Postman’s Park and so much more – a book set in London

• Book: Charlotte Street
• Location: London
• Author: Danny Wallace

Review Author: Isabella Orff

I was keen to read this book because I really like the area of Charlotte Street in London, plus it has a cover that kept catching my eye (which said “read me”!)- yellow and black. This is the story of Jason Priestley (but not THE Jason Priestley of 90210) and his adventures in a small period of his life – his mission to find the female owner of a disposable camera which she dropped in Charlotte Street and he picked up, and the trail of serendipitous events and actions that take him on a journey through Fitzrovia (oh, and Whitby, briefly). It has some amusing observations and an interesting and unusual storyline – and I think if you want a feel for the real London, in 2011/2012, what’s “in”, what makes Londoners tick, then this is a good book for the Laaandon experience. Depressing in parts, ultimately, though, a heartwarming story.
I discovered in this book this little snippet of information – Postman’s Park, nestled between Little Britain and Angel Street, full of tiles commemorating heroic actions of humble folk, from the late 1800s. Am definitely going to visit when I am next in London. And this is what books “set in” can offer – little vignettes of out-of-the-way places that perhaps don’t appear in guidebooks. Enjoyable read.

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