Dear Mrs. Bird

by A. J Pearce

Ebook, 2018

Library's rating

Description

"London, 1940. Emmeline Lake is Doing Her Bit for the war effort, volunteering as a telephone operator with the Auxiliary Fire Services. When Emmy sees an advertisement for a job at the London Evening Chronicle, her dreams of becoming a Lady War Correspondent suddenly seem achievable. But the job turns out to be working as a typist for the fierce and renowned advice columnist, Henrietta Bird. Emmy is disappointed, but gamely bucks up and buckles down. Mrs. Bird is very clear: letters containing any Unpleasantness must go straight in the bin. But when Emmy reads poignant notes from women who may have Gone Too Far with the wrong men, or who can't bear to let their children be evacuated, she is unable to resist responding. As the German planes make their nightly raids, and London picks up the smoldering pieces each morning, Emmy secretly begins to write back to the readers who have poured out their troubles"--… (more)

Media reviews

A jolly romp through London in the blitz sounds like an unlikely idea for a novel, but Dear Mrs Bird is full of poignant moments that cut through the froth of its narrator’s voice...And though at times the book seems like an Evelyn Waugh pastiche crossed with a Radio 4 comedy drama, complete
Show More
with hilarious misunderstandings and some dodgy dialogue, Emmy is truly charming. When her upper lip finally wobbles, the reader’s will, too....In the end, the novel’s spirit is madly winning, and its foregrounding of wartime women seems spiffingly modern.
Show Less

Awards

RUSA CODES Reading List (Shortlist — Historical Fiction — 2019)
Waverton Good Read Award (Longlist — 2018)
HWA Crown Awards (Longlist — Debut — 2019)

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

2018
Page: 0.7905 seconds