Reviewed by Cynthia Murphy for BreeniBooks.com
(http://breenibooks.blogspot.com/2008/02/guest-review-twenty-dollar-bill-by.html):

Have you ever received a tattered dollar bill and wondered where it has been? Or have you ever paid for something and wondered where that money will go next? Those are the questions that Elmore Hammes attempts to answer in The Twenty Dollar Bill.

The concept is simple, yet intriguing; Hammes traces the path of a twenty dollar bill as it weaves its way in and out of the lives of various people. He takes what could have been a flat story tracing the whereabouts of a particular bill and creates an enjoyable web of characters. In fact, the characters are more important than anything else in this book. There is no continuous plot. The book itself is an interwoven series of vignettes linked only by the presence of the twenty dollar bill.

The journey starts with Claire. She gives her last twenty dollar bill to a homeless man at the bus stop. She stops to hug him and consequently misses her bus. If Claire is late to work one more time she will be fired. As Claire boards the later bus, her fate seems to be sealed, but the reader can’t be sure because she drifts out of the picture. Hammes then tells a bit of Joe’s story. Joe is the homeless man from the bus stop. He plans to use the money for dinner at Ponderosa, but he loses the money to some young thugs before he gets the chance. The story continues as the bill passes from one person to another.

One of the most interesting things about this book is the variety of people that possess the bill. It starts with an average woman and then passes to a homeless man, onto thugs, and then to an elderly woman. The journey continues through the hands of a gas station clerk, a bouncer, a cabbie, a drug dealer, and a wealthy woman. The bill makes its way throughout the United States and even to Mexico. Then it comes back to America and finds its way back to Claire. Along the way it sees the start of several possible romances, a mission trip, and two people attempting to make a fresh start.

Each person has his or her own brief storyline. As the bill passes on, the cast of characters changes and a new story begins. At times this is frustrating to the reader. There is no real closure with any character or set of characters. I wanted to know what happened with some of the relationships beyond the few moments where the twenty dollar bill was in their lives. Amazingly, I did care about some of the characters despite their lack of development.

In The Twenty Dollar Bill, Elmore Hammes accomplishes exactly what he promises on the back of the book. He provides “a brief glimpse into the lives of ordinary people as they interact with one another.” The resulting book is a fascinating look at the world around us that we never really see. It is a quick, enjoyable read that will make you think twice about the bills in your wallet.

Review copied from: http://www.readerviews.com/ReviewHammesTheTwentyDollarBill.html

Reviewed by Andrea Barry for Reader Views (12/07)

"The Twenty Dollar Bill" is a surprisingly good read. After reading the back of the book, I did not have much hope for what was contained inside. What I found, however, was something entirely different than what I expected.

Author Elmore Hammes takes us on a ride through the life of a twenty dollar bill. The book opens a little differently than expected by starting immediately into the life of Claire, a waitress at a diner who is rushing to get to work on time. She is approached by a bum and instead of rushing past him, she stops and sees him for who he is -- someone who has had a rough go at life and could really use some help. She decides to give him her last twenty dollars and in a spur-of-the-moment decision, a hug as well. This simple act starts the book off as we learn that Claire will likely lose her job. We then move to the old man and his perspective at receiving the money and the hug from Claire. We learn the man's name is Joe and that he hasn't eaten in days and he genuinely plans to use the money she gave him to get something to eat for himself. As Joe advances across the mall parking lot where he encountered Claire, he is approached by three young men intent on harassing him and taking his money.

The entire book proceeds in this manner, giving us a small glimpse into the life of each person as they come into possession of this money. I found that the story was just that as it finally wraps onto itself and "The Twenty Dollar Bill" finds its way back into Claire's hands a couple weeks after the fateful day on which she gave the money to Joe. I won't ruin the ending, but suffice it to say, that the books ends well. I feel like I truly read a story as opposed to a collection of very short stories.

Reviewed by C. L. Rossman

The storyline of this novel is unique: it follows an ordinary twenty dollar bill around as it is passed from person to person, and gives us a sample of all the lives it touches. Through the bill’s travels we meet Claire, the romantic waitress, who impulsively gives her last $20 to a homeless man; then three punks bent on robbery; and Darrell the night club bouncer; along with Jay-23 the drug seller and gangster (and his younger brother David) until it finally comes full circle round to Claire again.

The chapters are like snapshots, showing us a bit of each character and his or her dreams, desires and work. There are a number of stops for the bill which you might expect, such as a bank, a car wash, and a couple of restaurants, but there are a few surprises too—like a rural doctor and a charity homebuilding team—and for all of them, you get a snippet of their lives and see what kind of people they are. Often enough, the author gives you an idea of where his latest character is going, or hints at what is to come next in his or her life.

But sometimes you’re left hanging and find yourself wishing you knew more. I wondered what would happen next to Jerome, the barber’s assistant, who was invited to Gee’s notorious nightclub, and to David, Jay-23’s younger brother, who denied he was related to the gangster. Other characters like Ferdinand the water-seller and Donald the barber are just there to move the story along, although the author does a credible job of giving each person a separate identity. My only complaint is that a few of the characters’ stories were too abrupt for my taste.

Armchair Interviews says: This is a first novel, well-written and different than most of what you’ll find on the shelves today.

review copied from: http://reviews.armchairinterviews.com/reviews/the-twenty-dollar-bill