Comments on: Helene Hanff – Reviews

By: Kitty Turner

Kitty Turner — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 04:27:38 +0000

I first saw the BBC-TV version of 84 Charing Cross Road, which starred Anne Jackson as Helene, back in the 70s on Canadian TV (we lived in Detroit). When I found the book I grabbed it and was enchanted. I think they do have to be read in a certain order: 84, Duchess of Bloomsbury St., Q’s Legacy and Letters from New York. Those are the ones that relate to each other. Underfoot in Show Bussiness and Apple of My Eye are different aspects of her life. (At one point she says ruefully that she can’t write about anything that isn’t happening to her). I love ALL her books and reread them every year. I’ve always kicked myself that I never sent her a fan letter.

By: Fern

Fern — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 14:48:29 +0000

You’ve inspired me – I’ll see if I can get ahold of any of these!

By: Jodie

Jodie — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 22:26:24 +0000

So maybe ‘Letters from New York’ should be my next Hanff book. 84 Charring Cross Road is so lovely, but I think maybe you should try ‘The Duchess of Bloomsbury’ again in a few years – it’s so quick to read what do you have to lose and that book really hit me hard.

By: Dawn - She is Too Fond of Books

Dawn - She is Too Fond of Books — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:43:31 +0000

I haven’t read *anything* by Helene Hanff, but I love to read across an author’s body of work, as you’ve done here. Glad to know you found so many of her other books appealing (even if not as much as 84 Charing Cross Road)

By: Rebecca Reid

Rebecca Reid — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 01:45:43 +0000

I think part of what I liked about 84, Charing Cross Road was that half of it was written by Frank Doel. He was really a co-author, and I liked his personality.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 15:10:34 +0000

I didn’t know she had written these other books – though I’m not surprised they don’t live up to 84 Charing Cross Road . I’ll have to investigate!

By: Kelly

Kelly — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 03:13:52 +0000

A reading binge! I love it. I did really enjoy 84, Charing Cross Road, so I’ll add the others by her that you liked best to my TBR list. :-)

By: Alyce

Alyce — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 20:16:35 +0000

I agree that 84 Charing Cross Road is better than The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street. I recently learned that she wrote Letter from New York, so I haven’t had a chance to read that one yet. I’ll probably pass on the others since you said they were so repetitive.

Thanks for linking to my reviews!

By: Care

Care — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 18:49:39 +0000

I have a fun (to me) aside to offer! My mom was doing the crossword – at which she is usually very good and I am useless to help – when she asked me if I knew who wrote Charing Cross Road… and I DID! So exciting to me, that I knew (and I loved that book.)

By: Kathy

Kathy — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 18:13:10 +0000

What a fun way to do a review. I wasn’t familiar with any of thee books, but I do know the author from 84, Charing Cross Road.