Letter from New York

For six years Helene Hanff, author of "84 Charing Cross Road", made monthly five-minute broadcasts on BBC Radio's "Woman's Hour", conveying the ups and downs of life in a high-rise apartment building in the heart of New York City. This is a collection of those humorous and witty pieces.

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For six years Helene Hanff, author of "84 Charing Cross Road", made monthly broadcasts on BBC Radio's "Woman's Hour". In five-minute vignettes she conveyed the ups and downs of life in a high-rise apartment building in the heart of New York City. This is a collection of those humorous and witty pieces. Hanff talks of Bentley, the Old English sheepdog who stole the show at a neighbour's New Year's Eve party; of the regeneration of the Shakespeare Garden in Central Park; of the St Patrick's Day Parade, when all of New York turns green; of Arlene, her high-flying friend whose social life - and wardrobe - puts Hanff's tiny apartment and simple writer's life into perspective; and of how Hanff prepared to fly to London to realize a lifelong dream on the opening night of the play of "84 Charing Cross Road".