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A review by ruth24
Dear Mrs Bird by A.J. Pearce
3.0
Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book.
Similar to [b:The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society|2728527|The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society|Mary Ann Shaffer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1351979318s/2728527.jpg|2754161], [b:Dear Mrs Bird|32594993|Dear Mrs Bird|A.J. Pearce|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1507315954s/32594993.jpg|53173301] is light and charming, while still managing to convey the full gravity of life on the World War II home front.
Emmy, an aspiring 'Lady War Correspondent' gets into a spot of trouble when she finds herself in "entirely the wrong job" working for old-fashioned and severe Mrs. Bird, resident agony-aunt for Woman's Friend magazine. While Emmy struggles to keep her chin up as London is blown to pieces around her, she finds new ways to 'do her bit' - ones that threaten to have disastrous consequences of their own.
Ah, the 1940s... when people said things like 'Jolly Good!', when the words 'damn' and 'bloody' were considered swear words, when someone who did something terrible was said to be 'Being Very Silly Indeed', and when a baby born out of wedlock was absolutely Earth-shattering.
These amusing contrasts from 1941 to today offer comedic relief from the sad and shocking parts of the book. The funny, old-fashioned ways of speaking and acting were my favourite part. I also loved that the story was able to challenge my ideas about what life was like during the war and put my everyday problems into perspective. The characters' 'Keep Calm and Carry On' attitude is both heart-breaking and inspiring. Not wanting to let anyone down, they all put on a brave face, trying to stay positive while losing their homes and their loved ones.
I think A.J. Pearce did a really good job of balancing out the heavy parts of the book in a way that made it light but not too fluffy. This is also her first novel, so I'm looking forward to any others she might have in the works.
Similar to [b:The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society|2728527|The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society|Mary Ann Shaffer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1351979318s/2728527.jpg|2754161], [b:Dear Mrs Bird|32594993|Dear Mrs Bird|A.J. Pearce|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1507315954s/32594993.jpg|53173301] is light and charming, while still managing to convey the full gravity of life on the World War II home front.
Emmy, an aspiring 'Lady War Correspondent' gets into a spot of trouble when she finds herself in "entirely the wrong job" working for old-fashioned and severe Mrs. Bird, resident agony-aunt for Woman's Friend magazine. While Emmy struggles to keep her chin up as London is blown to pieces around her, she finds new ways to 'do her bit' - ones that threaten to have disastrous consequences of their own.
Ah, the 1940s... when people said things like 'Jolly Good!', when the words 'damn' and 'bloody' were considered swear words, when someone who did something terrible was said to be 'Being Very Silly Indeed', and when a baby born out of wedlock was absolutely Earth-shattering.
These amusing contrasts from 1941 to today offer comedic relief from the sad and shocking parts of the book. The funny, old-fashioned ways of speaking and acting were my favourite part. I also loved that the story was able to challenge my ideas about what life was like during the war and put my everyday problems into perspective. The characters' 'Keep Calm and Carry On' attitude is both heart-breaking and inspiring. Not wanting to let anyone down, they all put on a brave face, trying to stay positive while losing their homes and their loved ones.
I think A.J. Pearce did a really good job of balancing out the heavy parts of the book in a way that made it light but not too fluffy. This is also her first novel, so I'm looking forward to any others she might have in the works.