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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, thanks NetGalley..
this is the first A.J Pearce's book I have read and I did enjoy it!
Pros:
-Wow, the cover art is really stunning, It perfectly encapsulates the time period and the book..
- Based at Women's Friend magazine, Emmeline Lake is a journalist who helps write an advice column called Yours Cheerfully. Along with her editor Guy Collins, Emmy attends a meeting at The Ministry which has targeted female-related press to help bolster women and to recruit them for war work - to do jobs left behind by those who've gone to fight, or to work in factories that will aid the soldiers.
- delightful piece of historical fiction and still has really grit.
Negative-
- I am burned out on this era for a bit!
this is the first A.J Pearce's book I have read and I did enjoy it!
Pros:
-Wow, the cover art is really stunning, It perfectly encapsulates the time period and the book..
- Based at Women's Friend magazine, Emmeline Lake is a journalist who helps write an advice column called Yours Cheerfully. Along with her editor Guy Collins, Emmy attends a meeting at The Ministry which has targeted female-related press to help bolster women and to recruit them for war work - to do jobs left behind by those who've gone to fight, or to work in factories that will aid the soldiers.
- delightful piece of historical fiction and still has really grit.
Negative-
- I am burned out on this era for a bit!
Didn't realize this was a sequel, whoops!
Cute story, but also a spotlight on the plight of women as they enter the workforce.
Ironic and frustrating, some of these issues still remain today.
Would make a wonderful miniseries.
Ironic and frustrating, some of these issues still remain today.
Would make a wonderful miniseries.
Dear Mrs. Bird is one of my most beloved books of all time so my expectations were quite high for this book sequel, Yours Cheerfully. Such a lovely title which absolutely captures the uplifting spirit shown by the characters. Wit, likeable and believable characters, various relationships including those at work and lovely writing tugged at my heart so I was invested in a nanosecond. But there's more to it than that...though the story and subplots are delightful, sorrow, heartache and living in a state of fear is reality during WWII.
Set in 1941 London, Mrs. Bird is no longer working at the Women's Friend magazine and there has been shuffling of positions. Mr. Collins is now Emmy's boss but he treats her like an equal colleague, especially as she is in charge of a new and special project, one which gives her scope to use her skills and passion. Her enthusiasm and youthful energy remind me of when I was young with my first large work assignment, very relatable. She loved the magazine and had fresh marketing ideas and was encouraged to utilize them. Bunty, Emmy's best friend as well as other friends make appearances as well, emphasizing the value of friendships. How I love the historical details including the letters and card...pure gold!
Charles, Emmy's boyfriend, along with most men are actively engaged in the war, leaving the women to take care of business matters and family. Charles does get a bit of time off which he cherishes. Many women worked but, like today, were paid much less than men doing the same job. Women gradually became known to naturally be more suited to particular jobs, including working in highly-skilled positions in munitions and those requiring compassion. Employees had to live by the 1939 Official Secrets Act at all times, which meant absolutely no sharing of duties or assignments with anyone other than colleagues. The feeling of intrigue must have been scary yet thrilling! Many women strongly desired to be part of it but more were needed which calls into question of childcare when mothers are not at home. Advocates pushed hard for women's rights.
If you enjoyed Dear Mrs. Bird (and even if you haven't read it yet), you will surely love this just as much. Yet you needn't read it to fall in love with Yours Cheerfully, either. It is a feel good book but with extra oomph and verve. The author includes both the good and the bad aspects of life during this tumultuous time which is great as it aligns with real life.
My sincere thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this splendid book. What a refreshing treat!
Set in 1941 London, Mrs. Bird is no longer working at the Women's Friend magazine and there has been shuffling of positions. Mr. Collins is now Emmy's boss but he treats her like an equal colleague, especially as she is in charge of a new and special project, one which gives her scope to use her skills and passion. Her enthusiasm and youthful energy remind me of when I was young with my first large work assignment, very relatable. She loved the magazine and had fresh marketing ideas and was encouraged to utilize them. Bunty, Emmy's best friend as well as other friends make appearances as well, emphasizing the value of friendships. How I love the historical details including the letters and card...pure gold!
Charles, Emmy's boyfriend, along with most men are actively engaged in the war, leaving the women to take care of business matters and family. Charles does get a bit of time off which he cherishes. Many women worked but, like today, were paid much less than men doing the same job. Women gradually became known to naturally be more suited to particular jobs, including working in highly-skilled positions in munitions and those requiring compassion. Employees had to live by the 1939 Official Secrets Act at all times, which meant absolutely no sharing of duties or assignments with anyone other than colleagues. The feeling of intrigue must have been scary yet thrilling! Many women strongly desired to be part of it but more were needed which calls into question of childcare when mothers are not at home. Advocates pushed hard for women's rights.
If you enjoyed Dear Mrs. Bird (and even if you haven't read it yet), you will surely love this just as much. Yet you needn't read it to fall in love with Yours Cheerfully, either. It is a feel good book but with extra oomph and verve. The author includes both the good and the bad aspects of life during this tumultuous time which is great as it aligns with real life.
My sincere thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this splendid book. What a refreshing treat!
Doing one’s part for the war was the common refrain in World War II in Britain, and with the government pushing for women to work in factories, the sentiment becomes even louder. Unfortunately, support for women with kids, and for women whose husbands were either dead or lost because of the war, was pretty rare. These women needed to work, as their male relative's war pension was insufficient, and to work needed childcare, and requests for union support, or creation of nurseries near or associated with factories were made too bureaucratic or seen as unpatriotic, putting these women in terrible situations.
The plight of these women forms a large part of book two of the Emmy Lake Chronicles. The wonderfully positive and energetic Emmy’s back, with Bunty and Charles. Emmy’s a breath of fresh air, and she and Bunty are again solidly together in their friendship, making a fine team together.
Emmy’s busy at the magazine, this time legitimately answering letters from women around England looking for advice on what to do about moving alone to cities, or handling affairs, or unwanted pregnancies, or any number of other concerns and fears women had while their boyfriends, husbands and fathers were away at war.
This book was so entertaining — Emmy’s can-do attitude, as well as fighting spirit and her tendency to tell people off repeatedly brought a grin to my face. I loved how she listened carefully to the working women she was writing about for her magazine feature. Her compassion led her to immediately wanting to help the women get some basic consideration from factory bosses and the government. Considering the people in charge wanted women to work outside homes, it's frustrating and unsurprising that they would not think or care that many of these women were also running households and raising kids. This story also reinforces that things haven’t changed that much in eighty years.
While the premise of both this and the previous book seemed light, there are some darker, more serious points the author raises, that even though it was important for everyone to pull together, it’s impossible to harness everyone’s energies while part of the population is discriminated against.
I greatly enjoyed this book, and dearly hope there will be more adventures in store for Emmy and Bunty with this series.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for a review.
The plight of these women forms a large part of book two of the Emmy Lake Chronicles. The wonderfully positive and energetic Emmy’s back, with Bunty and Charles. Emmy’s a breath of fresh air, and she and Bunty are again solidly together in their friendship, making a fine team together.
Emmy’s busy at the magazine, this time legitimately answering letters from women around England looking for advice on what to do about moving alone to cities, or handling affairs, or unwanted pregnancies, or any number of other concerns and fears women had while their boyfriends, husbands and fathers were away at war.
This book was so entertaining — Emmy’s can-do attitude, as well as fighting spirit and her tendency to tell people off repeatedly brought a grin to my face. I loved how she listened carefully to the working women she was writing about for her magazine feature. Her compassion led her to immediately wanting to help the women get some basic consideration from factory bosses and the government. Considering the people in charge wanted women to work outside homes, it's frustrating and unsurprising that they would not think or care that many of these women were also running households and raising kids. This story also reinforces that things haven’t changed that much in eighty years.
While the premise of both this and the previous book seemed light, there are some darker, more serious points the author raises, that even though it was important for everyone to pull together, it’s impossible to harness everyone’s energies while part of the population is discriminated against.
I greatly enjoyed this book, and dearly hope there will be more adventures in store for Emmy and Bunty with this series.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for a review.
I finished [b:Dear Mrs. Bird|42201359|Dear Mrs. Bird|A.J. Pearce|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1555270021l/42201359._SY75_.jpg|81085892] recently and was, as Emmy would say, ever so pleased to see that a follow-up was forthcoming--and even happier to snag an ARC.
Yours Cheerfully picks up where Dear Mrs. Bird left off. Mrs. Bird is, thankfully, out of the picture at Woman's Friend, and Emmy has settled into a good routine there, working with a colleague on the advice column. Then the government calls and she and the magazine step up to help recruit women to work in the war effort.
Just as the first book brought to life London during the Blitz, Yours Cheerfully introduces to what the home front was like for the women left behind. A lot of the themes are issues we still grapple with today, particularly in light of the COVID pandemic--how are women expected to work full-time to provide for their families when they're also expected to take care of their children and homes? It's sad that this is an issue we haven't solved (and are far from it in the United States, where we still don't have mandatory paid maternity leave). Emmy has the additional concern of having to write articles that will go through government approval. The women of course want to help win the war--if for no other reason than to bring home their sons/husbands/brothers/boyfriends--and don't want to appear unpatriotic. But they also have very real concerns.
Emmy Lake continues to be a perfect conduit for these stories, as her natural ebullience comes through. There are a few moments of her being a bit down, but honestly if she didn't have those moments, she'd barely be human. Emmy and her friends are 3 years into World War II. Her boyfriend is thankfully stationed in England, but she still doesn't seem him much. Her fight for women's workers' rights is a hard one.
There's a bit less of the stylized capitalization of the first book; it reads a bit more natural than that one. I will say that the ending was a bit more fraught than it needed to be, though.
But the read itself is a fun one, and I look forward to seeing what Emmy's future looks like.
Thanks to the publisher for the ARC (via NetGalley)! Publication date is August 10, 2021.
Yours Cheerfully picks up where Dear Mrs. Bird left off. Mrs. Bird is, thankfully, out of the picture at Woman's Friend, and Emmy has settled into a good routine there, working with a colleague on the advice column. Then the government calls and she and the magazine step up to help recruit women to work in the war effort.
Just as the first book brought to life London during the Blitz, Yours Cheerfully introduces to what the home front was like for the women left behind. A lot of the themes are issues we still grapple with today, particularly in light of the COVID pandemic--how are women expected to work full-time to provide for their families when they're also expected to take care of their children and homes? It's sad that this is an issue we haven't solved (and are far from it in the United States, where we still don't have mandatory paid maternity leave). Emmy has the additional concern of having to write articles that will go through government approval. The women of course want to help win the war--if for no other reason than to bring home their sons/husbands/brothers/boyfriends--and don't want to appear unpatriotic. But they also have very real concerns.
Emmy Lake continues to be a perfect conduit for these stories, as her natural ebullience comes through. There are a few moments of her being a bit down, but honestly if she didn't have those moments, she'd barely be human. Emmy and her friends are 3 years into World War II. Her boyfriend is thankfully stationed in England, but she still doesn't seem him much. Her fight for women's workers' rights is a hard one.
There's a bit less of the stylized capitalization of the first book; it reads a bit more natural than that one. I will say that the ending was a bit more fraught than it needed to be, though.
But the read itself is a fun one, and I look forward to seeing what Emmy's future looks like.
Thanks to the publisher for the ARC (via NetGalley)! Publication date is August 10, 2021.
Building on the Dear Mrs. Bird and setting up the next book, this one took me a bit to get into the flow of and is best read when you can set aside uninterrupted time. The reader gets to renew their acquaintance with Bunty and Em, with new characters thrown in, as the war heads through 1941. New plans are afoot to encourage women to take munitions factory and other war related jobs, but there has been an oversight in the Government's plans. Em finds herself thrown into the mix as she writes articles about the war work plan.
Often the books I read about WWII are very heavy and though it is a heavy topic, this is a light read in my opinion. I admit I have not read the first book, and felt that I was fine not having the background from the that book. I enjoyed reading this novel and learned some new things about the war efforts in England specifically the role of magazines helping the women who were helping on the home front. I admit my knowledge has been more about the efforts here in the US and not abroad.
I did share this title with my book club and would love to talk about this one as well as go back and read the first book.
I did share this title with my book club and would love to talk about this one as well as go back and read the first book.