Dear Mrs. Bird (The Emmy Lake Chronicles, #1) in Retro Chapter Chicks

Feb 07, 2020 Book Concierge rated it liked it

Shelves: library, friendship, concierge, strong-women, world-war-ii, audio, england, debut

Digital audio performed by Anna Popplewell

From the book jacket: 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 u Digital audio performed by Anna Popplewell

From the book jacket: 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.

My reactions:
This had more substance than I originally thought based on the book jacket. Mrs Bird has some strict guidelines for the letters she’ll tackle – NOTHING unpleasant! No mention of sexual relations (in or – heaven forbid! – out of marriage), nothing about divorce, or complaints about the hardships endured during wartime, and she doesn’t want any letters that should belong to the food columnist, either! It seems that Emmy’s task is to toss just about every letter into the bin. But her heart breaks for the predicaments some writers convey, and when they give an address and ask for a personal response, well, Emmy just can’t help but respond.

Of course, there’s the personal drama of a young woman during wartime - a fiancé who is fighting in France, and a best friend who is trying to plan a wedding amidst the continuous bombing of London during the Blitz. Emmy is torn trying to be all things to all people and gets caught in a web of deceit that seems so innocent at the beginning.

I’m way past this stage in my own life and didn’t really relate to the characters. Oh, I recognized myself and my friends at that age, but “been there, done that” and I don’t really need to read about it again. The person I liked best was Emmy’s boss. Still, it was an entertaining, fast read, and I can see why it might be marketed for book groups.

Anna Popplewell does a fine job performing the audio version. I loved her interpretation of Mrs Bird! She set a good pace and I was never confused about who was speaking.

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Jul 22, 2018 Kris (My Novelesque Life) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, humour, women, war, library-book-borrowed

RATING: 4.5 STARS

I picked up this novel at one of my library runs. The cover was screaming at me to pick it up. I wasn't sure about the WWII setting, as I am getting a bit tired of the cookie cutter books. As soon as I started this one, I was sucked in. It's not a heavy book, but also not a piece of fluff. If you need a one sitting book as the rain falls outside, highly recommend this one. ...more

7 likes · Like · see review

Dec 05, 2018 Tasha rated it liked it

A worthwhile read, it just didn't blow me away. ...more

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Aug 10, 2023 Theresa rated it really liked it

Shelves: debut, historical-fiction, buddy-reads, first-in-a-series

Emmy is irrepressible, enthusiastic, strong and brave. She and her friend Bunty share a flat in London 1940/41 during the Blitz. Emmy wants to be a Female War Corrspondent (the CAPS are deliberate) and applies for a job expecting to be a junior at a newspaper only to find she's the junior to the fusty Editress of a failing women's magazine and its Agony Aunt columnist, Mrs. Bird. Alas, Mrs. Bird has a massive list of Unacceptable and Unpleasant topics which she refuses to answer. Emmy, feeling t ...more

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Jan 15, 2024 MaureenAnn rated it really liked it

Shelves: wwii, 2024-52-book-challenge

Emmy Lake lives with her friend, Bunty, in a flat in Central London during the WWII Blitz. They are both spirited girls in their early twenties trying to do their bit for the war effort. Emmy dreams of becoming a War Correspondent but ends up as a secretary in a women's magazine with a battleaxe boss, Mrs Bird.

This was an enjoyable read which captures the Home Front in the WWII period very well. There were some sad moments, (view spoiler) ...more

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Dec 29, 2018 Lory Sakay rated it it was amazing

This was such a fun, endearing read. I loved the storyline and the attention to historical details. Pearce's language seemed to fit right into the time period too and often made me laugh out loud as I read...soooo dated, haha! Dear Mrs. Bird had it's share of demise and sadness but Emmeline's and Bunty's optimism, through what must've been a very, very difficult era, overshadowed any glum. ...more

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