Read This!: 84, Charing Cross Road

By Helene Hanff

Book challenge: Epistolary Novel

Years ago I ripped a clip out of some magazine which discussed this book because it sounded interesting.  The book challenge was the reason I finally picked it up, because it was an easy to access epistolary.

84, Charing Cross Road depicts a 20 year friendship based on a love of books between Helene Hanff in New York and the employees, primarily one Frank Doel, of a bookshop in London.  These are the letters they actually sent to each other.

I thought, after all I had read about this book, that there were be more substance to it but it was less than 100 pages.  As a book lover myself, I found their book discussions engaging but I will probably never read most of the books mentioned as they are totally not my style.  The most amazing thing I found when reading this is that these books Helene Hanff requested were SO CHEAP!!!!  Yes, we are talking the 1950s and 60s but still.  I was quite jealous.  Hanff made me laugh with her contrast to the staid Englishman that Doel is at the beginning but you can see their fondness for each by the end.  Definitely worth a read.