon those who survived the inferno in the shores of Normandy.
"A Junket in the City of Light" :A story about a rising Hollywood star and the ordeals coming from exhausting press junkets and over-demanding studios. Paris, during the night, provides the beautiful setting.
"Our Town Today with Hank Fiset- An Elephant in the Pressroom" : A glimpse into the conflict between the printed version of a newspaper and the coldness of reading your newspaper on a digital device.
"Welcome to Mars": A sad tale of the bonding between a father and a son, a story full of the sun, the sea and surfing.
"A Month on Greene Street" : A story set in the sleepy suburbs, during the dog days of August. A divorced mother of two starts a new life in a welcoming, peaceful neighborhood. This is a text filled with the laughter of children, the soothing early evening atmosphere, and a certain kind of hope for starting anew.
"Alan Bean Plus Four" : We revisit our unique couple of "Three Exhausting Weeks" in a story that brings "Apollo 13" to mind.
"Our Town Today with Hank Fiset- At Loose in the Big Apple" : A celebration of New York in the form of an account from our grumpy (but sweet) journalist with a tiny bit of nostalgia for a more innocent era.
"Who’s Who?" : The Big Apple is the city where dreams are supposed to come true. However, young Sue from Arizona, an aspiring actress who can act and sing and dance finds her dreams crushed all too soon. Until, a sudden appearance proves that possibly, dreams can still become reality...A beautiful story of youth and aspirations set in 1978.
"A Special Weekend" : The story of a boy who loves typewriters and airplanes, living a difficult life after the divorce of his parents. I confess that the end gave me chills...
"These Are the Meditations of My Heart" : A story of impeccable writing and immense beauty that reminded me -once again - how much I love typewriters.
"Our Town Today with Hank Fiset- Back From Back In Time" : Our favourite reporter takes a trip down memory lane escorted by his trusted typewriter.
"The Past Is Important to Us" : This story was a true surprise. A combination of Historical Fiction and Sci-fi where a scientist travels back to the 1939 for the sake of a woman. An impressive look into a potential future and a tale that shows how closely linked the past and the present actually are.
"Stay with Us" : This story is written in the form of a film script and therefore, it really flows. Departing from Las Vegas, a wealthy, kind hearted businessman and his personal assistant find themselves in the middle of nowhere and change the lives of the residents, while finding a new meaning in their own. This is a story full of happiness, camaraderie and trust.
"Go See Costas": In this story, Mr. Hanks celebrates diversity, multiculturalism and companionship, without whitewashing the problems and the fears faced by the immigrants. His love for Greece is more than well-known, and here we find Greeks, Cypriots, Bulgarians. Set in the heart of the era of immigration to New York, this story is a hymn to the abilities and persistence of hardworking people who desire a better life, without forgetting their principles and without resorting to shady means. A tale that shows that people may come from different backgrounds (economical, educational, ethnic), but these factors mean very little when we are faced with adversities. In the end, it is the heart that matters. A story that couldn't be more relevant to the chaos and conflicts of our times.
"Our Town Today with Hank Fiset- Your Evangelista, Esperanza" : The grumpy reporter gives the spotlight to Esperanza who reminds us that there is actually life without a smartphone, Facebook and the like.
"Steve Wong Is Perfect" : The last word belongs to the insane gang of the beginning and to bowling. Hilarious and nostalgic.
This is a collection to be cherished and kept as a good friend to whom we may return when in doubt and in need of a comfort. Not because the writer is named Tom Hanks and heralded as one of the finest actors to ever grace our screens. This is a book of simple, unpretentious beauty. 17 stories of people who could be our neighbours, our friends, our lovers, our parents, written in the immediacy and clarity that characterizes the majority of American Literature, a trustworthy volume like a trustworthy Royal typewriter. Let it carry you away....
Many thanks to Penguin Random House, Tom Hanks and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
An overall 3.5 stars seems fair, especially for a writer who doesn’t write everyday for a living.
Being absolutely enamored with Tom Hanks, I had to get this book. There were several stories that I loved and some I liked, but none that I didn't. Tom has a way of telling stories that get your attention, and I could actually
Purchased from Amazon.
I hope someone—his agent? His publisher? —hog ties him to his Royal, his Olympia, whatever, and makes him continue Asan’s story (into a novel or novella) in “Go See Kostas.” I kinda fell for that G space space U space space Y.
Highly
Several of the stories are connected by their characters. There are three now-adult college friends who reappear several times, including on a trip to the moon (no, really). And there is a series of crabby newspaper columns from an old geezer reporter who thinks everything was better back in the good old days when no one had a cell phone and everyone who wasn't a white man knew their place (not that the character is written as self-aware enough to figure out that last bit).
Some of the more successful entries focus on people coming to grips with broken marriages, relationships, or families, whether those people are adult women ("A Month on Greene Street") or kids young ("A Special Weekend") and not so young ("Welcome to Mars"). Probably my favorite story was "Christmas Eve 1953," which starts out as a standardly sappy Christmas story that takes a turn into poignance that elevates it above the rest.
I'm tempted to adapt that old joke: As a writer, Tom Hanks is a great actor. But really, his writing is quite good — he mentions getting some writing coaching and advice from his friend, the late Nora Ephron, and it shows. Where the collection fails is in the ideas, which are pretty thin, and not the execution. I wouldn't go out of my way to read another book by Hanks but I wouldn't actively avoid one, either.
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Goldsboro book of the month club (November 2017). Signed, numbered slipcased edition (750 copies). Comes with two postcards and a bookmark.