Friendships found in 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
Cover of 84, Charing Cross Road
A Review of 84, Charing Cross Road – Helene Hanff
Esteemed as one of my favourite epistolary books (and in antithesis to this, Pamela by Samuel Richardson), I read Helene Hanff’s 84, Charing Cross Road a little while ago with some bookish friends in February.
Since I tend to go into novels with little to no knowledge of what the book is about, when I first peeled the front pages of the book, I was slightly stunned to find that the book was fashioned as an epistolary one. This meant that it was formulated as a series of letters between Ms Hanff and the Marks & Co. Booksellers at 84, Charing Cross Road. Nonetheless, through these letter correspondences, I heartily immersed myself into a most touching and affectionate book about finding love, friendship, and humor amidst some vintage finds.
About the book
Hanff, the main character of the novel, is frustrated with the “stiff cardboardy covers of American books” (p. 3). In tirelessly scouring for prettily bound editions of vintage and out-of-print books, she turns to a cozy little shop in England which specialises in exactly just that. Rather than retain formalities, Hanff immediately breaks the ice by adopting a witty and vivacious tone in her letters to the mystical FPD at Marks & Co. Booksellers. She openly raves about how pleased she is with the books, how offended she was when her favourite texts had been altered, and how she refuses to use remittance services because putting money in envelopes presents more than enough security.
Despite having not seen each other and living in different continents, Hanff and the booksellers form a bond as FPD continues to professionally supply vintage books to her. Over time, Hanff also naturally comes into contact with the other part-timers at Marks & Co. Given the World War II food shortages in Britain, Hanff gifts various Christmas and food packages to them.
Ms Hanff, a lover of vintage books
(SPOILERS)
Perhaps the most heartbreaking part about the book is that despite their many plans to meet each other, they never do. Hanff scrimps and saves every year, but barely makes enough to actually fly over to England to meet them. What makes this particularly poignant is the fact that in the meantime, the once-familiar part-timers have to move on with life, and that FPD – the mystical Frank Doel himself – actually passes on before he gets to meet Hanff herself.
In an overdue letter where she finds out about his death, she writes in a most poignant manner:
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Today, 84, Charing Cross Road has transformed into a McDonald’s. Like many precious places in our life, these spaces of memories have been industrialised, modernised and taken away from us. And though it pains me to think of the erasure of the bookshop, I also feel that this book has crystallised their friendship, love, and life for many decades to come.
What’s the final verdict?
Though I went into it thinking that this book would be like Michael Dirda’s Browsings in that it talks about the insatiable thirst of procuring books that barely anyone else reads, it was anything but it. Fashioned as a series of letters between an American bookworm and UK book shop, ‘84, Charing Cross Road’ is a heartwarming tale that finds friendship among dusty tomes of vintage books; and though I initially found Ms Hanff to be bold and somewhat daring to people who she wasn’t quite familiar with, over time, the ice melted and I saw a beautiful friendship blossom between the bookstore workers and her.
As Ms Hanff is a true lover of vintage, she may also slip in references to some books that no longer fall under the public’s purveying eye. Yet, the joy of this book resided in the fact that the banter was witty, delightful, and relatable. It’s not so much about being an erudite than it is about learning to laugh and have fun. As I also work at a bookstore, this reminded me of the friendships I’ve forged with my fellow part-timers and customers. Be it the picks-of-the-month, our latest fervent interest, or authors whom we (*cough*) don’t particularly like, I can’t even begin to enumerate the many wonderful moments and connections I’ve forged through the medium of books. It’s funny that though these letters date from 1949-1969, their words brim with so much love and life that they resonate with a girl from the 21st century.
Recommendations
The movie poster for 84, Charing Cross Road
If you are a book lover like me, I simply cannot recommend this enough. It’s an easy and short read of a hundred pages and can definitely be finished in one sitting. Though it’s not available on the Libby app, you can stop by and borrow it at one of our national libraries – and if reading is not your cup of tea, you may venture an attempt at the movie. It ranks at a high 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, and closely follows the book itself. I must confess that I haven’t watched it, but I imagine that such a high rating can, very frankly, speak for itself.
By: Yuki Koh Suat Nee
ReadNUS Editorial Team