84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

As Robert Evans wrote in his autobiography "there are three sides to every story; yours, mine and the truth". It seems there are three sides to the story of 84 Charing Cross Road.

The Book
Unusually for me, I'd seen the film of this first, and have only this week managed to find a copy of the book to read in my local library. The book is short and an epistolary. It is a touching memoir of a friendship, and it reduced me to tears.

The Film
I loved this film. I'm not one for romances normally, but this story of unfulfilled love amongst old books appealled to the disappointed romantic in me that people so often mistake for a cynic. Of course, now having read the book, I know that the film turned what was more a friendship into a romance. They made Frank Doel's marriage seem cold when there was nothing to suggest that in the original letters. But that's Hollywood for you. I still love it though. London looks beautiful. New York looks beautiful. I still want to sit in a Brownstone apartment reading English literature and writing letters.

The Present
"If you happen to pass by 84 Charing Cross Road, kiss it for me" writes Helen near the end of the book. I walked along Charing Cross Road last week and thought I'd see what was at number 84. There are still lots of books shops along there so even though I knew it wouldn't be Marks & Co. I was horrified to find that it is now a Pizza Hut. A Pizza Express I could have coped with, but Pizza Hut! What a fate.