User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
With a blend of lightheartedness and a dose of the heartbreaking reality of wartime, A.J. Pierce gives recognition to the women at home during WWII in this story taking place during the London blitz. Emmeline Lake’s lofty ambition to be a war correspondent isn’t meant to be when she finds out the job she applied for as a junior secretary for The Evening Chronicle was actually for a weekly magazine called Woman’s Friend, working for Henrietta Bird. She’s a straight laced advice columnist who will not respond to any letter that mentions: “Marital relations, Premarital relations, Extramarital relations, Physical relations, Sexual relations in general (all issues, mentions, suggestions, or results of), Illegal activities, Political activities and opinions (excl. queries regarding church groups and services), The war (excl. queries, regarding rationing, voluntary services, clubs, and practicalities) .” That is until Emmy decides to take things upon herself because she genuinely feels sorry for and wants to help these women who write in asking for advice that Mrs. Bird won’t think about giving.
This tribute to the the women remaining at home during wartime is not just reflected with Emmy who is also a volunteer with the Fire Brigade, answering calls each night as the bombings occur, but with those who lose loved ones, and those who write letters to Henrietta Bird seeking advice as they try to deal with their real problems. It also depicts what true friendship is about with Emmy and Bunty. It’s a quick read, funny and light at times, but sad and horrifying as we see the destruction and losses. A satisfying story I recommend.
I received an advanced copy of this book from Scribner through NetGalley and Edelweiss.
Rating: really liked it
Dear Mrs. Bird (Dear Mrs. Bird #1) by A.J. Pearce (Author), Anna Popplewell (Narrator)
In preparation for reading Yours Cheerfully (Dear Mrs. Bird #2), I listened to the Dear Mrs. Bird audiobook. We follow Emmeline Lake through the perils of living in 1940 London. Everyone is hurting in one way or another. Bombs are dropping somewhere, every night. Food is scarce and everyone has lost someone they know. Twenty three year old Emma is doing her part of the war effort, working at her day job but also volunteering to answer phones at the fire station.
Emma dreams of becoming a lady war correspondent so she jumps at the chance to apply for a job at the London Evening Chronicle. In her excitement and over eagerness about the job she fails to ask any questions about it or really listen to what the interviewer is telling her so imagine her surprise when she gets the job and finds out it's not at all what she expected. One must go on, though, so she gets to work as a typist for the loud, brash, insensitive, overpowering, Mrs. Bird.
Feeling the draconian restraints that Mrs. Bird sets on the letters she will accept for her advice column, Emma chucks ethics to the wind and takes matters in her own hands with explosive results. But that's not the only part of her life that Emma demolishes. She's also fought with a good friend and has that weighing heavily on her mind. Everything is enhanced by all that living in wartime can bring to the table.
This story brings to mind black and white movies of old while overlaying the humor with the realities of WWII in London. Most of the characters are very likeable and funny, each in their own way. And then there is the sadness of seeing the bombed out buildings, knowing of the people who have lost friends and family, and not knowing when things will be over. I'm looking forward to reading the next book and watching Emma continue to navigate job and life in wartime 1941.
Pub July 3, 2018 by Simon & Schuster Audio
Rating: really liked it
A fizzy, frothy little novel that takes place in London during WWII. That is, it’s frivolous until it isn’t. With bombings occurring nightly there is bound to be sadness and tears. The main character, Emmeline, is a shoe-in for Honeysuckle Weeks as Samantha Stewart in Foyle’s War. She has spunk to spare. Emmy lands a job and behaves in ways that are less than ethical despite her intention to be helpful. Filled with Britishisms of the 1940’s, I could have Done Without the capitalizations which I found patronizing and rather annoying. Otherwise this is humorous and enjoyable summer reading
Rating: really liked it
Emmeline Lake takes the bus home from work carrying her handbag, gas mask, and an onion (for stew). She dreams of becoming a war correspondent or a journalist covering political intrigue. Discovering a newspaper ad for part-time work at The London Evening Chronicle, she believes the world is her oyster. Wrong! Part-time work will fit in with Emmy's job three nights a week as a volunteer telephone operator for the Auxiliary Fire Service. It is 1940. London is being blitzed regularly by the Luftwaffe. Emmy is dumbfounded when she finds out the job of her dreams is nothing more than a junior typist job. She has been hired to type responses written in a column of Woman's Friend Magazine. Cantankerous Mrs. Bird picks and chooses which letters are worthy of a written response in her column "Henrietta Helps".
Emmy has been hired to say nothing at all. Mrs. Bird maintains a list of "unacceptable" topics. Letters mentioning divorce, unhappiness and intimacy are among the unmentionables to be cut up and sent to the bin. But, war is hell on the home front,too! Emmy secretly decides to send kindly responses to women desperate enough to write in.
The gallantry of the Fire Brigade cannot go unnoticed. One evening, a fire blazes out of control in a building now teetering on collapse. Members of the Fire Brigade enter the rubble, pulling out a frightened little girl and her brother. Just seconds before total collapse of the structure, a fireman is pulled out with something shielded in a blanket. The little girl's doll.
"Dear Mrs. Bird" is a novel that runs the gamut of feelings and emotions experienced by our narrator, Emmy, in this work of historical fiction. Make no mistake, author A.J. Pearce, in her debut novel, possesses the gift of transporting us to wartime London. We are concerned for the well being and safety of its residents. "Dear Mrs. Bird" by A.J. Pearce is a lovely, heartfelt read that I highly recommend.
Thank you Scribner Publishing and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "Dear Mrs. Bird".
Rating: really liked it
"Dear Mrs. Bird" by A.J. Pearce is a wonderful Historical Fiction story!
It's 1941 in London during the Blitz and bombs are dropped daily by the Luftwaffe. With dreams of becoming a Lady War Correspondent, Emmy Lake spots an ad for a part-time position at the London Evening Chronicle. Sharing this news with her roommate and BFF Bunty, both agree this is the job that's meant for Emmy!
Unfortunately, instead of accepting a job meant for her at the LEC, Emmy's discovers her position as a junior typist is with the magazine 'Women's Friend'. Her job is to screen all incoming letters to the advice column 'Henrietta Helps'. Sadly for Emmy, Mrs. Henrietta Bird is quite an old crotchety, quick-tempered, vociferous and set-in-her-ways sort of advice columnist. The Enforcer, so to speak!
Under the stern instructions of Mrs. Bird, Emmy is to ignore any letters containing unpleasantness. Letters with topics of divorce, unhappiness, intimacy and out-of-wedlock anything is to be placed in the trash immediately. Without exception! Mr. Bird's finds these unacceptable topics, from women who don't know how to handle their own lives, intolerable!
During a time when everyone is losing someone dear in their lives, how can Emmy ignore the outcry in these letters from those who need the most help? They are simply expected to stay strong and continue to live their lives under the most trying of times.
Emmy takes matters into her own hands and answers 'some' of the letters...on her own. It's a bit of an ethical breech and Emmy definitely crosses the line but she means well, right? Why shouldn't they get a little help through caring advice once in a while? What's the harm?
Oh, how I love this story! It is both sad and uplifting, with humor mixed in to help lighten what is easily a dark and disturbing backdrop: The Blitz. Realistic and tender moments have you reaching for a box of tissues through this sometimes humorous, yet poignant and heart-wrenching story.
With so many likeable characters, Emmy is definitely my favorite. She oozes enthusiasm, positivity and resilience even in the most difficult of situations. She's a young woman with hopes and dreams for her future during a time when so many have given up. What a beautifully written character!
Listening to the audiobook, rather than reading the words, brought this story to life for me. Narrator, Anna Popplewell did an amazing job as the voice of Emmy. Her voicing of all the characters was gender appropriate and the voice inflections reflected the many emotions that took place through the story.
The GREAT news is
Book #2 in this series is due to publish on 8/10/21. I'll be reading the physical ARC soon. Be sure to look for my review next month!
4.5 stars rounded up! I highly recommend this book!
Rating: really liked it
When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” - Fred RogersAll in all, this is a story about the helpers of World War 2 - amongst all the atrocities, there was a bit of light in those who came to the rescue of others.
The author drew inspiration for the book after finding an advice column in a women’s magazine from 1939 (love this so much!). AJ Pearce has done some beautiful justice to the people who had to experience the atrocities of the terrible bombings in London and the emotions they must have faced and the questions they must have had.
This is as delightful a book you will find that has a setting of a war. The characters are absolutely charming, you’ll be rooting for them all. And the language is brilliant - I absolutely loved the dialogue between the characters.
Definitely recommend!
A huge thank you to Picador Books for an advance copy. This book is currently available!
Rating: really liked it
How did I miss this one when it first came out? I ABSOLUTELY loved this charming and "light" WWII novel. Although on the lighter side there were definitely some sad and emotional moments.
The lead character Emmeline (Emmy) takes on a job at a woman's magazine (mistakenly thinking she is working for the prestigious London Evening Chronical.) She begins working for the overpowering Mrs. Bird who is an old-fashioned advice columnist. Emmy must weed thru all the letters that Mrs. Bird receives and only narrow down the "acceptable" ones to answer. This is a hard thing for her to do!
I listened to this book and the performance was outstanding! Emmy and all her friends were very likeable. I just loved A.J. Pearce's writing style! I am very excited to read the second book now!
p.s. I really enjoyed the author's afternotes about how the old 1940's magazines gave her the idea to write this charming story!
Rating: really liked it
3 stars. Charming. Witty. Entertaining.
This was a light hearted romp in 1940’s London that centered around Emmeline (Emmy) Lake, a strong and determined young woman doing her part to help the war effort. Emmy finds herself employed as the typist for an eccentric and outrageous advice columnist, Mrs. Bird. While the job isn’t exactly what Emmy had hoped it would be, she puts forth her best effort and tries to help improve the columns dying fan base.
The novel gives interesting insight into a women’s side of the war effort. Women’s determination to stay strong and continue living their lives, all the while the horrendous wartime atrocities lingering in their minds. Their men gone to fight the brutal war with no end in sight, yet they continue on helping where they could while longing for their men to return home safely.
This was an entertaining story with likeable characters and witty humour. While I enjoyed the characters and their relationships, I didn’t feel completely invested in them or fully engrossed in their lives. It was more of a light, surface glimpse into their story without a true connection. The novel had a lot of sarcastic humour which had me chucking a few times, but for the most part, felt overdone. I enjoyed the advice column letters scattered throughout the novel and wished the story had a stronger focus on the column itself.
This was a Traveling Friends read. To find this review, along with the other Traveling Sister reviews, please visit our blog at:
https://twosisterslostinacoulee.com/2...
Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada and AJ Pearce for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Dear Mrs. Bird is available now!
Rating: really liked it
DEAR MRS. BIRD by A.J. PEARCE was an absolutely wonderful, charming, fun, and for the most part an all around light-hearted read that immediately grabbed my attention and had me totally engaged right to the very end. Although there were definitely some very emotional, moving and heartbreaking scenes though that pulled at my heartstrings.
A.J. PEARCE delivers an intriguing and well-written tale here with very interesting, real, and loveable characters. The story was told from the perspective of Emmeline (Emmy) Lake and the setting takes you back to the streets of London during World War II. Emmy Lake was such a delightful and fun-loving character and I thoroughly enjoyed how optimistic, caring, kind and positive she was during such a heartbreaking time.
The storyline was extremely amusing at times and I thoroughly enjoyed the advice column aspects to it and everything that it entailed from the “inappropriate topics” to Mrs. Birds intense and no-nonsense character.
After reading the Author’s Note in the end and learning how the idea of this story began and that many of the letters in DEAR MRS. BIRD were inspired by actual letters and articles from wartime magazines always brings in another added layer to the story for me. So thought-provoking and touching!
Norma’s Stats:
Cover: Somewhat intriguing, love the bright colors, the typeset and display of the title with the typewriter keys - very fitting!
Title: Fits the story well and love how it also plays obscurely into the story.
Writing/Prose: amusing, light, and empathically written.
Plot: Engaging, steady-paced, held my attention and extremely enjoyable.
Ending: Warming, touching, memorable and completely satisfying.
Overall: An excellent, uplifting, delightful, and heartwarming read! Would recommend!
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada and A.J. Pearce for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.
Review can also be found on our Two Sisters Lost in a Coulee Reading book blog:
https://twosisterslostinacoulee.com/
Rating: really liked it
Quirky cast of characters...
feisty courageous gals in wartime add charm to horrific true events during WWII.
Over 40,000 civilians were killed by Luftwaffe bombings during the war. Another 87,000 seriously injured...
The Blitz was a German bombing against Britain in 1940 and 1941 during WWII.
The Blitz was Hitler’s attempt to bring the British to their knees..... yet British ‘character’ and ‘women’ were underestimated. Hitler overlooked the countries secret weapon: the brave women who refused to give in.
Women were true heroes... risking their lives, working, raising families in war zone.
Creating a ‘wartime romp’....out loud laughing......
with devastating nighttime bombings allowed me to think about the characteristics of the British....my appreciate of them.
Brits that are tough as nails! Men and women.
Ha... and to all my wonderful British friends on Goodreads... getting a glimpse of the history and culture—allows me a more clear window in ‘your’ British humor, strength, and loyalty.
Through the storytelling of “Dear Mrs. Bird”... ( funny & uplifting)....we see how many ‘young women’ found stoicism and strength they never knew they possessed during the war.
Camaraderie - joking - laughing - women friendships - and secrets - were tools of survival.
I like what this small book represents: ‘where there is darkness... lightness is nearby’.
The jolly spirit of AJ Pearce’s novel is a great tribute to the British women who didn’t have time to grieve.
They rolled up their sleeves and did the right things to do.
This wartime tragicomedy is a darn good contribution to WWII stories. Jolly good fun - as the British might say.
Another WWII war story reminder of things not to forget. 🇬🇧 👵🏻🧔🏼💕
Rating: really liked it
This story shows us the rolls of women in wartime Britain during the early 1940’s. A young Emmeline, who works a couple part time jobs, one at the fire station to answer calls after bombs from Hitler go off on the city. She gets a third job at a newspaper in hopes of it being as a wartime journalist, but she is disappointed when it is to help out a Mrs Bird who writes an advice column to people who send in letters.
This is also a story of friendship, and you get a good feel for what everyday life was like for the Brits in the city during WWll.
This was just an ok read for me, I found myself starting to skim through several areas of the book.
Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the eGalley!
Rating: really liked it
A charming story about Emmeline Lake who accidentally takes the wrong job. I think Emmy's enthusiasm for becoming a reputable World War II correspondent clouded her understanding of the job description at the
London Evening Chronicle. I loved her optimism and how upbeat she felt even after realizing she was only hired as a typist for a woman's advice column.
Her uptight boss, Mrs. Bird was anything but an endearing lady. She was overbearing and wanted Emmy to trash all letters containing what she perceived as "unpleasant" which turned out to be just the kind of problems that many were writing to her about.
Emmy starts "secretly" corresponding to some of the letters flagged unpleasant by her boss and may have put herself in a bit of a pickle. So many laugh out loud moments in this book, even with the back drop of bombed out buildings and German raids. Emmy's contagious optimism and good heart had me cheering for her to the end.
You will enjoy this one, if you love heart warming stories full of humor and friendship. I absolutely fell in love with Emmy.
Thanks to NG for my ARC.
Rating: really liked it
I really expected and wanted to love this novel, as its main character is a young woman doing her bit for the war effort, during the WWII.
Unfortunately, I found it predictable, overwritten, over-explained, and, generally speaking, I found our heroine, Emmeline Lake, overbearing and too earnest.
Dear Mrs Bird should have been right up my alley and I was disappointed it wasn't the good lighter novel I was so desperate to find. I got bored and skimmed a lot.
I will say this,
Dear Mrs Bird could easily be made into a BBC series, although come to think of it, there are plenty of similar stories that made it to the screen.
Rating: really liked it
4.5 Stars
”We'll meet again
Don't know where
Don't know when
But I know we'll meet again some sunny day
Keep smiling through
Just like you always do
'Till the blue skies drive the dark clouds far away
“So will you please say hello
To the folks that I know
Tell them I won't be long
They'll be happy to know
That as you saw me go
I was singing this song” --
”We’ll Meet Again,” Vera Lynn, Songwriters: Hughie Charles / Ross Parker
Overflowing with charm and humour,
Dear Mrs. Bird is a treat as sweet as that favourite one your mother made specially for you, just the memory of it makes you smile. I laughed out loud, I cried, I fell in love with Emmeline Lake and her best friend, Bunty, and all of the people inside these pages.
Still, it’s not at all light and fluffy, as this begins in London in December of 1940, and there are bombings. People’s nerves are frayed more than a bit, but it seems Emmeline really wants to set the tone for all about her. Air raids abound, and buildings about are crumbling, but she keeps her focus on the positive.
Emmeline, Emmy is so determined to
keep calm and carry on despite the war that’s going on, and so when she sees the newspaper advertisement on a day that she considers a cheerful day, despite the Luftwaffe’s bothersome presence creating delays for everyone and making people late for work, she just about bursts from the excitement she feels. She wants nothing more than to become a journalist, a Lady War Correspondent, she’s been dreaming of this for the last ten years of her life – which is almost half her life at her wizened age of twenty-two.
Emmy is offered the job she applied for, but it isn’t quite what she thought it would be. Instead of leading to a job as a Lady War Correspondent, she will be screening letters from readers of
Woman’s Friend magazine, weeding out anything … unacceptable. Included in “unacceptable” topics - anything hinting at s-e-x, or socially inappropriate behavior, premarital, extramarital, marital “relations,” divorce or other unpleasant topics. She is to destroy any containing any “unpleasantness,” per Mrs. Bird’s rather firm directions. But she’s also been told to do what she can, as well as she can, and she can’t bear to let all of these letters go unanswered. It’s only one to start with, and she feels better knowing that the writer will feel heard.
I loved the colloquial expressions from another era, I loved the off-hand manner in which Emmy approaches things such as having to carry a gas mask along with her handbag, I loved her heartfelt desire to reach out to these women so they would know that someone out there cared. I loved Emmy for having the best intentions. I loved that there was a deeper, darker story underneath the light and sweeter exterior. I loved reading about the changing issues of the day through these letters, seeing women reaching beyond the lives they thought they were destined to live.
Most of all, I loved the perfectly imperfect Emmy.
The idea, inspiration, for this novel came from a 1939 women’s magazine that the author, A.J. Pearce, came across. Inside was a peek into women’s lives in another era, another way of life. Reading the letters on the “Problem Page” which ranged from what to do if you have freckles to how to deal with rude people in public. An idea was born, and a very entertaining debut novel is the result.
Published: 03 Jul 2018
Many thanks for the ARC provided by Scribner
Rating: really liked it
4 utterly charming stars to Dear Mrs. Bird! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
I never tire of World War II fiction. I say it in many of my reviews, but for posterity, my late grandparents were young people in the 1940s. Both grandfathers fought in WWII, and I feel like I can visit this time with them through books.
So how does Dear Mrs. Bird eke out a name for herself in a sea of WWII reads? The answer: with humor and finding joy even amid the most turbulent times.
It is 1940 in London, and adorable and lovable character Emmy Lake is seeking the job of her dreams, war correspondent. She has her hands full as a volunteer telephone operator with the Auxiliary Fire Services and her unfulfilling current job. She finds an advertisement in a magazine that may be the ticket to her next career.
Emmy takes the job knowing little about it and finds herself a typist to an advice columnist, Mrs. Bird. Emmy needs the job, so she perseveres. Mrs. Bird is a strict enforcer of her rules, and the primary one is that no unpleasant letters will be addressed in the column; however, Emma finds this impossible to follow. Her heart opens up when she reads the words of these women, and she feels their loneliness, longing, and pain.
With nightly bombings and a war at happening all around her, Emmy writes these women back on her own.
As if you could not tell already, Emmy is a character to adore, as is her endearing best friend, Bunty. Dear Mrs. Bird is about true friendship, warmth, and generosity, in the most frightful and horrendous of times. It is a charming and uplifting read.
Thank you to Scribner for the ARC. Dear Mrs. Bird is now available!
My reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com
