I disliked the casual writing style in the second book (although it hadn’t bothered me in the letters of the first), and I didn’t like Helene’s overbearing personality as it came across in the second book (most people seem to like her sense of humor, but it wasn’t for me). I admit that I was disappointed in The Duchess of Bloombury Street. I wanted to see how Helene finally got to London, so I quickly found the second book after I finished the first. Because the letters were every few years instead of every few months, I, as the reader, could see how this long-distance friendship meant so much to the two book lovers. Keeping the book as it was (simply a collection of letters) made it more powerful, though. The friendship was still obviously clear, but the letters were fewer. I was a little sad by how few letters captured the last years of the correspondence. I enjoyed the banter between Helene and Frank. Oh, the power of books!Ĩ4, Charing Cross Road was a delightfully light collection of letters. I loved the book talk, and while neither of these books were favorites of mine, I did love learning about Helene’s reading and studying style. The second book is Helene’s journal when she finally makes it to London, a lifelong dream that comes true only after the first book was published. I hadn’t realized when I began reading that these books were true, but then I found them in the nonfiction section! The first is collection of letters between Helene Hanff and Frank Doel, the proprietor of a used book shop in London, during their 20-year correspondence (1949-1969). Between reading the two books, I also watched the movie, staring Anne Bancroft and Anthony Hopkins as part of Chance #10 (Book/Movie Comparison) for the Take a Chance Challenge. I love a book about books, so I thought I’d pick up the slim 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff, and the sequel, The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street.

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84 charing cross road summary