你覺得迫切啫,唔代表其他人都係咁諗。坦白講,你只係一個星斗市民,無權無勢,就算知道咗你改變到啲咩?知道WHAT TO DO同實際行動HOW TO DO係兩回事嚟,知WHAT唔知HOW,咁你讀嚟嘅知識基本上都係無用,甚至乎徒添壓力,影響你日常生活做嘢;連日常生活都影響到,咁你仲想唔想去瞭解更多?唔係叫你去唔瞭解,只係瞭解基本限度唔影響生活就得,否則你「壯志未酬身先死」咁解。
This book is based on a true story. It brings a record of correspondence, from the late 1940s until the late 1960s, between Helene Hanff (a freelance writer and a bibliophile in New York) and Frank Doel (the chief buyer for Mark & Co., a second-hand and rare book dealer in 84 Charing Cross Road, London).
Responding to an advertisement in the Sunday Review of Literature, Helene wrote to Marks & Co. requesting for copies of the second-hand books on the list she prepared. This marked the beginning of their 20-year long-distance friendship.
Helene was humorous and often wrote teasing letters requesting books. Her American informality wonderfully contrasted with the British reserve, being part of Frank’s character.
Occasionally, Helene wrote to Frank’s wife and other colleague at Marks & Co. The correspondence was not just on books. Helene sent packages of food to Frank and his colleagues during the post-World War II rationing in the United Kingdom. Their relationship has flourished. It was not a love story or a romance between Helene and Frank. The correspondence showed warmth, friendship and humanity. Helene had never been out of the USA and lived for the day when she could visit England. Frank,as well as his wife and colleagues, tried to ask her to visit them. However, she did not manage to pay a visit. One day, Helene received a letter from Marks & Co. announcing the death of Frank. This is the most emotional part of the book. I felt sad for Helene and Frank as she never got the chance to meet Frank. Perhaps the vicissitudes of life can rob you at any moment of time. No one knows what the next second really holds. Carpe diem – we should seize the day!
The second part of the book is “The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street”, a diary kept by Helene when she finally made her trip to England.
我認同知識係平等,亦都無帶有某方面知識比其他知識superior嘅意思。當然我明白唔同人有唔同preference,亦都唔會要其他人一定要睇呢隻書咁樣。不過係想知閱讀會唔會或應唔應該受社會背景影響,有時一啲社會議程或理論可能對於自身會逼切啲,所以都會先了解下?
至於生日禮物,我又好難去問佢想要啲乜嘢嘅,而咁啱本書係買多左先會送俾佢。有時唔試下佢,又點知佢真係鍾唔鍾意,可能佢真係睇完第日同我講幾正呢
我本身無覺得自己叻過晒其他人嘅意思,呢度好多巴絲睇啲書就算唔係我感興趣嘅,我都好佩服,覺得好深,所以可能我表達得唔好。純粹我好想啲朋友去了解下人文科學嘅好,又或者睇書嘅好