84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
paperback 97 pages
published by André Deutsch, 1971
ISBN-13: 9780140143508
Type: {Weekend Read: a book to curl up on the couch with}
Rating: {Unputdownable: Couldn’t eat or sleep until I finished this book!}
Why You’re Reading It:
- You have a love affair with books
- You are a reader
- You are a writer
- You enjoyed The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (which those authors must have gotten the idea for their book from this true story)
- You have a brain
What I Thought:
84, Charing Cross Road is written in epistolary form and reads like a novel though it is non-fiction. It is the correspondence of Helene Hanff with members of the legendary (partly thanks to Hanff) staff of Marks & Co., a bookselling establishment in London. Most of the letters are between her and Frank Doel, one of the stores main booksellers. The, purely literary, relationship starts out as an inquiry for a book and ends up spanning almost 20 years. Hanff is an intelligent, snarky, and humorous New Yorker. Doel is a thoughtful, knowledgeable, and gentlemanly Londoner. Their friendship is one that writers would vie to write in fiction, but didn’t have to because it was real. Both Hanff’s and Doel’s love of the written word is practically a character itself, and anyone who relates to them on this account will easily become immersed in the story; nodding their heads and reaching for their pad and pencil to write down quotes from Ms. Hanff. She, a self proclaimed “lover of I-was-there books” preferring primary source non-fiction, and he (who I found out after some research, loved thrillers) both only owned books that they truly loved. She writes, ” Owning a book that you haven’t read is…” and he owned but one book, while borrowing the rest of his reading material from the library. Different times? Yes. But rather I think more so different type of people. People who respected books maybe more than they even respected people. At least this seems to be the truth in Hanff’s case.
I read this book in 2 hours. I would have read it again straight through if I had not been participating in a Read-a-Thon in which I was trying to read more than one book (which I might have kept doing, over and over again). I will, no doubt, be reading this book again soon, and I’ve already ordered the film version from Netflix. Love affair going on here. I would marry it if I could. But alas, I’ll just have to settle for re-reading it for the rest of my life. Honestly, how are men to compete when there are such books to be read?
After you read 84, Charing Cross Road, learn more about the beloved store, Mark & Co. that is no longer in business (it closed in 1970 and a restaurant now stands in it’s place, which knowing that will make you feel depressed after reading this lovely book) . Or, if you are like me and want a list of all the books that Helene Hanff ordered from the store, you can find most of them here.
Buy this book for as low as $3.50 from Powell’s and Unputdownables gets a commission!
Oh, I’m so glad you loved it all the way through. You will not be disappointed by the movie. Anne Bancroft and Anthony Hopkins are at their finest. And most of the movie is told in epistolary voice-over. You’ll love watching Bancroft bang away on her typewriter. And two words of glory in the movie: tinned meat.
Keep up your read-a-thon!
Helen
This is one of those books that you wish you could read again for the first time but will settle for a million more re-reads. It’s amazing!
I love that I am in good company of lovers of this book! Can’t wait to see the movie now… am very interested in how they do it.
I’m so excited to pick this up — and in reading the comments, I now remember the film with Anne Bancroft and Anthony Hopkins, and it was brilliant! I’d be interested to hear what you think of the film since reading the book!
I can’t recall if I mentioned it before but I love the structure of your reviews. They really tell me very quickly, all I need to know. I love that.
So glad you enjoyed this one. I am not a fan of the epistolary form which is probably why I am the only person on the planet that didn’t like Guernsey.
I might have to break my self-imposed “stop adding books to the library hold list” ban and add this one. It sounds like a combination of all of my favorite things!
Natalie — will definitely let you all know when I watch it. I’m sure I will have thoughts about it.
Ti — Thank you! Yes, if you didn’t like Guernsey, this probably won’t be up your alley. Although, now that I think about it, I think you might really like Helene Hanff’s personality.
Cass- do it. period.
Hi. I’m stopping in from the hop. I read 84 Charring Cross Road this year and I loved it too. I also love that it’s short enough to re-read anytime. For some reason I seem to love any story told through letters, but this one certainly has something special about it. It was a joy to read.
Diane
Thank you all who told me to watch this movie. I watched it tonight and ADORED it. This story has officially won it’s spot in my heart. I cried at the same part in the film as I did while reading the book. I love, love, love, love it and agree with those who have said it. It is absolutely a love letter to books and makes me want to go work in a dusty old bookstore in London.