(b) first of the year

Well, the first book I finished this year, am currently reading about six more with a few waiting in line. I will read them one day :). As for this one:

84 Charing Cross Road
by Helene Hanff

This is actually a joint edition of two books, 84 Charing Cross Road and The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street. I have labelled this as non-fiction, as surely the first book is, the one which lent the name for the collection. The second one may very well have some fiction in it, to spice things up.
84... is a collection of the correspondence between Helene Hanff in New York and Frank Doel in London, who is the book buyer for Marks & Co. And they wrote to each other for 20 years, with an ocean between them. It is not a love story! But a story of a friendship, rather. The vast difference between the two countries and culture is extremely evident, from the food-rationed London to the liberal American woman, also their so very distinctive styles of writing. Wonderful. There are also letters from others since the word spread quickly about the American, buying books from London and having them delivered over the ocean, when she could have wandered off to a bookshop in New York, and thus Helene forms a circle of friends there.
The second book, The Duchess ..., is the diary she kept while in London. The city she had dreamt of visiting for whole her life, so that when "reading a casual description of London" she'd "put the book down suddenly, engulfed by a want of longing that was like homesickness" (110), and now - she was finally there. It, too, was a lovely book. She has a very approachable style of writing. You understand from the very beginning how deeply she feels for the city, which is very intriguing. How you can absolutely love a country even before you see it. And she is not disappointed, thankfully.
I will not say if she met her friend from 84 after 20 years, it would be giving the plot away, I'm afraid.
But the book comes highly recommended, it's good in the best sense of the word. And it's such a wonderful and a lovely book. A quick read (I wish it lasted longer!), and a must! It's one of the best books I've read in years, in fact.

5 out of 5, to be sure.