Uncommon Type

Some Stories

By: Tom Hanks

Narrated by: Tom Hanks

Length: 10 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's Summary

Read by two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks.

A collection of 17 wonderful short stories showing that 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, heart-warming and, for the millions and millions of Tom Hanks fans, an absolute must-have.

©2017 Tom Hanks (P)2017 Random House Audiobooks

Fun stories.

These tales were interesting & fun. The number of type writers mentioned proves the author's passion. Please delineate the stories more obviously. They run into one another & confuse the listener.

Underwhelming stories

I really wanted to like these stories more than I did. I’m a big fan of short stories generally; when done well they’re a great insight or snapshot of a story but here that isn’t the case. There isn’t much depth to the characters and it feels like the stories only scratch the surface of the people within. It’s also rare that I notice when an author can’t write characters of the opposite gender, but in this case it really stood out. The female characters in particular are flat and heavily stereotyped and it’s a little bland.
There was so much potential with some of the stories but they were almost monotone in plot; I’d recommend Margaret Atwood’s short stories for examples of how this kind of storytelling can be done well.

Ten Hours With Tom Hanks

Not only can Tom Hanks act, he can also write! His imagination, his knowledge, his humour and his ability to combine his attributes to weave a marvellous story in which he succeeds in taking his reader/listener with him to wherever the story is to take us. Each story is such fun, wondering where and how the typewriter is going to feature.
Added to the pleasure is listening to Tom Hanks narrating his stories.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys short stories which cover many subjects.

Dreadful echo

Impossible to listen to. Like being stuck in a cubicle with Tom Hanks. What's with all the reverb?

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.

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

More please!

I absolutely loved this. There are no "big bang" twists, and it feels more like a gentle mooch through Americana, but it was truly enchanting. I think it might have ignited a love for short stories that still manage to get the characters across so that they stay with you. Tom Hanks narrating was the icing on the cake. Fab... will keep lookout for follow ups.

who knew?

Mr. Hanks writes beautifully and reads even better. But then he deserves to be an Oscar winning actor...and writer too!

Why?

This was painful to listen to. Random babbling would have been a better title. If it was an unknown writing this it was never have been published. I gave up half way through as all I did was cringe listening to it, or turn off.

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.

Hope there's no typo error here.

needs a bit if a gap between stories, as one is taken unawares at start each time and need to rewind to get one's head around it