DEAR MRS BIRD - A.J Pearce
After recently reading The Tattooist of Auschwitz, I found myself instantly drawn to ‘Dear Mrs Bird’ in a bid to further indulge in some more historical fiction. Whilst it wasn’t as much to get your teeth into or as intense as Morris’ novel it was certainly a charming and witty storyline with the added reality of wartime in the 1940s. I loved that whilst quite often this era can be dominated by the stories of young men fighting for their country, that Pearce decided to focus on the heroes from home- not just the women but also men, for example those in the fire service fighting to maintain calm in the streets of London.
Pearce has penned a well-written tale of friendship, bravery and determination with real and interesting characters that add an emotional aspect to the storyline. Emmeline (Emmy) Lake, the protagonist of the story is a delightfully fun and upbeat character with a lust for life as well as an optimistic and determined side. She is at the core of all the storylines that are written based on the roles the characters would have had during that time period. Emmy finds herself working around the clock splitting her time between taking emergency calls at the fire station and her new job at The Evening Chronicle- a role she accepts expecting to be a war correspondent but in actual fact is a junior secretary role to the fierce and somewhat straight-laced women’s advice columnist, Mrs Bird. With Henrietta Bird refusing to accept any letters from readers other than the most mundane, the ever helpful Emmy finds herself stuck wanting to help the poor and troublesome women that have written in for advice.
As her work role becomes evermore challenging, Emmy battles with her own personal life- friendship, loss and love. Just as you begin to settle into this charming story and begin to forget the troubles of the time period in question, Pearce begins to slowly unravel an emotional thread leaving the reader devastated amidst the inevitable and unpleasant nightly bombings that have the potential to impact a number of the main characters within the story.
Overall whilst I wasn’t blown away by a real-life account of what life was like for women during the blitz, it was an enjoyable, quick and easy read with the potential to provoke emotion in the reader. A book with the possibility to provide a small insight into life for those at home during the war.
Pearce has penned a well-written tale of friendship, bravery and determination with real and interesting characters that add an emotional aspect to the storyline. Emmeline (Emmy) Lake, the protagonist of the story is a delightfully fun and upbeat character with a lust for life as well as an optimistic and determined side. She is at the core of all the storylines that are written based on the roles the characters would have had during that time period. Emmy finds herself working around the clock splitting her time between taking emergency calls at the fire station and her new job at The Evening Chronicle- a role she accepts expecting to be a war correspondent but in actual fact is a junior secretary role to the fierce and somewhat straight-laced women’s advice columnist, Mrs Bird. With Henrietta Bird refusing to accept any letters from readers other than the most mundane, the ever helpful Emmy finds herself stuck wanting to help the poor and troublesome women that have written in for advice.
As her work role becomes evermore challenging, Emmy battles with her own personal life- friendship, loss and love. Just as you begin to settle into this charming story and begin to forget the troubles of the time period in question, Pearce begins to slowly unravel an emotional thread leaving the reader devastated amidst the inevitable and unpleasant nightly bombings that have the potential to impact a number of the main characters within the story.
Overall whilst I wasn’t blown away by a real-life account of what life was like for women during the blitz, it was an enjoyable, quick and easy read with the potential to provoke emotion in the reader. A book with the possibility to provide a small insight into life for those at home during the war.
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