Nonfiction

84 Charing Cross Road

84 Charing Cross Road

  • Downloads：2152
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-04-24 14:54:17
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Helene Hanff
  • ISBN：0751503843
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

An alternate cover edition can be found here。

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

In 1949 Helene Hanff， 'a poor writer with an antiquarian taste in books，' wrote to Marks & Co。 Booksellers of 84 Charing Cross Rd， in search of rare editions she was unable to find in New York。 Her books were dispatched with polite but brisk efficiency。 But， seeking further treasures， Helene soon found herself in regular correspondence with bookseller Frank Doel， laying siege to his English reserve with her warmth and wit。 And， as letter， books and quips crossed the ocean， a friendship flourished that would endure for twenty years。

A classic memoir of friendship and bibliophilia， 84 Charing Cross Road--accompanied her by the delightful sequel The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street--is an unlikely love story filled with charm and humour。

Download

Reviews

hattie ，

Hi， ummmm。。。 did I cry？ YES。 So much！ Such a charming and wonderful read！ I can't get over it！ Hi， ummmm。。。 did I cry？ YES。 So much！ Such a charming and wonderful read！ I can't get over it！ 。。。more

izzy ，

so so cute！ makes you appreciate books more！！ would recommend reading both 84 charing cross road and the duchess of bloomsbury

Alice ，

This book （the first one） was one recommended for fans of You've Got Mail （don't judge me）。 I didn't realise it was autobiographical until I started reading。 It's a nice recollection of those letters but there wasn't much of anything else there。 The sequel was really not good imo。 This book （the first one） was one recommended for fans of You've Got Mail （don't judge me）。 I didn't realise it was autobiographical until I started reading。 It's a nice recollection of those letters but there wasn't much of anything else there。 The sequel was really not good imo。 。。。more

Aimee VanDenBerghe ，

Very charming。 #lifegoals I wish I had a little European bookshop pen pal 😂

Holly Kindness ，

Absolutely delightful。。。being an American who has lived in England for 25 years it so resonated with me。 I know the book shop has long since closed but am going to visit 84 Charing Cross Road when in London next。

Lili ，

This was exactly what I needed; a charming memoir of how a passion for books bonded strangers across the globe。 Helene Hanff writes with a keen wit and intelligence that is pleasant to read and brings both laughter and twinges of tears throughout。 Hanff easily connects with the people around her and in turn transfers these friendships to the reader with her writing， leaving you with a sense that， they too， are your friends。 If you’re in need of a feel-good book that cleanses all your emotions in This was exactly what I needed; a charming memoir of how a passion for books bonded strangers across the globe。 Helene Hanff writes with a keen wit and intelligence that is pleasant to read and brings both laughter and twinges of tears throughout。 Hanff easily connects with the people around her and in turn transfers these friendships to the reader with her writing， leaving you with a sense that， they too， are your friends。 If you’re in need of a feel-good book that cleanses all your emotions in turn， then look no further！ 。。。more

Madeleine ，

A love letter to London - Such a beautiful book about the importance and power of writting letters and following your dreams。 The second part of the book， The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street， is so pure。 I can‘t wait to visit London again and would love to relive Helene's memories the next time I walk through the streets of this beautiful and unique city。 A love letter to London - Such a beautiful book about the importance and power of writting letters and following your dreams。 The second part of the book， The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street， is so pure。 I can‘t wait to visit London again and would love to relive Helene's memories the next time I walk through the streets of this beautiful and unique city。 。。。more

Lucy Pulfrey ，

The letters: 5/5Memoir: 3。5/5

raheel ，

it was a decent read but i wasn’t dying to pick it up and see what happens next hence why it took me a few days to finish because i just left it for a few days as well

LotteBee ，

Helene Hanff is funny， blunt， and writes in a way that made me choke and tear up more than once。 Wonderful characters， scenery， humour and emotions。

Lottie Saahko ，

The letters were absolutely delightful！ I couldn’t believe it when I realised they weren’t fictional， but real！ I loved the descriptions of London in the diary entries too， but found the diary part a bit long and boring。 Still， altogether this is a love letter to books and to London and that made me thoroughly enjoy it！

Sarah Wong ，

A lovely book that lets you watch a true friendship unfold over a love of books。 So sweet

Susan ，

I had heard of this book， of course， due to the wildly popular movie that came out many years ago。 However， I did not realise until I picked it up that it was 100% true。 Helene Hanff wrote letters to an antiquarian bookseller in London for 20 years - from about 1950 - 1970。 And what letters！ She is full of life and fun and her interactions with the booksellers （a bit stuffy at first， as one would expect from formal correspondence） are such fun。 As postwar London were on rations until about 1955， I had heard of this book， of course， due to the wildly popular movie that came out many years ago。 However， I did not realise until I picked it up that it was 100% true。 Helene Hanff wrote letters to an antiquarian bookseller in London for 20 years - from about 1950 - 1970。 And what letters！ She is full of life and fun and her interactions with the booksellers （a bit stuffy at first， as one would expect from formal correspondence） are such fun。 As postwar London were on rations until about 1955， she also sent them regular care packages of things hard to get， including things such as eggs and ham。 She is soon corresponding with several people in the office as well as the wife of her main contact and his neighbour。 There is constant talk of her visiting but as a writer with uncertain income and the occasional large expense， she keeps putting off plans。 No spoilers， but The Dutchess of Bloomsbury Street is a journal kept when she takes an extended vacation to London following the publication of 84， Charing Cross Road。 These slim books are full of humour and life and energy。 Hanff gives an impression of being a Fran Lebowitz-like person， full of witty observations on all the people she encounters。 Great fun but also tinged with pathos。 。。。more

Jeremy ，

What a wonderful delight - I was hooked from the very first page。 Miss Hanff is quite a character and the book shop staff are equally interesting。 Such a charming and unexpected tale。 Loved it！

Aoife ，

A complete delight！ The humour is one thing but the friendship that is built up is so clear in these letters。 Loved this book。

Alexandra ，

84 Charing Cross Road - A lovely read which had me hooked from page one。 I cried at the end。 Beautiful。The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street - a love letter to London。 I now want to visit Nash Crescent & Russell Square。 Beautiful， lovely， emotive and gorgeous！

𝐴𝑛𝑎 𝑥 ，

really easy to read to get out of a reading slump。 i really love the format it was written in， I think more should be presented in this form。 wholesome story about books and set in 40s-60s。 loved it！

Nothingtoread ，

I had not realised， and it might be only my edition of the book， but this is two books in one！ The first is 84 Charing Cross Road and the second is The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street。 84 is no doubt a 5-star read。 What a lovely little collection of letters！ I read them all in one sit and cried like a baby at the end。 The second part narrates the adventures of Helene during her much awaited visit to London。 This diary was not as agile as the letters， although it was still good （3。5 stars）。 Lived in I had not realised， and it might be only my edition of the book， but this is two books in one！ The first is 84 Charing Cross Road and the second is The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street。 84 is no doubt a 5-star read。 What a lovely little collection of letters！ I read them all in one sit and cried like a baby at the end。 The second part narrates the adventures of Helene during her much awaited visit to London。 This diary was not as agile as the letters， although it was still good （3。5 stars）。 Lived in London for a while and was equally enamoured with the city， it was very nice to read about familiar spots， despite this is quite a few years old。 All in all， a very lovely and charming volume。 Highly recommended， particularly the collection of letters。 。。。more

Josh Stevenson ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 SPOILER WARNING！！I was so very disappointed with this book。 By the sound of the premise I thought it would be something I loved。 The book is about the （true） 20 year correspondence between the author and the employees of a book store， in particular an employee named Frank。 The book is told exclusively through letters between the two of them。 Helene will ask for a particular book， Frank responds saying they either have it or they don’t。 The unique premise is part of the books downfall in my opini SPOILER WARNING！！I was so very disappointed with this book。 By the sound of the premise I thought it would be something I loved。 The book is about the （true） 20 year correspondence between the author and the employees of a book store， in particular an employee named Frank。 The book is told exclusively through letters between the two of them。 Helene will ask for a particular book， Frank responds saying they either have it or they don’t。 The unique premise is part of the books downfall in my opinion。 Because the audience only observes the letters， we don’t really get a chance to get to know the characters outside of the letters。 I think the author should have dramatised the setting/plot and narrative to bring it and the characters alive。 Actions speak louder than words after all。 Time passes quickly through the events of the book。 We get an impression that the characters are changing。 Eg the people working at the shop change and Helene finds some mild success as a writer。 However because I felt I didn’t get to know them in the first place， I had no emotional attachment whatsoever to anyone because nobody felt real， everyone was 2 dimensional。 Other people just come and go。 I know such is the way in life sometimes but it didn’t translate to a novel well at all。Because of all this， I felt nothing during the emotional climax at the end of the book。The version I read also contained the sequel ‘The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street。’ In the sequel， Helene documents travelling to London and meeting Frank’s widow。 This was so utterly pointless。 Genuinely one of the most boring things I’ve ever read。 It wasn’t worth publishing。In conclusion， very disappointed by this book。 I wanted to read it for a month after seeing one of my favourite book tubers read this and enjoy it。 Unfortunately， the same can not be said for me。 。。。more

Chelsie ，

Letters between Helene and Frank Doel， from New York to a small London book shop。 They develop a friendship through letters over 20 years as Frank sources rare books for bibliophile Helene。 Then they follow up when Helene finally gets to visit London。 Fave quote:“I do love secondhand books that open to the page some previous owner read oftenest”

Anita ，

“I wish you hadn't been so over-courteous about putting the inscription on a card instead of on the flyleaf。 It's the bookseller coming out in you all， you were afraid you'd decrease its value。 You would have increased it for the present owner。 （And possibly for the future owner。 I love inscriptions on flyleaves and notes in margins， I like the comradely sense of turning pages someone else turned， and reading passages someone long gone has called my attention to。）” “I wish you hadn't been so over-courteous about putting the inscription on a card instead of on the flyleaf。 It's the bookseller coming out in you all， you were afraid you'd decrease its value。 You would have increased it for the present owner。 （And possibly for the future owner。 I love inscriptions on flyleaves and notes in margins， I like the comradely sense of turning pages someone else turned， and reading passages someone long gone has called my attention to。）” 。。。more

thea ，

a charming ode to the power of books

Ayesha （ ˙▿˙ ）t ，

This is not a bad book。 In fact， this is a rather good book if you happen to be the specific type of reader who would enjoy it。 So I hope my review doesn't put off anyone from giving this a go if they're interested。 84， Charing Cross Road is a compilation of letters sent between Helene Hanff and the staff at a second-hand bookshop。 It's NOT a romance， even though the blurb described it as a love affair and so I spent the first 40 pages wildly guessing whether Frank was going to cheat on his wife This is not a bad book。 In fact， this is a rather good book if you happen to be the specific type of reader who would enjoy it。 So I hope my review doesn't put off anyone from giving this a go if they're interested。 84， Charing Cross Road is a compilation of letters sent between Helene Hanff and the staff at a second-hand bookshop。 It's NOT a romance， even though the blurb described it as a love affair and so I spent the first 40 pages wildly guessing whether Frank was going to cheat on his wife with Helene。 Which is pretty funny in hindsight！ Maybe don't clarify that to new readers so they can go on the same roller coaster of theories as I did。 It's always hard for me to review non-fiction works。 I can't criticise it for not having a clear beginning， middle and end because， well， it's a bunch of real life letters。 It doesn't have a clear plot？ Well， it's a bunch of real life letters。 I'm sure none of the people involved were writing with publication in mind - it's more like Ms Hanff has chosen to share a part of her life with us because of how meaningful it was to her。 And that's the thing - the meaning lies with the people involved in these events， and readers who enjoy books and bookshops and all the eccentricity that that entails。 However， having gotten all those disclaimers out of the way， this wasn't really the book for me。 I thought it was interesting at first but felt a bit bored afterwards with the literature references I didn't understand and the limited topics of "I need xyz book/You should visit England/Thank you for your presents"。 It was a nice short read but probably not one that I'd reread。 Would recommend it for people who are more into non-fiction or who are as in love with literature as Ms Hanff is。 。。。more

Prachi ，

like a fool i read most of this little book thinking "oh what a lovely fiction" then realized it's NONFIC which made everything infinitely better and also wow。 i can't believe （spoiler） he signed his letter with love and then just， died。 there's maybe editing involved there。 i don't know。 it's just so beautiful。 like a fool i read most of this little book thinking "oh what a lovely fiction" then realized it's NONFIC which made everything infinitely better and also wow。 i can't believe （spoiler） he signed his letter with love and then just， died。 there's maybe editing involved there。 i don't know。 it's just so beautiful。 。。。more

Lauren Barnett ，

I read 84 charing cross road separately （and you can see my review） so this is just for the Duchess fo Bloomsbury （though I did read this edition with both）。 Duchess of Bloomsbury is so sweet and lovely。 It's a woman who loves London and the various people she meets。 Hanff is a great biographer because she is very much herself in her writing （although it is a diary， so one is more likely to be）。 She is funny and real and makes me miss London， even if its only a train ride away。 I read 84 charing cross road separately （and you can see my review） so this is just for the Duchess fo Bloomsbury （though I did read this edition with both）。 Duchess of Bloomsbury is so sweet and lovely。 It's a woman who loves London and the various people she meets。 Hanff is a great biographer because she is very much herself in her writing （although it is a diary， so one is more likely to be）。 She is funny and real and makes me miss London， even if its only a train ride away。 。。。more

Noetic09 ，

84 was great， read it in one sitting， but Duchess wasn't as interesting， so three stars 84 was great， read it in one sitting， but Duchess wasn't as interesting， so three stars 。。。more

Mike Pesarchick ，

Absolutely charming read。 Perfect for a summer afternoon under a tree。

Deborah ，

3。5 stars。 I found the letters to be charming and delightful and I wish we all wrote emails like Miss Hanff。 However， the Duchess of Bloomsbury Street was a little like finally meeting someone you’ve admired and being mildly disappointed as Helene’s wit and mystery dials down in the second half。 Overall it was an enjoyable read。

Dee Morrison ，

Really lovely story， a gentle easy read。

Mary ，

Always a fun read。 I saw the film first and in many ways， I think the film rounded the story out in a more satisfying way， but still， I love reading about people loving books and stories。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=84 Charing Cross Road

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=84 Charing Cross Road&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,84 Charing Cross Road&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0