The perfect audio for book lovers, this is the true tale of a love affair built upon a shared love of books. If you’ve never ventured into the world of audio before, this really is the one to start with. Juliet Stevenson and John Nettles capture the essence of this book exquisitely.
Read by Juliet Stevenson and John Nettles Unabridged on 2 CDs Running time approx 2 hours
It all began with a letter enquiring about second-hand books, written by Helene Hanff in New York, and posted to a bookshop at 84 Charing Cross Road, London. As Helene's sarcastic and witty letters are responded to by the stodgy and proper Frank Doel of 84 Charing Cross Road, a relationship blossoms into a warm, charming, feisty love affair. We follow, in her subsequent letters and in the shop's responses, the trial of one woman;s idiosyncratic path through English literature. Along the way, as Anne Bancroft notes in her introduction, our enjoyment in sharing. Hanff's literary eduction is deepened by the human story her letters tell as she grows ever fonder of her bookselling friends across the ocean.
'One of the subtlest, sharpest, most moving relationships ever formed between pen pals. I can't imagine [84 Charing Cross Road] without Stevenson and Nettles. Her warmth, his reticence, their shared love of old books made me weep. I miss books horribly, but audios as perfect as this make up for the loss.' Guardian
"Human kindness is wonderfully to the fore in this little classic of autobiography, and the combined readings of Juliet Stevenson and John Nettles characterise the writers exquisitely." The Times
Author
About Helene Hanff
Helene Hanff wrote letters all her life as well as being the author of many books for children and articles for the NEW YORKER and HARPER'S.
