The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Helene Hanff

On June 17, 1971, almost twenty two years after Helene Hanff began corresponding with Frank Doel from Marks & Co, Booksellers, she finally embarks on her long-awaited trip to London.  She will be attending a book signing of her bestseller, 84, Charing Cross Road, which documents her twenty year correspondance with Frank Doel.

Her journey is bittewsweet.  While she is eager to explore London and greet her British fans, she reognizes that void of two major driving forces in her desire to visit London.  One is the absence of Frank Doel, who passed away in 1969 (a letter from Frank's wife, Nora, imforming Helene of Frank's passing is one of the last letters included in 84, Charing Cross Road) and the other is Marks & Co., Booksellers closure.  It does leave regret, like we have all felt, that we did not seize an opportunty sooner to visit loved ones or friends abroad. 

The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street is in journal format, entries from Helene Hanff journals during her visit to London.  It includes encounters with old and new friends, alongwith impressions on places visited.  I was slightly disappointed since I was hoping the emphasis would be more on the latter.  Rather she focued more upon her encounters with friends including Frank Doel's wife Nora and daughter, Sheila, a amiable fan Colonel, and friend of a friend, "P.B". While P.B. comes across to me as slightly odd, for example are too-the-point, lacking any warmth is his requests to set up future meetings and are always uniquely signed, "In Haste".  Despite these idiosyncrasies, I get the impression that  Helene developed a minor crush on P.B. by the end of her trip although she doesn't outwardly confess her feelings in her journal.

Some of the sites visited during her visit to London include:  St Paul's Cathedral, Charidge's restaurant (featured in Noel Coward plays, a reference I wasn't aware of), Royal Chapel at Malborough, St. Jame's Park, Westminister Abbey, the Knights Templar, Buckingham Palace, Harrod's department store and of course, bookstores on Charing Cross Road.  Day trips included visits to Oxford, Trinity College and Stratford-upon-Avon.  She doesn't include extensive details about each attraction and her impressions are typically limited to a few paragraphs; however, a few descriptions sparked my interest in visiting select areas.  One in particular was the idyllic, charming Calton Gardens, which she describes as  "beautiful street of very plush apartment homes" and a nearby unmarked street, "a kind of enclosed courtyard, a cul-de-sac behind Clarence House and St. Jame's Palace" where "there is no reek of money here, only the hallowed hush of privlege" causing her mind to fill "with stories of fairy-tale splendor of monarchy".  I don't kow if the homes still stand today and the street still retains this charm, but I do want at least attempt to discover street.  This is the London I dream of seeing during our visit.