Book Review: 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
I’ve never listened to an audio book before but, as I live in a semi-rural area, meaning a lot of drive time, I thought I might as well try one out. The idea confuses me though. Do I class this as a ‘read’? I certainly wouldn’t say I had read a book if I’d only seen the movie version… Such a dilemma!
Anyway, back on track, I chose 84, Charing Cross Road as my trial freebie purely because this book, even though well known and popular, isn’t available in ebook format (grrrr) and is an extremely rare find in print in Aus. (Perhaps — plot twist — I should write to some little book shop in America for a copy!)
I love the idea of an epistolary novel and this one has the added intrigue of being a true story. Now that I know Hanff’s opinions of fiction and diaries, its style seems only fitting.
Hanff’s letters are full of brash New York abruptness. In contrast, her main correspondent’s, Frank, letters have the stiff and always polite and correct tone that is stereo-typically English. I found their back and forth contrasting styles almost becomes a comedy act.
There is not only humour in the book though. There are some poignant moments, of course, as well as some interesting historical lessons.
There wasn’t, however, as much romance as I expected. (It’s been a long time, but I’m sure the movie version romanticised it all.)
I was also surprised by its brevity. I wish the audiobook version had included the book’s sequel as I finished listening after only a couple of days in the car, despite the plodding speed at which it was read. Yes, this was probably my biggest beef with the audio version. The narrators, actors I have enjoyed on screen in the past, seemed to read everything so slowly that it caused a lot of the jokes to fall flat. (It was read by Juliet Stevenson and John Nettles.) I assume it was to ensure every word was enunciated correctly, but it was slightly annoying.
So I’m still a little unsure about the whole audio thing but the good news is I didn’t have any car accidents while listening.
5 out of 5 for the book’s content and perhaps a 3 out of 5 for the reading. I still intend to find the print version one day and truly read it. (If your opinion is that this will be read it for the second time, Hanff would be proud anyway.)
readwritewish 