84 Charing Cross Road

84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

I was originally drawn to this book by the title, seeing as I lived in London for 4 months last year, but when I read the summary of the book on the back, I was instantly compelled to read it. Although the book itself is rather small (I think it's only a little over 100 pages), it packs a powerful punch. The banter that goes on between the author and bookstore employee is hysterical, and the voices of each letter are so lovable, that you begin to feel as though you know these people personally. The correspondence takes place during the course of the war, so it was fascinating for me to read about how thoughtful Hanff was in sending parcels to the employees of the bookstore, and how genuinely grateful they were to receive her gifts.

A sweet, heartfelt, wonderful memoir that is truly a treasure in all of the dysfunctional memoirs that exist today.