This memoir tells the remarkable story of how Helene Hanff came to write 84, Charing Cross Road, and how its success changed her.
Hanff recalls her serendipitous discovery of a volume of lectures by a Cambridge don, Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch.
She devoured Q's book, and, wanting to read all the books he recommended, began to order them from a small store in London at 84, Charing Cross Road.
Thus began a correspondence that became an enormously popular book, play, television production, and movie, and that finally led to the trip to England -- and a visit to Q's study -- that she recounts in this exuberant memoir.
Hanff pays her debt to her mentor and shares her joyous adventures with her many fans.
Reading Helene Hanff's book is like making a new friend -- a charming, wise, and funny one.
-- Betty Rollin A potpourri .
easy and assured .
A delightful companion for the odd hour.
-- San Francisco Chronicle Hanff's charm is such that when she exults .
we exult right along with her.
-- Kirkus Reviews.
Penguin Books Q's legacy: a delightful account of a lifelong love affair with books, paperback/helene hanff
