Letter from New York: BBC Woman's Hour Broadcasts [Hardcover]

Helene Hanff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1995

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

From 1978 to 1984, Hanff ( 84 Charing Cross Road ) recorded a five-minute broadcast once a month for the BBC's Woman's Hour about her everyday experiences as a resident of New York City. Reproduced here, the selected scripts provide a witty, if somewhat rosy account of the adventures of Hanff and friends, fellow apartment dwellers in Manhattan. Included are reports on such events as author readings and free concerts, and observations on the Shakespeare Garden in Central Park, the St. Patrick's Day Parade and the ups and downs of city dogs. Hanff's love of her adopted city is reflected in upbeat anecdotes describing New Yorkers at their best--as good neighbors and charming eccentrics. A light diversion.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In 1978, Hanff, author of the charming 84, Charing Cross Road ( LJ 9/1/70) and Q's Legacy ( LJ 7/85), began recording a five-minute monthly broadcast about her life in New York City for a popular BBC radio show called "Woman's Hour." Gathered here in this slim volume are six years worth of Hanff's observances; her brief vignettes run the gamut of the Big Apple experience, from an unforgettable party for 18 people in a tiny studio apartment to the magic of a New York Christmas and the glories of a Central Park summer. While jaded New Yorkers and others familiar with the city may find her anecdotes a bit simplistic and, at times, outdated, rabid Hanff fans will find her enthusiasm for her adopted city irresistible. Buy where her books are popular.
- Wilda Williams, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Moyer Bell and its subsidiaries; 1st edition (April 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1559210648
• ISBN-13: 978-1559210645
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #170,830 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You won't put it down until you've read it straight through!, January 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Letter from New York: Bbc "Woman's Hour" Broadcasts (Transaction Large Print Books) (Hardcover)

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!

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I always feel I would like to know Helene, June 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Letter from New York: Bbc "Woman's Hour" Broadcasts (Transaction Large Print Books) (Hardcover)

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.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great feel for New York, March 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Letter from New York: BBC Woman's Hour Broadcasts (Hardcover)

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.