84 CHARING CROSS ROAD

Read this first in Reader's Digest wayback in the eighties.Then again popped up in Twitter .This is my second copy.Feels the same when you read it after a decade or so.Humorous and poignant at the same time.Story of a time when handwriting mail took weeks to reach and wrote back on long hand.When books meant lovely hard bound with the best of paper.Every book was a work of art.Oh that nostalgic world.

"If you happen to pass by 84 Charing Cross Road, kiss it for me? I owe it so much."

84 Charing Cross Road is the correspondence in the form of letters between Helene Hanff, an American author, and Frank Doel, the chief buyer of Marks & Co, an antiquarian bookshop in London.Chancing upon an advertisement, Helene writes Marks & Co inquiring for some books and there begins a beautiful friendship that’d last a lifetime.I absolutely loved this charming little book and knowing that is all actually happened warms my heart❤️The letters were so witty and it was such a delight to read how they went from professional to adorable.
This edition also contains the sequel, The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street, which are the diary entries of Helene when she finally visited London twenty years later. While it was still sweet and funny, it lacked the charm that struck me in the first half.I give 4.5 to the first part and 3 to the second so my overall rating goes ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5This is my new favourite and I can’t stop gushing about it!If I were to gift one book to a non-reader, it’d undoubtedly be this😊

‘ If you happen to pass by 84, Charing Cross Road, kiss it for me. I owe it so much.’What starts off as an enquiry to obtain hard to find British literature ends up being an endearing exchange of letters over a period spanning 20 years between an American writer and a bookshop dealing with used books in England. Helene Hanff, in search of classics, of English poetry, Austen, dictionaries begins to correspond with Frank Doel and other employees of Marks and Co.The beauty of this book lies in the conversation, the friendship, the exchange of thoughts, the posts sent by the bookshop, the gifts sent by Hanff ( on realising the hard times in war struck England).American effervescence soon disarms the stiff upper lip British formality. The change in the tenor of conversation as it gradually becomes friendly banter, as American brashness loosens up the staid British reserve makes you smile, even chuckle at many a place.‘ I hope ‘madam’ doesn’t mean over there what it does here’ asks Hanff on receiving her first letter from the book store addressing her as ‘Dear Madam’ .Engaging in intelligent conversation with Frank Doel, Hanff soon becomes emotionally invested in the lives of the employees and their families of Marks and Co. The latter are so overwhelmed by her overtures of generosity in sending gifts and food ( times of war meant food rations in England ) they too warm up to her to the extent of issuing a carte Blanche should Hanff ever visit England. Her American friends, when they happen to visit England and stop by at the bookshop, are treated like royalty.Simple, uncluttered, filled with love, the letters move you as you follow the friendship between two souls united because of their love for words.A true story, it has a sequel , ‘The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street, given in the second part of the novel. Helene Hanff, now a successful author is invited to do a book tour in London. Written in prose (not epistolary) it reads warmly of how Hanff sees all the sights and meets some of the people she had only heard of in the letters.Frank Doel died before Hanff had a chance to visit England.

Superb record(s) of an intimate correspondence across the sea when letter writing was an art!

Ah! This book came to me just when I needed it. When I needed to escape to a time that wasn’t.. NOW. When people wrote letters and the kindness of strangers turned into decades long friendships, and underlying it all was just this general, visceral love of books.This particular edition comprises of two books.84, Charing Cross Road ***** (5/5) is a collection of letters exchanged between the writer, Helene Hanff and the booksellers at Marks and Co., London, particularly one Frank Doel. The cross-continental postal exchange between the outspoken American and the restrained Londoner is full of warmth and the occasional mirth as they discuss books and life (she does most of the talking!) over a span of twenty years till Frank’s Death. As it so happens, she never had enough money to make it across the continent to visit London, her favourite bookshop and bookseller while he lived.The Dutchess of Bloomsbury Street ****(4/5) is the diary of Helene’s visit to London, two years after Frank’s death and a little after the publication of 84, Charing Cross Road. It’s when she finally meets Frank’s family, visits Marks and Co. and has an interesting social life full of dinner and picnic invitations, and the comedy that occasionally arises because of her often crotchety nature.As a reader, there are so many sentences in this book that resonate, from the cost/value of books (1/50th the cost of having one’s tooth capped) to rereading the favourites and spring-cleaning the ones that you know you will never read, and also the ever inadequate feeling one has of not having read well enough. But above all, it is a book about the warmth of human connections, no matter how fleeting.

Letters exchanged between an author and the owner of an antique bookstore. Any book lover is bound to fall in love with this book. I've always enjoyed reading compilations of correspondences. And this one is very special in it's own way with the beautiful letters that easily touch the heart and the beautiful friendship they hold.

A book of letters between two people; two cultures; two worlds apart and yet they come together. Letters and what follows needs to be read together. Light, erudite and refreshing. A must read for all.

Have loved the movie, wanted the book. Good, clean used copy.

I’m giving this 5 stars because it’s a joy but buy the book rather than download the Kindle Edition as the layout is terrible. Given this is a collection of letters they need to lay them out correct but the spacing is all wrong making it difficult to read.

When I started to read this book, I wondered why I hadn't thought to read it before. It's totally charming. The exchange of letters reveals a lot about the time just after the end of WW2. It's funny also. Helene is a very outspoken but likeable person.But.....what I liked most is the second book here, The Duchess of Bloomsbury. Helene has the chance to go to London a couple of years after Mr Doer's death. This is a little gem. Helene keeps a diary and it's so interesting to see her reactions to the people she met and the places she saw.I'm so pleased that I read this book.

Es memorable la entrañable relación que se establece en la distancia entre los distintos protagonistas.

I loved everything about this book. In fact it is one of my favorite books. The book is actually two books, the first focusing of an exchange of letters between a New York writer and and the staff of a London book shop. Very witty. The second follows on with the author's visit to London. Hilarious. Overall the book is only 230 pages. Has good print and is easy on the eyes. It is an absolute gem. Do yourself a favor and read it.