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The Twenty Dollar Bill (2007)

by Elmore Hammes(Favorite Author)
3.55 of 5 Votes: 3
ISBN
061514716X (ISBN13: 9780615147161)
languge
English
genre
publisher
Published by You Lulu Inc.
review 1: Great book but may prove frustrating to some because it is pretty much a collection of short stories that cut off abruptly.I really enjoyed this book. I liked the fact it showed small glimpses of so many lives & then just cut off because the money was passed on to someone else. Some might find this frustrating. Did they ever fall in love? Who won the game? Where did he get that wad of cash? etc. I'll give an example of what I mean. This story was not in the book but it should have been.Let's start the story when a man who has the $20 bill walks into a bar & orders a drink. He sees the waitress & thinks she is perhaps not Hollywood gorgeous but certainly next door gorgeous. She reminds him in some small way of his ex fiancé' Cindy. He starts thinking about the past & how 6... more days before their wedding she was killed in an automobile accident. He then starts thinking about how many times he has been to that bridge. The bridge that invites him every so often to end his suffering once & for all. "Tonight is the night" he says to no one in particular. He realizes he could never love again even if she was as beautiful as the waitress. He pays for his drink & gives the waitress his last $20 as a tip. No need in the money sitting at the bottom of a watery grave. Of course he suddenly realizes what if he once again cannot summon the courage to jump. Then he will not even have bus fare to get home. No! He must do it. He exits the bar almost running toward the bridge before he changes his mind.That would be the end of that portion of the book & it would start talking about the current holder of the bill, the waitress which we'll name Deborah. This can be frustrating because we never learn if he jumped or not. So many unanswered questions in this book but it sure is a brilliant idea. One I wish I had thought of.
review 2: The Twenty Dollar Bill was a clever idea for a book, and I think it was executed wonderfully in this quick read with diverse subplots. It was interesting to see to who and how the money would exchange hands. Sometimes I made stereotypical judgement on characters based on how they were presented to me, sometimes my assumption about the type of people they were correct, and other times I was terribly wrong. This book made me question my knee-jerk reactions about people. I really liked this book, especially the adorable ending. I have nothing bad to say about this book. less
Reviews (see all)
dyamonda
Another good idea lacking a good execution. Reads like a creative writing student project.
iceqyn
A good concept but each story seemed a bit repetitious as if being told by the same person.
njjumalon
Short & easy read. I loved the concept of the book. The ending is very cute too.
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