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What Members Thought
A very lovely book!!! The letters are the actual correspondence between Helene Hanff and the staff at bookstore in 84 Charing Cross Road. Beautiful, warm and funny letters from people who love books, and live for books. And this is a real proof that book people can befriend each other even if they haven't met.
The ending of this book is heartbreaking though. And make me long for the olden days where cozy bookstores and warm people still existed. ...more
The ending of this book is heartbreaking though. And make me long for the olden days where cozy bookstores and warm people still existed. ...more
I can't remember how I came across this title and now don't know why I haven't read it earlier! On the surface it is an epistolary memoir between an American writer searching for books and a British bookseller who is sending them. Their correspondence covers almost 20 years, from a tightly rationed post-war London through the crowing of the Queen, and beyond.
Helene and Frank do talk about books, but their relationship is so much more than that, life changing wouldn't be an exaggeration. (view s ...more
Helene and Frank do talk about books, but their relationship is so much more than that, life changing wouldn't be an exaggeration. (view s ...more
Well, this was lovely. Do yourself a favor and sit down for 2 hours to read it. Useful things I did not realize until I had the book:
1.) It's incredibly short
2.) It's not fiction. These are real letters Hanff collected and published.
3.) 95% of the books discussed hold no interest for me, and that didn't detract in the slightest.
Sometimes Hanff would annoy me with her sass, but then I'd remember that she was a lady living on her own in NYC in 1949&c, and making a living as a writer. Sass. Earned. ...more
1.) It's incredibly short
2.) It's not fiction. These are real letters Hanff collected and published.
3.) 95% of the books discussed hold no interest for me, and that didn't detract in the slightest.
Sometimes Hanff would annoy me with her sass, but then I'd remember that she was a lady living on her own in NYC in 1949&c, and making a living as a writer. Sass. Earned. ...more
I stumbled across this on the shelves at the library while looking for another book. I grabbed it because it was pretty slim, and I've been on the lookout for a book under 100 pages for the Book Riot Read Harder challenge - 97 pages! w00t! (Bonus: it was also published in 1970, which could also take care of the challenge, "read a book published the decade you were born.")
I had vaguely heard of this book, but had very little idea of what it was about and deliberately tried not to read about it be ...more
I had vaguely heard of this book, but had very little idea of what it was about and deliberately tried not to read about it be ...more
I used to refuse to read anything that wasn't written in novel format, but this story told in letters was so sweet and funny, I loved it!
...more
A re-read almost 20 years later. Adore this sweet little bookish book.
A short book of letters. Was very charming.
Apr 02, 2012
Margaret
marked it as to-read
Feb 04, 2014
Kathy Wheeler
added it
Nov 22, 2015
Maria
marked it as to-read
Jan 15, 2017
Mari
marked it as wishlist
Aug 29, 2018
Tara Nichols
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
finished-in-2018,
well-written-feel-good
Mar 06, 2019
Susan
marked it as to-read
Mar 26, 2020
Kate Mulley
marked it as to-read
