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atamano's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Classism, and Grief
Minor: Pregnancy, Xenophobia, Medical content, and Infidelity
teacupsandfirereads's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I never thought I'd tag a book set around the war as "lighthearted" but here we are. The premise of this was good, but didn't fully click for me to love and I can:t say why. Maybe it took me longer than needed to get into. The beginning is slow, but it does pick up. I think what it really highlights is friendships and I liked that aspect. It looked at it in many forms.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Violence
kairhone's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: War, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Violence
norwegianforestreader's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, War, Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Gun violence, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexism
ramreadsagain's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
This was fine, surface level and simple. It had a good balance of heartwarming positivity vs portraying the horrors of WWII.
I did find the characters fairly one-dimensional and the plot was neatly wrapped up in a bow at the end within a couple of pages in an unrealistic manner. However it was still enjoyable.
I did find the characters fairly one-dimensional and the plot was neatly wrapped up in a bow at the end within a couple of pages in an unrealistic manner. However it was still enjoyable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and War
Moderate: Grief and Violence
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
carireadsbooksandtarot's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
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
4.5
Dear Mrs. Bird by A.J. Pearce
This is a seriously underrated World War II historical fiction. It really deserves more attention! I’ve read a lot of books based in London during the Blitz and Pearce has managed to write something truly original. Our heroine Emmaline, an aspiring journalist, gets a job working for a women’s magazine. She is tasked with sorting through the advice column letters and destroying those that contain any “Unpleasantness”, which in the opinion of Mrs. Henrietta Bird is almost every topic the readers ask about. Emmy starts secretly writing to some of the readers in Mrs. Bird’s name. At night, Emmy volunteers at the fire brigade, taking calls as bombs fall across the city.
Pearce excellently imbues the book with both humor and deep grief, portraying a time when everyone was meant to just keep marching on in the face of unimaginable loss and fear. Emmeline is surrounded by believable, lovable characters, from her long-time best friend Bunty to her new beau Charles, from her magazine coworkers to the other volunteers at the fire brigade.
This should be required reading for any fan of World War II fiction as it is so much more than it appears on the surface. One of the best glimpses into the lives of Londoners during the Blitz that I’ve ever read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, War, Death, and Medical trauma
thelowreylibrary's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Violence
kta's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
If I hadn't been reading this for book club, I probably would have given up on it. I struggled with the first couple chapters and the, in my opinion, "unlikeable" narrator. Once Emmy started working and developing as a character she became more flawed than unlikeable. All in all it ended up being a quick read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
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