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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
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