Dear Mrs. Bird, AJ Pearce
Dear Mrs. Bird, AJ Pearce
15 Rating(s)
List: $25.99 | Sale: $18.20
Club: $12.99

Dear Mrs. Bird

Author: AJ Pearce

Narrator: Anna Popplewell

Unabridged: 9 hr 48 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/03/2018


Synopsis

This charming, irresistible debut novel set in London during World War II about a young woman who longs to be a war correspondent and inadvertently becomes a secret advice columnist is “a jaunty, heartbreaking winner” (People)—for fans of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and Lilac Girls.

Emmeline Lake and her best friend Bunty are doing their bit for the war effort and trying to stay cheerful, despite the German planes making their nightly raids. Emmy dreams of becoming a Lady War Correspondent, and when she spots a job advertisement in the newspaper she seizes her chance; but after a rather unfortunate misunderstanding, she finds herself typing letters for the formidable Henrietta Bird, renowned advice columnist of Woman’s Friend magazine.

Mrs. Bird is very clear: letters containing any Unpleasantness must go straight into the bin. But as Emmy reads the desperate pleas from women who many have Gone Too Far with the wrong man, or can’t bear to let their children be evacuated, she begins to secretly write back to the readers who have poured out their troubles.

“Fans of Jojo Moyes will enjoy AJ Pearce’s debut, with its plucky female characters and fresh portrait of women’s lives in wartime Britain” (Library Journal)—a love letter to the enduring power of friendship, the kindness of strangers, and the courage of ordinary people in extraordinary times. “Headlined by its winning lead character, who always keeps carrying on, Pearce's novel is a delight” (Publishers Weekly). Irrepressibly funny and enormously moving, Dear Mrs. Bird is “funny and poignant…about the strength of women and the importance of friendship” (Star Tribune, Minneapolis).

About AJ Pearce

AJ Pearce grew up in Hampshire, England. She studied at the University of Sussex and Northwestern University. A chance discovery of a 1939 women’s magazine became the inspiration for her series The Emmy Lake Chronicles, which includes Dear Mrs. BirdYours Cheerfully, and Mrs. Porter Calling. She lives in the south of England.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Angela M on June 17, 2018

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 jo......more

Goodreads review by Tammy on March 27, 2018

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 s......more

Goodreads review by Terrie on July 12, 2021

"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 ne......more

Goodreads review by Tina on May 16, 2021

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......more

Goodreads review by Lindsay L on October 15, 2018

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.......more