Ratings25
Average rating3.3
A collection of 17 short stores by two-time Oscar winning actor Tom Hanks. 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.
Reviews with the most likes.
I really wanted to like this collection because I really like Tom Hanks (to the degree that I'd honestly break up with someone if they didn't, and don't trust anyone who says they don't like Forrest Gump). Honestly, it didn't even cross my mind that this book would be bad. Seriously, didn't consider that prospect. That's how much I respect Tom Hanks. But the truth is... this book kind of sucked. Really sucked. Was a tick short of insufferable.
I hate to say it (Tom, if you're reading, please know I've lost NO respect for you as an actor), but every story was pretty cliche. It felt like snippets of movies he's been in, each playing into common tropes and themes and ending in seemingly random places that had no emotional weight. I would finish a story and, each time, think “Oh... so that's it?” (Incidentally, exactly how I felt at the end of The Terminal — which I still watch every time I catch it on tv). The writing isn't bad, by any means. He's a fine writer. The dialogue isn't too shabby. He experimented with different styles, none more or less successful than the others. Characters feel fairly realistic (again, in a taken-from-the-big-screen kind of way). There's just no punch. Short stories need a punch. So all said and done... Tom should stick to the movies.
I wanted to like this more than I did - if I didn't like Tom Hanks I think I might have bumped this down to 3 stars. Some of the stories are stronger than others but each are quirky and entertaining in their own ways.
I really wanted to love this, as in movies, I'm a huge fan of Tom Hanks. It's clear he has ability when it comes to the written word. His characters were believeable, and felt like they came from somewhere. Unfortunately though, there wasn't a lot to them. They all had the same speech patterns in the end, and were mostly bland and uninteresting. Hopefully he keeps at it though, and grows his craft like we know he can. If he can bring his writing up to where his acting is. We are in for a treat.
I don't normally like short stories but I guess if there's typewriters, I will make an exception. I ended up finishing the book as an audiobook and the last story is done with an ensemble cast which made it a truly delightful audio adaption.