Letter from New York
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Book Overview
For six years, Helene Hanff held captive audiences all over the world with her monthly broadcasts on the BBC's Woman's Hour. In five-minute vignettes, she managed to convey the essential New York City: life in a high rise apartment building (the last small town in America); annals of Chester-the-Sheepdog, Duke, the German shepherd, and their friends; the tree-lighting, magic and music of Christmas in New York. We meet Arlene, Hanff's high-flying friend who's social life (and wardrobe) put Hanff's one-and-one-half room apartment and simple writer's life in perspective. We walk through Nina's garden, 16 stories up and witness famous New York rites of passage from the hysteria of St. Patrick's Day to Shakespeare's Garden and the neighbors who saved it, to block parties, with their sizzling Italian sausages and shish kebab and flossy plates of pate and brie, all told in Hanff's inimitable style. We join Hanff as she flies to London to realize a lifetime dream at the Ambassador Theatre: opening night for the play, 84, Charing Cross Road. And we witness the elegant Arlene as she meets and falls in love with a New York City cop.
Format:Hardcover
Language:English
ISBN:1559210648
ISBN13:9781559210645
Release Date:April 1995
Publisher:Moyer Bell
Length:144 Pages
Weight:0.81 lbs.
Dimensions:0.7" x 5.8" x 8.9"
Customer Reviews
4 ratings
A charming and utterly engaging look at NYC in the '70s and '80s
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
Halfway through the very first dispatch, I began reading this book aloud. Since the essays are transcripts from her BBC Woman's Hour Broadcasts, it seemed more appropriate. Helene's voice is clear and crisp, much like the autumn-in-NY days she once loved. Fans of "84 Charing Cross Road" who found themselves yearning for more should take the time to hunt down a used copy of this text. It's definitely worth it.
A great feel for New York
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 24 years ago
When writting about New York City, many authors try to be as chic and cosmopolitan as New York is perceived to be. But Helene Hanff's writing is interesting, witty and fun and there is not a bit of pretentiousness in it. This is a great collection of "talks" which describe the real New York.
I always feel I would like to know Helene
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
I could never understand people who read the same book several times until I began to read Helene Hanff.I find myself trying to work out just how big,or small is her apartment?I was so pleased to find the book about Q. It aswered such a lot of questions.I'm a real cult follower of her work.
You won't put it down until you've read it straight through!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 26 years ago
Helene Hanff takes every day slices of life in New York City and shows us the people behind the skyscrapers. I highly recommend reading this book along with "Apple of My Eye", her book about New York City sites and history. Having had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Hanff in 1990, i can tell you she wrote as she talked, so when you read her words, it is actually HER voice speaking to you with no pretense. This lady called them as she saw them! I have read and re-read her books many hundreds of times and hope others will continue to discover them!
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