Reviews for 84, Charing Cross Road
Review - 84, Charing Cross Road
It made me laugh, it made me cry. A thoroughly enjoyable book. And it only takes an hour to read.
Reviewed by Roger on 2000-02-03 15:22:31
84, Charing Cross Roadby Helene Hanff | |
| List(s): | "Carp 500" |
|---|---|
| Category: |
"Literature/Essays" |
| Pages: | 97 |
| Year of Publication: | 1970 |
| Date Read: | 08/11/1999 |
| Notes: | 84, Charing Cross Road is a charming record of bibliophilia, cultural difference and imaginative sympathy. For 20 years, an outspoken New York writer and a rather more restrained London bookseller carried on an increasingly-touching correspondence. In her first letter to Marks & Co., Hanff encloses a wish list, but warns, "The phrase 'antiquarian booksellers' scares me somewhat, as I equate 'antique' with expensive." Twenty days later, on October 25, 1949, a correspondent identified only as FPD let Hanff know that works by Hazlitt and Robert Louis Stevenson would be coming under separate cover. Hanff is ecstatic — but unsure she’ll ever conquer “bilingual arithmetic.” COMMENTS — These letters chronicle the lives of Hanff and FPD over a 20-year period from 1949 to 1969. Though never meeting, they share a very special friendship that extends to his co-workers and family. This is a charming and delightful book about two people you come to care for through their letters and wish you knew in person. |
| My Rating: | 9 |