84, Charing Cross Road

[sienamystic]

84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff, is an adorable bundle of awesomeness packed into 97 slim pages. It's a collection of letters between the author and an English bookstore, and the friendship that springs up between them and their families between the 1950s and the 1960s. I'm not sure why reading about a woman's taste in books and the wonderfulness of tinned tounge is so gripping, but it is.

Actually, I lie. The reason the book is so moving obviously has nothing to do with tinned toungue or preferred versions of Chaucer. It's moving because you get a real sense of these people, which is amazing because the letters are so very short. So much character crammed into so small a package is a wonder to behold.

Comments

[maeve-rigan.livejournal.com]

Thanks for reminding me of this book, long one of my favorites--I've read it several times. But I had not read any of Hanff other books, so now I'll look for those.

The movie, starring Anne Bancroft and Anthony Hopkins, is charming. Not as good as the book, of course!

[sienamystic.livejournal.com]

Oh my gosh, there's a MOVIE?

*runs to Netflix*