A charming read that gives readers a glimpse of WWII life in London for young, unmarried women. The advice column premise intrigued me and kept me reading, however, as the novel became more about the main character’s life I found myself skimming. While I did find the book a little slow at times, I think it would make a great movie. Overall, I enjoyed this novel and will keep my eyes out for other books by this author.
Thanks to AJ Pearce for the glimpse of WWII life and to Simon and Schuster Canada and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy.

I absolutely loved this book.

It's the kind of book that will leave you feeling warm, happy ... delighted.

London, 1940. Emmy Lake wants nothing more than to be a War Correspondent. When she sees an advertisement looking for a junior reporter for the London Evening Chronicle, she immediately jumps at the chance and applies for the job. Only the job isn't to be a War Correspondent, but rather to type up the letters to the agony aunt in a weekly ladies magazine. Not at all what she expected, but she decides to make the best of it.

Enter Mrs. Bird. She runs her magazine with an iron fist - and doesn't answer any letters that have anything to do with "unpleasantness" - which basically means she won't respond to anything unless it's about doing your part for the war effort. Everything else is considered unpleasant, which makes Emmy's job ever so difficult ... since most letters sent to Mrs. Bird are actually about stepping out with young men, wanting to marry against ones parents wishes, or feeling guilty for being scared during raids. Emmy simply can't abide to not answer all those lonely readers, and so she begins to respond to all those unpleasant letters - sneaking answers into the magazine behind Mrs. Bird's back. The result is a wonderful story about a young lady who just wants to help those seeking advice. While at the office Emmy becomes friends with Kathleen and Mr. Collins - both delightful supporting characters.

This book felt like a cross between Life After Life and The Chilbury Ladies' Choir. It's about people who are doing their bit for the war, it's about looking on the bright side of things when all feels lost. This beauty of this book is not only in the story, but in the characters. All of the characters are wonderful - Emmy, Bunty, William, Kathleen, Mr. Collins, Mrs. Bird, Charles, Thelma, etc.

This is a book about friendships, love, pulling your socks up and supporting one another. It's a feel-good book. A gem. A delight. This book made me smile and left me wishing for more. I loved "Dear. Mrs. Bird" and would happily recommend it to just about anyone I know.

Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada and Scribner for providing me with an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

This book was good - I felt a little lost like the main character in the beginning, but was richly rewarded in the end. A great book for fans of historical novels and the World War II time period. Some parts were easy to see coming in terms of plot and what would happen, but was all around very captivating and well written.

Emmeline and Bunty, best buddies along with their boyfriends, always going out together. Then WWII starts and Em's boyfriend enlists, but Buntys boyfriend is rejected. He is devasted, but wanting to participate in the war effort, he becomes a fireman. Emmeline, the main character, dreams of becoming a war correspondent, but after a quick interview in the building of a famous newspaper, she discovers instead that she has taking on a job in a woman's magazine. Mrs Bird, her boss, is a grumpy, pernicity woman with rigid rules and a very loud voice.! Em's job is to read help letters sent in by readers, but Mrs Bird will only read a few that don't include anything about sex, boyfriends, drugs, etc, the list goes on. Feeling sorry for some of the readers EM decides to write back to some herself. She keeps it a secret, even from Bunty., until the inevitable happens and she is caught out! The book is a mixture of love, despair and some humour. Very well written and a great read.

A powerful glimpse into what the day-to-day life might have been like in WWII Britain for those having to deal with the bombings. A little predictable that the best friend's fiance would die, but otherwise a satisfying read.

Set during the London Blitz in 1940-41, you'd expect a dark and dour novel but this couldn't be farther from the truth. It was a happy/sad book that highlighted the indomitable and resilient spirit of Londoners during the time, yet cast a keen eye on the devastation of the war.

The story is told from the perspective of a young woman named Emmeline Lake, whose fondest wish is to become a journalist. In particular, a Lady War Correspondent. Emmy lives in Pimlico and shares a flat with her best friend in the world, Bunty.

Emmy is famed for her 'plucky' outlook. She works answering phones for the Fire Brigade. This is no easy task as the Luftwaffe's bombing of London during the Blitz ensured that there were myriad fires, accidents, and injuries every single day.

When she gets an interview with the London Evening Chronicle, she is over the moon with anticipation. However, she finds out that the job is not with the newspaper, but rather it is with the magazine "Woman's Friend" which has its offices in the same building. Still working her post at the Fire Brigade, Emmy begins working as a typist for "The Women's Friend" in January of 1941.

Her job is to screen the mail received by agony aunt Mrs. Henrietta Bird and choose those that Mrs. Bird is likely to answer. These are few and far between as Mrs. Bird will not reply to letters about adultery, politics, divorce, intimacy, and any other topic she saw as weak. Even the replies that Mrs. Bird does write are very brusque and unsympathetic.

"A step too far - A catalogue of deceit"

Feeling sorry for the countless letters that didn't pass muster by Mrs. Bird, Emmy begins to answer them herself. Her heart breaks for the desperate predicaments of the letter writers. Her big mistake is that she writes her replies on "Women's Friend" stationery and signs them "Mrs. Henrietta Bird".

"The moon was lighting up London for the Luftwaffe and they were taking full advantage of it."

When Emmy's friend Bunty gets engaged to one of the Fire Brigade firemen, the girls are joyous. It is so nice to have something 'good' to look forward to.

The Blitz leaves no one unscathed. Emmeline lives her life with a mixture of pluckiness, bravery, guilt, concern, and resilience that is a tonic to read about. Tired, so tired, Emmy bravely continues on with her two jobs. "I willed the lift to get stuck so I could sit on the floor and nod off."

"Dear Mrs. Bird" was a fast read. Though I don't recommend you read it in public, lest you embarrass yourself either laughing or crying. It reflected an accurate and well researched portrayal of what life was like living in London during the Blitz. The constant bombing and devastation, the rationing, the losses.... AND the stoicism of the people who valiantly tried to maintain a positive outlook while there was little to be positive about.

The story was written with a kind of innocence. Emmy was very young, so she had a young person's righteous and innocent world view. Her experiences were daunting, yet she remained true to herself and the people she loved.

Yes, along with some laughter, there were many tears shed IN the novel, and, I might add, ON the novel (there were parts where I blubbered like a fool). Written with warmth, empathy and humor, A.J. Pearce's debut is a resounding success. I hope you'll read it for yourself and see.
Highly recommended.

This book was a total change of pace for me and what a welcome one it was.

Dear Mrs Bird captivates and portrays wartime London through the eyes of Emmeline Lake .

This book reels you in, you laugh, you make you cry but most of all you will cheer on Emmeline!

Well worth the read

What a charming read!
I knew once I reached the half way point I wasn't going to sleep that night until I had read it cover to cover.

I was drawn to this book straight away as I love reading how every day people lived their life during the war. I have read a lot of books of war stories based in Germany but it was a nice change it was to be able to see things from an English perspective as well.

Pearce used actual magazine's from the war era as inspiration to paint a relatable picture of life during the war. Henrietta's Helps, like other advice columns during that time, was a way for women to seek advice on things they were dealing with.

When Emmeline, a wannabe journalist, who was hired to do nothing but type, took matters into her own hands she took it upon herself to start replying to letters that were not deemed acceptable to reply to let alone publish. The story takes you on a journey as Emmeline battles life and its hardships all the while doing her bit for the war effort.
I laughed, I cried, it was all terribly good!!

Thank you to Net Galley for the advance copy.

Dear Mrs. Bird is such a beautiful, fun story. Very uplifting. Emmy and her friend Bunty are doing what they can during World War II. Emmy works part time as a typist and volunteers at the firehouse with her spare time and Bunty works at the War Office. They are both in their twenties and doing what I am not sure I’d have the strength for, keeping their heads up and being as positive as they can under the circumstances. Air raids are bombing London almost every night but these two ladies and many like them are doing what they can for the war effort at home. During all of this, Emmy who has a dream of being a war correspondent, takes a job at a small woman’s magazine thinking it was for a bigger paper. She ends up opening the letters of Mrs. Bird, the writer of the help column who has strong ideas about “acceptable” letters. Emmy ends up feeling sad for those who’s letters do not fall into Mrs. Bird’s strong opinions and writes to them herself. This book is so positive and happy and fun despite the setting and I love it. While reading it, I described Emmy as plucky and I think I stick by that. She has a strong can-do attitude and takes everything in stride. Fun light reading! Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada and Netgalley for access to this book early. Dear Mrs. Bird is published on July 3/18.

Follow the daily events, adventures and trials of Miss Emmeline Lake, as she deals with life during the Blitz. A wonderfully charming book which shows us the lives of those who survived and thrived during that challenging time. From fashion to food to holding on to her dreams of being a writer, we get to know Miss Lake, and I know that I surely missed her as the last page was turned.

Dear Mrs Bird is a great read for anyone who enjoys historical fiction. I really loved how much effort the author put in to the language so it felt very authentic to the time period .
Emmy wants nothing more than to be a war correspondent and do her part to help England in the war . When she lands what she thought was her dream job, Emmy’s world is quickly turned upside down and she has to make some tough decisions about ethics and when to stand up for those in need. Despite the drama of the war, this novel was humours and light making it a great summer read.

A delightful and witty piece of historical fiction which will have you both laughing and crying. Emmy is an aspiring girl war correspondent who leaves her job as a secretary at a law firm to work for a newspaper. Her dreams are dashed when she discovers that she is merely a typist for Mrs. Bird, an overbearing and imperious ladies columnist writer who brooks no "unpleasantness" in her column. As Emmy reads the letters sent into the paper, she feels impelled to respond to these heartfelt requests. But she hadn't counted on the consequences her actions would eventually bring. Funny, poignant and touching, this novel will soon become one of your favourites.

If you enjoyed reading "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" then you will fall in love with "Dear Mrs. Bird". I would love to see a sequel to this story.

“If there was anything I wanted most in the world (other, of course, than for the war to end and Hitler to die a quite grisly death), it was to be a journalist. Or to be precise, what people in the know referred to as a Lady War Correspondent.”

A. J. Pearce’s debut novel, Dear Mrs. Bird, takes place in London, beginning in 1940. Twenty-two-year-old Emmeline “Emmy” Lake has been volunteering as a telephone operator with the Auxiliary Fire Services when she notices an advertisement for a job as a junior in the London Evening Chronicle. However, the job turns out to be a junior typist position for Henrietta Bird, the ‘agony aunt’ advice columnist for Women’s Friend Magazine. When Emmy takes the job, Mrs. Bird is very clear that any letters that contain “Unpleasantness” (politics, divorce, unhappiness, pregnancies, sex) should be ignored and put directly in the waste paper bin, but Emmy cannot help reading them. Some are from women who have found themselves ‘in the family way’ without being married or had fallen in love with soldiers away on leave. These are strictly outside of the parameters that Mrs. Bird is willing to address. Emmy’s compassion gets the better of her and she begins to secretly write back to these women as Henrietta. Predictably, this backfires.

“I told myself we could all get blown up by tomorrow so we might just as well enjoy ourselves.”

What is fascinating about this book is its descriptions of the home front during WWII and especially the roles that women played in the workforce. I found it to be incredibly well-researched and the descriptions make you feel as though you are in war torn London right alongside the characters.

“Today, London was operating under a low and dreary grey sky, the sort that looked like a giant boy had flung off his school jumper and accidentally covered up the West End.”

I found Emmy to be a bit much in the first half of the book. She comes off as being younger than her age, and a little naïve, but her character evolves and matures during the course of the novel. She genuinely wants to help the people she is writing to and so this innate kindness makes her very likeable. Her big heart finally sold me on her character. The book’s description tells you that you will enjoy Emmy’s best friend, Bunty, and in fact she is a lively, loyal, and enjoyable character. Still, I was expecting a bit more from her character. Sometimes I felt like she fell a little flat. Mrs. Bird, on the other hand, is cantankerous and thundering. She subscribes to the ‘stiff up lip’ school of Britishness. Emmy describes her as looking like “a later-life Queen Victoria, only even crosser.” Mrs. Bird believes that “There’s nothing that can’t be sorted with common sense and a strong will.” Other enjoyable characters include Kathleen, a colleague of Emmy’s at the magazine, who is friendly, prudish, and kind. My favourite character, however, was Mr. Collins a disorganized and disheveled fiction writer for the magazine. Each character is loveable in their own way and you grow to really care about, and be concerned for, Emmy when her letter writing is discovered.

“In terms of children, four is ample. More than that and one veers into the working classes or Catholicism.”

Though this novel is a work of historical fiction, it is impossible to deny that it is also Chick Lit. It is a very light and fluffy novel, until it isn’t. There is a distinct change in tone in the second half of the book when the bombings in London begin in earnest. Still, there is humour throughout. The book is filled with slang that feels authentic to the time period. I enjoyed how the book discussed the fact that even during the war women were expected to act happy, dress well, and provide good meals despite the rations.

“Mrs. Bird looked at me as though I was an idiot, which I had a horrible feeling might be about right.”

One thing I could have done without in this book is the strange and random-seeming capitalization of words. I found it quite distracting. I also found the plot a tad predictable. Having said that, I quite enjoyed it.

“I could see people were ever so frank when they wrote in, which I thought really quite brave. Mrs. Bird was just a stranger at a magazine, but readers told her their secrets all the same.”

This is a story about the indomitable strength of the human spirit and how it can transcend even the greatest hardships. It will make you laugh and cry. I also discusses the importance of having close friends and family during your hardest times and the ways in which women rely upon each other. This was shown through the friendship of Emmy and Bunty, which I thought was very well-written.

“I had shown this letter to Mrs. Bird. She’d said the woman had only herself to blame.”

Easter Egg: If you read the Author’s Note at the back of the book, you will discover that Mrs. Bird is based on a real advice columnist during the Second World War. These columnists were known in the UK as ‘agony aunts’ because they gave practical, and sometimes harsh, advice.

“After a big raid it was always sad to see flattened buildings and burnt-out churches which had stood for hundreds of years, but there was something rather triumphant about the monuments and statues, even the parks and big department stores that were still there, getting on with things.”

Dear Mrs. Bird is no All The Light We Cannot See or Everyone Brave is Forgiven. It is a much lighter book, even when it is talking about very serious matters. However, it is a very readable book that I think most people will enjoy. Let me know what you think in the comments section.

Thank you to Net Galley and Picador Books for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.

Grade: B+/A-

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to preview this book. This was a little fluffier than my usual fare (although some gritty spots), but still a worthwhile story about a young lady's "journalistic" escapades during the London Blitz. Recommended.

Never have I read a book where I can understand something is A Very Good Thing so clearly.
The turn of phrase made this book a hilarious page turner with the mental picture painted to show the facial expressions so vividly.
I laughed, and kept reading the next chapter.
Lovely story!

"Dear Mrs. Bird" hardly compares to " The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie" novel.. Set in England in WWII, Emmeline Lake and her friends are frothy and talk, and talk, and talk. The best parts are the letters that are sent to the Women's Friend magazine which are answered by Emmy in the name of Mrs. Bird, who does not like "unpleasantness". There are not enough letters and too much angst on the part of Emmy about responding as Mrs. Bird. There is sufficient information about the period, German bombing, but oh, so, much verbiage. I did read through to the end, and without spoiling the best part...it was worth my efforts. Nice light reading if you like dialogue driven fiction.

I am so looking forward to sharing this lovely historical fiction title with my customers. It's rare that I can say a book made me both laugh and cry. Emmy and her friends are instantly likeable characters, full of good humour and bravery. I think that this would be a perfect fit for fans of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

Review of Dear Mrs. Bird
I liked this book very much. Although I think that it was written to appeal to women, I found it fascinating and enjoyable as a male. The author writes very, very well and has produced a novel that is fresh, believable and engaging. I was pleasantly surprised and not only enjoyed the book but I gained a better understanding of this period of history and the important part that women played during the London blitz. It provides a glimpse of the lives, loves and concerns of people left at home during the war.
The story concerns Emmeline Lake, a young woman who is hired by a newspaper expecting that she will be a reporter and correspondent. Instead she finds herself serving as a clerk for Mrs. Bird, an agony aunt who has written an advice column for years. Mrs. Bird is an out-of-touch repressed prude and a harridan. The heroine can’t tolerate her uncaring attitude, inadequate replies and her refusal to deal with many of the problems of the people who write her. In desperation and knowing that she is putting her job at risk Emmeline begins to answer these letters and signs them as Mrs. Bird.
The outcome is delicious, fraught with suspense and ends with a believable satisfactory ending. This book is a good read, interesting and educational. I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t enjoy it.

A wonderful glimpse into life during the London Blitz (WWII), lightened with humour and filled with heart. This is a perfect choice for anyone looking for something a little lighter, but that still has depth.

Delightful story that hides the depth of living under nightly bombing horror with a perky upbeat main character.

Dec 1940 during the Blitz of London, Emmeline Lake's story of friendship during good times and bad, shows her fortitude to support the home-front war effort by volunteering on the fire brigade phones all night then work all day on a few hours of sleep.

Emmy is undaunted by a job situation when she finds herself working for the stern, old Mrs. Bird, advice columnist, at a women's weekly publication. Emmy's coping mechanism is a bit unorthodox.

When faced with tragedy, Emmy's determination to do the right thing is heart wrenching but proves her worthiness as a friend and value as an employee.

This seems like a 'light read' until you are drawn into the devastation Londoners faced every morning after a bombing raid. Charming British idioms of the era.