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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I thought the follow up to Dear Mrs. Bird was utterly charming and sweet. It’s not often you find WWII historical fiction that is done in more of a lighthearted manner. I enjoyed see Emmy as she works to establish herself as a reporter and determine what stories she wants to focus on. The focus on the women workers during WWII was a great addition to the plot, introducing fun new characters and bringing attention to the struggles of war widows and working moms. While the book is a lighter tone, it still captures the hardships of war such as rationing, death of loved one, discrimination/sexism, etc. It is really well written and an easy, quick read. I had listened to Dear Mrs. Bird on audio, so it did take me a bit to adjust to overuse of capitalization to highlight points (In It Together, ), but that is just a personal reading preference and others might enjoy it. I loved the way the book ended, bringing the storylines to a conclusion while leaving me at a point of wanting more and ready to see what book 3 of the Emmy Lake Chronicles will bring! 4/5⭐️
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook.
It took me more than 24 hours to listen to Yours Cheerfully, but not much longer. Picking up where Dear Mrs. Bird left off, you are once again brought into this charming world that exists because of all the lovely characters even in the midst of war. In book 2 we are introduced to even more plucky female characters and I think that it might be even more endearing than book 1.
Content Warning: This book is set in London during WWII and the Blitz
Content Warning: This book is set in London during WWII and the Blitz
It’s all change at Women’s Friend following the departure of the formidable Henrietta Bird. The good-natured Mr Collins has assumed the role of editor and Emmy is now free to assist the understanding and practical Mrs Mahoney on the problem page. More importantly, however, Women’s Friend has been given An Important Task.
Called for a high-level meeting at the Ministry of Information, Emmy and the rest of the Women’s Friend team are tasked with helping to recruit female war workers. Emmy is thrilled to be asked to step up and help but, when she and her best friend Bunty meet a young widowed mother on the train, she begins to realise the challenges faced by some of the women trying their best to do their duty to the country. Before long, Emmy is back on the campaign trail and getting involved in helping her new friends as only Emmy can – but what is she prepared to risk to stand up for her friends?
A J Pearce has done a fantastic job developing her returning characters – and bringing in some interesting new faces. Emmy grew so much during the course of Dear Mrs Bird and, in Yours Cheerfully, we see her develop further as both a young woman and a young journalist. I really empathise with Emmy because she does make mistakes and she sometimes gets herself into a right tangle – but her heart is always in the right place and, whilst she’s becoming increasingly aware that sometimes you can’t just push away your worries, she’s determined to Make a Go of It and do her best to support her friends, her family, and her beloved boyfriend Charles.
I also really loved the focus of Yours Cheerfully, with its depiction of women’s war work and the challenges faced by working mothers – challenges that still haven’t been adequately solved to this day. As with its predecessor, there’s a real sense of the challenges of wartime life beneath Emmy’s cheer and spirit, and the novel doesn’t shy away from depicting the tragedy and often grim realities of the war years.
This is also bought across in the other strand of the novel – Emmy’s relationship with her boyfriend, Captain Charles Mayhew. Although now stationed back in England, the demands of the war place constant constraints on Emmy and Charles’s relationship – and there’s the ever present possibility of redeployment to contend with. I loved how Pearce balanced Emmy’s pride in Charles with her worries about him being sent back into the front lines of the fighting.
As with Dear Mrs Bird, there is an accomplished lightness of touch in Yours Cheerfully. A J Pearce has, yet again, walked the line between the realities of life on the UK’s Home Front in World War II and the uplifting, hopeful story of Emmy and her friends with great skill. As I said in my Dear Mrs Bird review, the deft lightness of touch that allows such a story to work on so many levels is a real testament to the skill of the author.
The story does work perfectly well as a standalone so readers unfamiliar with Emmy could certainly dive straight in here – although I’d recommend picking up the first book anyway because you’d be missing a treat otherwise! Fans of Dear Mrs Bird are, however, sure to adore Yours Cheerfully – it really is the perfect sequel, and an ideal novel for picking up and diving into to take your mind away from the challenging times we find ourselves in.
NB: This review appears on my blog at https://theshelfofunreadbooks.wordpress.com. My thanks go to the publisher for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest and unbiased review.
Called for a high-level meeting at the Ministry of Information, Emmy and the rest of the Women’s Friend team are tasked with helping to recruit female war workers. Emmy is thrilled to be asked to step up and help but, when she and her best friend Bunty meet a young widowed mother on the train, she begins to realise the challenges faced by some of the women trying their best to do their duty to the country. Before long, Emmy is back on the campaign trail and getting involved in helping her new friends as only Emmy can – but what is she prepared to risk to stand up for her friends?
A J Pearce has done a fantastic job developing her returning characters – and bringing in some interesting new faces. Emmy grew so much during the course of Dear Mrs Bird and, in Yours Cheerfully, we see her develop further as both a young woman and a young journalist. I really empathise with Emmy because she does make mistakes and she sometimes gets herself into a right tangle – but her heart is always in the right place and, whilst she’s becoming increasingly aware that sometimes you can’t just push away your worries, she’s determined to Make a Go of It and do her best to support her friends, her family, and her beloved boyfriend Charles.
I also really loved the focus of Yours Cheerfully, with its depiction of women’s war work and the challenges faced by working mothers – challenges that still haven’t been adequately solved to this day. As with its predecessor, there’s a real sense of the challenges of wartime life beneath Emmy’s cheer and spirit, and the novel doesn’t shy away from depicting the tragedy and often grim realities of the war years.
This is also bought across in the other strand of the novel – Emmy’s relationship with her boyfriend, Captain Charles Mayhew. Although now stationed back in England, the demands of the war place constant constraints on Emmy and Charles’s relationship – and there’s the ever present possibility of redeployment to contend with. I loved how Pearce balanced Emmy’s pride in Charles with her worries about him being sent back into the front lines of the fighting.
As with Dear Mrs Bird, there is an accomplished lightness of touch in Yours Cheerfully. A J Pearce has, yet again, walked the line between the realities of life on the UK’s Home Front in World War II and the uplifting, hopeful story of Emmy and her friends with great skill. As I said in my Dear Mrs Bird review, the deft lightness of touch that allows such a story to work on so many levels is a real testament to the skill of the author.
The story does work perfectly well as a standalone so readers unfamiliar with Emmy could certainly dive straight in here – although I’d recommend picking up the first book anyway because you’d be missing a treat otherwise! Fans of Dear Mrs Bird are, however, sure to adore Yours Cheerfully – it really is the perfect sequel, and an ideal novel for picking up and diving into to take your mind away from the challenging times we find ourselves in.
NB: This review appears on my blog at https://theshelfofunreadbooks.wordpress.com. My thanks go to the publisher for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest and unbiased review.
Review published in: https://diagnosisbookaholic.blogspot.com/2021/06/yours-cheerfully.html
A few years back I absolutely fell in love with Emmeline Lake when I read Dear Mrs. Bird, so when earlier this year I found out about the sequel I was ecstatic.
Yours cheerfully picks up right where Dear Mrs. Bird left off and with Henrietta Bird gone, Emmy, with the help of a senior editor, is now in charge of Women’s Friend magazine letter page. Her boss and brother-in-law trusts in her work so when the Ministry of Information asks for the help of women’s magazines in getting more women to sign up for work during the war, she is asked to write a series of articles on women working in factories. She becomes so involved with them that she’ll try to help them improve their conditions at the same times she makes some new friends.
It is so refreshing to read a book about the war that it’s not focused on the actual battles or spy work! This heartwarming and poignant story is all about women and the power of friendships and team work. Emmy is such a lovable character. She’s headstrong, funny, resourceful, not afraid to get involved in everything she thinks it’s not fair for others...And I love how the men in her life encourage her in her endeavors.
We meet back some old friends like Bunty, who’s still recovering from her personal tragedy (she made me cry so much during her dance scene!) and new ones like Anne and Ruby, who were such a pleasure to meet.
It was really well written, putting the focus on important issues but doing it in a happy and upbeat way. I sincerely hope we get to meet Emmy again cause she still has much more to say.
Thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan/Picador for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
A few years back I absolutely fell in love with Emmeline Lake when I read Dear Mrs. Bird, so when earlier this year I found out about the sequel I was ecstatic.
Yours cheerfully picks up right where Dear Mrs. Bird left off and with Henrietta Bird gone, Emmy, with the help of a senior editor, is now in charge of Women’s Friend magazine letter page. Her boss and brother-in-law trusts in her work so when the Ministry of Information asks for the help of women’s magazines in getting more women to sign up for work during the war, she is asked to write a series of articles on women working in factories. She becomes so involved with them that she’ll try to help them improve their conditions at the same times she makes some new friends.
It is so refreshing to read a book about the war that it’s not focused on the actual battles or spy work! This heartwarming and poignant story is all about women and the power of friendships and team work. Emmy is such a lovable character. She’s headstrong, funny, resourceful, not afraid to get involved in everything she thinks it’s not fair for others...And I love how the men in her life encourage her in her endeavors.
We meet back some old friends like Bunty, who’s still recovering from her personal tragedy (she made me cry so much during her dance scene!) and new ones like Anne and Ruby, who were such a pleasure to meet.
It was really well written, putting the focus on important issues but doing it in a happy and upbeat way. I sincerely hope we get to meet Emmy again cause she still has much more to say.
Thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan/Picador for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
"The hairs on the back of my neck were standing up. Until today I had thought we were doing our best. Woman's Friend was full of tips and advice for our readers on all manner of challenges the war had thrown at them...But this was different. It was a direct call from the Government to help recruit women to the war effort - to inspire them...I had always hoped to be a journalist, but I had never dreamt it would involve being part of a campaign like this."
This is the second Emmy Lake book, after 'Dear Mrs Bird', set at a women's magazine, 'Woman's Friend', in wartime London. Following the departure of the formidable Mrs Bird and whilst trying to do her bit to help women struggling during the war, Emmy is very busy. She finds herself involved in not only a government campaign, but with new friends at a munitions factory, many of who are mothers and widows, struggling without a nursery for childcare or sufficient income. Emmy, and best friend Bunty (still grieving the death of fiancé Bill), are also trying to plan her wedding to Captain Charles Mayhew, Emmy's boss's stepbrother. Will Emmy find her way, in spite of all the obstacles women faced at this time? Can she do her duty and stand by her friends?
As with 'Mrs Bird', 'Yours Cheerfully is nostalgic, but it sheds light on troubled times and the hardships women faced, full of strong characters and plenty of humour:
"'...I'm going to try the carrot sauce recipe tonight. I know it sounds foul, but they did say it tastes very nearly like chocolate'...[The recipe]...insisted you could make carrots taste of virtually anything if you put your mind to it."
Emmy and Bunty are stoic, determined and stronger than they know and there is a host of charming, supporting characters, new and old. Emmy is back doing what she does best, testament to the power of friendship. Heartwarming, delightful and poignant, this is an excellent follow-up to the author's debut.
This is the second Emmy Lake book, after 'Dear Mrs Bird', set at a women's magazine, 'Woman's Friend', in wartime London. Following the departure of the formidable Mrs Bird and whilst trying to do her bit to help women struggling during the war, Emmy is very busy. She finds herself involved in not only a government campaign, but with new friends at a munitions factory, many of who are mothers and widows, struggling without a nursery for childcare or sufficient income. Emmy, and best friend Bunty (still grieving the death of fiancé Bill), are also trying to plan her wedding to Captain Charles Mayhew, Emmy's boss's stepbrother. Will Emmy find her way, in spite of all the obstacles women faced at this time? Can she do her duty and stand by her friends?
As with 'Mrs Bird', 'Yours Cheerfully is nostalgic, but it sheds light on troubled times and the hardships women faced, full of strong characters and plenty of humour:
"'...I'm going to try the carrot sauce recipe tonight. I know it sounds foul, but they did say it tastes very nearly like chocolate'...[The recipe]...insisted you could make carrots taste of virtually anything if you put your mind to it."
Emmy and Bunty are stoic, determined and stronger than they know and there is a host of charming, supporting characters, new and old. Emmy is back doing what she does best, testament to the power of friendship. Heartwarming, delightful and poignant, this is an excellent follow-up to the author's debut.
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I am one of the many readers who fell in love with Dear Mrs. Bird, so needless to say, I was very happy to see another novel featuring Emmy during the same period.
Like its predecessor, Yours Cheerfully feels like a “lighter” WWII novel (if you can think of a novel about wartime that way), because of how well
Pearce weaves humour and ordinary life stuff into her work. Those who enjoyed Bunty and Emmy’s friendship in book one will find much more to charm them here.
For me, it’s the tone / feeling of this series that pulls me in. There’s something cozy and comforting about Pearce’s style. Her novels tug at the heart strings, provoke some delighted guffaws, and are the kind of stories you want to read when you need a little hope in your reading life. A TV counterpart would be Call the Midwife. If you like that show, this is for you.
The pace was slower than book one, and it didn’t have the same level of tension, but you don’t read this kind of story expecting a page turner. You read this kind of story for comfort and gentle entertainment.
Like its predecessor, Yours Cheerfully feels like a “lighter” WWII novel (if you can think of a novel about wartime that way), because of how well
Pearce weaves humour and ordinary life stuff into her work. Those who enjoyed Bunty and Emmy’s friendship in book one will find much more to charm them here.
For me, it’s the tone / feeling of this series that pulls me in. There’s something cozy and comforting about Pearce’s style. Her novels tug at the heart strings, provoke some delighted guffaws, and are the kind of stories you want to read when you need a little hope in your reading life. A TV counterpart would be Call the Midwife. If you like that show, this is for you.
The pace was slower than book one, and it didn’t have the same level of tension, but you don’t read this kind of story expecting a page turner. You read this kind of story for comfort and gentle entertainment.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, War