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26th out of 115 books
—
69 voters
What The Deaf Mute Heard: A Novel
by
G.D. Gearino
A magical offering for the many fans of "Forrest Gump", this entertaining tale tells of a deaf-mute who sees and "hears" everything in his small Southern town--and spends a lifetime guarding a shocking, dark secret. A Hallmark Hall of Fame television presentation scheduled for November 23, 1997.
Hardcover, 221 pages
Published
by Simon & Schuster
(first published January 15th 1996)
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What the Deaf-Mute Heard by G. D. Gearino
★ ★ ★
Synopisis: Ten-year-old Sammy Ayers awakes on a bus in Barrington, Georgia, to find that he's been abandoned by his mother. Scared and alone, he doesn't speak, leading residents to believe that he's a deaf-mute. He ends up living in the bus station, working as its janitor. At age 62, he relates the strange course of his life.
I didn't know what to expect from this book. With a big label stating it was made into a Hallmark film, I was expecting a fee...more
★ ★ ★
Synopisis: Ten-year-old Sammy Ayers awakes on a bus in Barrington, Georgia, to find that he's been abandoned by his mother. Scared and alone, he doesn't speak, leading residents to believe that he's a deaf-mute. He ends up living in the bus station, working as its janitor. At age 62, he relates the strange course of his life.
I didn't know what to expect from this book. With a big label stating it was made into a Hallmark film, I was expecting a fee...more
I really wanted to love this book. The Hallmark movie adaptation "What The Deaf Man Heard" is one of my FAVORITE movies. Sad to say the book is nowhere near as good as the movie. All the things I love about the movie were nowhere to be found in the book.
The book is about Sammy Ayres, a little boy who arrives in Barrington Georgia in 1940 with no idea where his mom is or what happened to her during their bus ride from Birmingham. The plot of the story is Sammy telling his story of what happened o...more
The book is about Sammy Ayres, a little boy who arrives in Barrington Georgia in 1940 with no idea where his mom is or what happened to her during their bus ride from Birmingham. The plot of the story is Sammy telling his story of what happened o...more
I picked the book up because of its title, I finished reading it because of the story. I love the way the author flashed back and forth through time to tell the story. The folksy writing style to my Southern ear sounded like so many people I have encountered in my life. While the book was set in Georgia, it could been set in any of the states below the Mason-Dixon line and east of the Mississippi. I was put off by some of the broad sterotypes featured in the book but I understood the purpose of...more
I listened to this on cassette, an abridged version, read by Barrett Whitener.This is the story of Sammy Ayers. He arrives at a bus station in a small Georgia town in the 40s. His mother has abandoned him, and he pretends to be deaf and dumb. He lives the rest of his life in a small closet in the bus station, being taken care of the station master, doing odd jobs and being unobtrusive. His status as a deaf-mute allows him to eavesdrop into the town's most intimate secrets, from which he eventual...more
Ever since Susan Dennis put this on at the top of her 10 ten reads of the year, I'd been keeping an eye open for it every time I browsed a bookstore. After a couple of years of futility I finally resigned myself to the fact that I would never find it.
Well, in 1999 I went to this bookstore that had had a perpetual clearance sale for its sister retail outlet. I had gone there regularly, but one week, lo and behold, there it was, and in full display at that.
And at a fraction of the criminally high...more
Well, in 1999 I went to this bookstore that had had a perpetual clearance sale for its sister retail outlet. I had gone there regularly, but one week, lo and behold, there it was, and in full display at that.
And at a fraction of the criminally high...more
Great book, full of surprises and humanity, and I learned an important lesson, 'you cannot tell a book by it's cover OR people are not necessarily what they seem, so beware your assumptions.' On my best 10 list, which I'll place on my blog (http://athletewithstent.com) today. -k aka FitOldDog
Funny, I picked this book up because I saw the word Deaf and it grabbed my attention. Just FYI, it isn't about a Deaf person at all, but I am glad I read it anyway. The author took me places I wasn't planning on going.
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Here's another title jumped out at me while at the Eastside Library. I was hooked on the first page! This is what happens when you aren't looking for anything in particular. This one and "Drown" (see previous entry)are hardbacks. Not downloaded on my Kindle! It feels good to hold an actual book in my hands again.
Probably the best book I have read in years. It was fascinating, and I'm sure that I will read it again. I only wish I remember the library member who recommended it to me so that I could get more suggestions from her!
Dec 26, 2010
Michelle
added it
very well written--clear, unique voice--lots of personality--good use of time switching: past to present to past, some not good parts, but on the whole worth reading
Really fascinating ... the way it's written makes it a little bit hard to follow at times, but overall really good. And there is quite the twist at the end!
Very good! Wonderful way with revealing different amounts of story at varied times. Was a great read, highly recommend!
The story was engaging, I liked the concept of someone who everyone assumed was deaf and what he heard.
Bought this for one euro. Never heard of the writer. But this is sure one to remember. Really good story.
Sammy's my kind of fellow. I adore this book!
Aug 01, 2008
Debbie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2008,
historical-fiction
I saw the made-for-TV movie based on this book when it first aired back in 1997 and loved it. I stumbled across the book about a year ago in a secondhand shop and just now got around to reading it. I was pleasantly surprised. The book had a much more "adult" feel, and Sammy is a fleshed out character who is not wholly sympathetic at all times. I sped through the book in one sitting.
LISTEN UP READERS! This is a MUST read. It's hard to describe (kind of a Cold Sassy Tree meets To Kill a Mockingbird updated to for the 90's), but get your hands on it.
This is an awsome book. I read it for an english class in college. I met he author. I met them at a screening of the movie. It was an awsome experience.
good book by local writer, used to write for the n&o. much better than the hallmark movie.
I liked the book. It was well written and had a good story. Light reading I would say.
Great read! He is rather clever, the main character.
Jun 08, 2013
Ari Pettit
marked it as to-read
May 31, 2013
Nicole
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May 25, 2013
Vida Noffsinger
marked it as to-read
May 08, 2013
A name
marked it as to-read
May 07, 2013
Nicole
marked it as to-read
Apr 27, 2013
Connie
marked it as to-read
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G.D. (Dan) Gearino, a thirty-year veteran of the newspaper and magazine industry, has worked as a reporter, columnist and editor for publications in Florida, Colorado, Wyoming, Michigan, Montana and Alberta, Canada. He joined the News & Observer of Raleigh, N.C. as business editor in 1993, and later spent ten years writing a well-regarded and award-winning column.
Gearino was born in Atlanta an...more
More about G.D. Gearino...
Gearino was born in Atlanta an...more
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