Dear Mrs. Bird

Author: A.J Pearce
Genre: Historical Fiction
Type: e-book
Source: NetGalley
Publisher: Scribner
First Published: July 3, 2018
First Line: "When I first saw the advertisement in the newspaper I thought I might actually burst."

Book Description from GoodReads: A charming, irresistible debut novel set in London during World War II about an adventurous young woman who becomes a secret advice columnist—a warm, funny, and enormously moving story for fans of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and Lilac Girls.

London 1940, bombs are falling. Emmy 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 seem suddenly achievable. But the job turns out to be typist to the fierce and renowned advice columnist, Henrietta Bird. Emmy is disappointed, but gamely bucks up and buckles down.

Mrs Bird is very clear: Any letters containing Unpleasantness—must go straight in the bin. But when Emmy reads poignant letters from women who are lonely, may have Gone Too Far with the wrong men and found themselves in trouble, 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 letters back to the women of all ages who have spilled out their troubles.

Prepare to fall head over heels with Emmy and her best friend, Bunty, who are spirited and gutsy, even in the face of events that bring a terrible blow. As the bombs continue to fall, the irrepressible Emmy keeps writing, and readers are transformed by AJ Pearce’s hilarious, heartwarming, and enormously moving tale of friendship, the kindness of strangers, and ordinary people in extraordinary times.

My Rating: 3 stars

Disclaimer: This Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) was generously provided by the publisher, via NetGalley, in change for my honest review. 

My Review: Dear Mrs. Bird is a Historical Fiction novel set in London during the Blitz -- a time when the daily lives of Londoners were filled with fear, loss and destruction, yet they carried on despite the ever-present threat of the Luftwaffe. 

While some war-time issues are addressed, the feel of the story remains on the lighter side with the characters and story line lacking somewhat in depth. Emmy came across as a little too perpetually plucky for my tastes and her continual and odd Use Of Caps For Certain Phrases wore thin early on. But, overall, the characters (besides the ol' Bird) were endearing and I liked that friendship was a main theme throughout. I just would have loved to have known why and how Mrs Bird became the 'staunch, rule-follower-no-matter-what' sort of woman she was. That information is left to the readers' imaginations.

This is a sweet, lighter read that is set during a horrific time and I feel the publisher's comparison with The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is aptly made.  The premise was interesting but what I truly appreciated was how the reader is privy to a view of the war through the eyes of a young woman who wanted more out of life than society was willing to give her.