Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks

I’m really frustrated about this book of short stories by the “legend” Tom Hanks.  A review I read on Uncommon Type said that each story revolved around a different kind of typewriter… I liked the idea instantly, I expected it to be brilliant.

Although the stories were lovely ideas, they just didn’t get going for me, and often had really abrupt endings that left me thinking, “Who cares?”

I actually struggled at times to keep reading. Perhaps the idea is to give the reader a little snapshot of American society, a very brief snapshot. But, plugging away did offer some reward.

Towards the end of the book, I found two stories that were fun. The first one is called These are the Meditations of My Heart and the second was Steve Wong is Perfect. I won’t go into any detail as they are both very short.

Overall, I’m not doubting Hank’s writing ability whatsoever but rather the stories themselves. There was a touch of America, past and present, with the occasional laugh. But – perhaps I’ll be kind and say I enjoyed 3 out of 17 stories (Three Exhausting Weeks being the third) – it just wasn’t’ enough.

That said, it depends on the type of reader you are. Some will probably love it, I mean it is Tom Hanks – sadly Uncommon Type didn’t float my boat.

After reading a few different reviews on Amazon,  many who purchased the audiobook seemed to really enjoy it – perhaps this is the way to go if you’re thinking about giving it a try. It’ll be like Forest Gump reading you a bedtime story, and that’s pretty damn good!

Click here to buy Uncommon Type: Some Stories by Tom Hanks

Have you read Uncommon Type? If you have any other thoughts on the collection of short stories by Tom Hanks, I’d love to hear them. Post in the comments below or join in the discussion on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.