84 Charing Cross Road

To me the great joy of Hanff is her style. She is wonderfully conversational, humorous and self-depreciating. She describes her life - learning ancient Greek or watching endless English films - with panache. However, in truth very little happens in these pages. Rather, it is the gently teasing nature of her relationship with Doel which shines out, the feistiness of the young American lady chaffing against the more reserved nature of the quiet, polite English gent, as they read their way through the 1940s, 50s and 60s.

On her death, the Times said tartly, "Seldom has a writer sailed to literary fame in so slender a craft." It is true that 84 CXR is a very slim tome. Yet it is one that bears much re-reading, as it seems that somewhere between the lines there lie more than a few life-lessons for us all.

Pilgrims to the real-life 84 Charing Cross Road will be sad to find that it no longer exists as such. Look out for an "All Bar One" however and a dull, bronze plaque commemorating the bookstore.


Adorable.   February 3, 2004
 4 out of 8 found this review helpful

Quick-n-light. Adorable. Not much else to say. Read the whole thing in the bath tonight. Even though the water was pretty cold at the end, I was still smiling. Thanks for sharing Kathryn !


Little Slice Of Heaven   May 3, 2003
 7 out of 8 found this review helpful

I bought this book when in the British Library in London and started reading it on the coach home - i was completely engrossed for the whole four hour journey, the time seemed to fly.

Hannf and Doel both come alive before your very eyes, and you're admitted into the lives of two very different people bought together through a mutual love of literature.

A must for anyone


Better than reading someone's diary   December 9, 2002
 5 out of 6 found this review helpful

Like many people I saw a movie first. Naturally due to media constraints, you expect certain amount of the book to be homogenized. So I wanted to read what was missing. To my amazement very little was missing or modified. I don't normally read this sort of book. So I was surprised at finding myself wanting more when it finished.
Also until I read the book I did not realize that Charing Cross Road was a real place. The whole book is a collection of correspondence between Helene Hanff an avid book reader and Frank Doel an agent for British bookseller.
My wife has taken this one step further and is collecting all the books that were mentioned in the correspondence. Some of these books appear to have been reprinted due to this publication.
All I want to know is what became of all the other people described in the correspondents that not specifically die?


Simply Fascinating   November 24, 2002
 4 out of 4 found this review helpful

I first came across this book many years ago and since then have read it at least 5 times. I think the extraordinary thing about it is that the book is no more than a selection of business letters - and a short one at that. However, through these letters you are given an insight into two different worlds, buzzing New York in the 1950s in the case of Helene Hanff, and down-at-heel post-war London in the case of Frank Doel. What comes through more than anything in this book is the essential humanity of the characters concerned. These are real people living real lives, whether it be Bill Humphries living with his elderly aunt in Southend-on-Sea or Mrs Boulton living in the flat next to Frank Doel. Naturally Helene Hanff's razor-sharp wit spices up the book considerably and no doubt played a large part in its success. I personally think it was a godsend that she and Frank Doel never met. No doubt the chemistry between them would not have survived such a meeting, as, deep down, I think both were essentially shy, able to express themselves much better and much more freely on paper than ever would have been the case had they been talking face-to-face. Read this book if only to understand what makes a good letter!