invinoveritas's review
4.0
I enjoyed this collection of reflections on brief encounters with strangers. I skipped over some stories that didn't appeal to me, but overall, it was a nice read. There were several standouts about kindness ("The Woman who Walked Beside Me," "The Lady Who Spared Me an Orange") and one about intuition, ("To The Man I Believe Was Good"). This will appeal to people who enjoy bite-sized stories and beautiful descriptions of far-flung places. All of us have wondered about what happened to a stranger in our lives - someone that we've shared a brief moment or knowing look, someone who helped us, or could've done us harm had we not made a different decision. Those stories are peppered throughout this collection.
analisa's review
4.0
I really loved the concept of this book. It’s so beautiful to see the ways in which we has humans naturally projects ideas of what strangers could be if we took a peek underneath the surface. Yet, as most of the writers in this book pointed out, to peel back the layers would be dishonest to what it means to have a mean ful interaction with a stranger. There was some letters I liked more than other, and sometimes that came down to the actual technical writing and prose. Nevertheless, this book really made me start to think about the idea of strangers and those who I have had the privilege to briefly meet. It’s fitting that when I opened this book, out fell a plane ticket that belonged to a stranger. It was a reminder that even those we never will get to see have a way of intersecting their lives with ours.
emmadstanden's review against another edition
5.0
I have always found unsent letters fascinating, and have written quite a few in my life. These snapshots into the writer’s world exemplify the intimate impact strangers unknowingly have on us all. We all have had random encounters that make us think twice, question ourselves, or connect to something deep within. LETTER TO A STRANGER embraces the rawness of the human soul and the reflective introspection into the subtle effects of the world on us.
mscalls's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment
spacewhombus's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
5.0
I knew I would love this book and I did not disappoint myself lol. This book is a collection of letters from a huge selection of authors to strangers they met that have impacted their lives in some way.
Most are really short, like just a page or two, but a couple were longer. Since each was very different, I read this over a really long time and only chose a couple to read each day. It was organized by different themes, and my favorites were "chemistry" and "goodbyes"! I definitely shed many tears while reading this because some stories were just so moving! I only disliked a couple of them out of the tons that are included in this book.
I also couldn't stop thinking about the different strangers I might write a short letter to about how they impacted my life- this book really makes you see the small things differently and appreciate people who might not be major players in your life but still have made a big difference.
Most are really short, like just a page or two, but a couple were longer. Since each was very different, I read this over a really long time and only chose a couple to read each day. It was organized by different themes, and my favorites were "chemistry" and "goodbyes"! I definitely shed many tears while reading this because some stories were just so moving! I only disliked a couple of them out of the tons that are included in this book.
I also couldn't stop thinking about the different strangers I might write a short letter to about how they impacted my life- this book really makes you see the small things differently and appreciate people who might not be major players in your life but still have made a big difference.