Carolyn Marie's Reviews > 84, Charing Cross Road

My first re-read and oh my GOODNESS!!!

That ending… and that beginning… and that middle! This was an absolute joy to read!

These letters were exceptionally wonderful and made my bookish heart melt (and laugh)! Helene’s sassy humor made me genuinely laugh out loud while reading.

I felt such a kinship with her as we are both from New York and share a very similar love of English editions of books.

“I am a poor writer with an antiquarian taste in books and all the things I want are impossible to get over here except in very expensive rare editions, or in Barnes and Noble’s grimy, marked up school-boy copies.”

“Being used to the dead-white paper and stiff cardboardy covers of American books, I never knew a book could be such a joy to touch.”

“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.”

“Just a nice book preferably small enough to stick in a slacks pocket and take to Central Park.”

Although many years have passed since these words were written, I understand you Helene. I understand.


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First read: May 5th, 2021
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Wow! I was not expecting to be so saddened by the ending of this book... bittersweet!
📖💕
I've heard such wonderful things about this book, and I can now confirm all of them!
♥️
This is a book comprised of letters written by the author Helene Hanff (from New York City) to a bookstore on Charing Cross Road in England! It was an absolute delight!
Their correspondence was mainly about the specific books Helene wanted, and the difference books the shop could send her... because American books are simply not as beautifully made as British books are!
(Relatable)
Of course the friendships between these different pen pals grew, and she eventually had a wonderful group of friends in the book sellers she was writing to!
📖💕
How much sweeter can a story be?!?