The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Helene Hanff – Review

The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street
by Helene Hanff
Publisher: Moyer Bell
Publication Date: 1995
ISBN: 978-1559211444
144 pages
Nonfiction

Summary:

In this sequel to 84 Charing Cross Road, Helene Hanff travels to London to meet the booksellers with whom she corresponded for years.

Quote:

We toured the bookshops in the rain. They all had 84 prominently displayed, and all the managers and sales people bowed and beamed and shook my hand, and after the third bookshop I got terribly poised and gracious about it all, like I was used to it. Page 36.

My Opinion:

The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street is Helene Hanff’s journal of her trip to London. She describes meeting the booksellers at 84 Charing Cross Road, as well as signing books, and being squired about the city and shown the sights.

This book should be enjoyable for anyone wanting to know what happened to Helene after the publication of 84 Charing Cross Road. Anglophiles will also appreciate reading about Helene’s visits to English landmarks that she had dreamed of seeing for years. I know that I had fun recalling my own visit to St. Paul’s Cathedral and other landmarks of London while reading Helene’s journal.

If you are expecting this book to be formatted as a duplicate of 84 Charing Cross Road then you are bound to be disappointed in The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street. If, however, you are able to take this book as it is – a journal of Helene Hanff’s experiences in London – then you will probably like this book.

Rating: 4/5

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