Thursday, May 30, 2019

Dear Mrs. Bird by A. J. Pearce

An irresistible debut set in London during World War II about an adventurous young woman who becomes a secret advice columnist— a warm, funny, and enormously moving story for fans.

London, 1940. Emmeline Lake is Doing Her Bit for the war effort, volunteering as a telephone operator with the Auxiliary Fire Services. When Emmy sees an advertisement for a job at the London Evening Chronicle, her dreams of becoming a Lady War Correspondent suddenly seem achievable. But the job turns out to be working as a typist for the fierce and renowned advice columnist, Henrietta Bird. Emmy is disappointed, but gamely bucks up and buckles down.

Mrs. Bird is very clear: letters containing any Unpleasantness must go straight in the bin. But when Emmy reads poignant notes from women who may have Gone Too Far with the wrong men, or who can't bear to let their children be evacuated, she is unable to resist responding. As the German planes make their nightly raids, and London picks up the smoldering pieces each morning, Emmy secretly begins to write back to the readers who have poured out their troubles.

Prepare to fall head over heels for Emmy and her best friend, Bunty, who are gutsy and spirited, even in the face of a terrible blow. The irrepressible Emmy keeps writing letters in this hilarious and enormously moving tale of friendship, the kindness of strangers, and ordinary people in extraordinary times.

281 pages. (July 2018)

 
Lit Guide from LitLovers.
To find a discussion guide for this book in the NoveList Plus database, go to the Library's website, click on Novelist under "We Recommend" → "Book Services". Click on "Book Discussion Guides" in the right sidebar on NoveList's home page. Then, either enter the title in the Search box or search for the title alphabetically. (You will need your Salt Lake County Library card number to access this resource outside a county library.)
 
 


A.J. Pearce Attempts The 5 Second Book Challenge:


A.J. Pearce Discusses the inspiration for Dear Mrs. Bird:

This title is available for download as an eBook and as an eAudioBook. Learn more about downloadables from the library here.

Title Read-alikes: The Right Sort of Man by Allison Montclair; The Windfall by Diksha Basu; The Victory Garden by Rhys Bowen; The Ship of Brides by Jojo Moyes; The Matchmaker of PĂ©rigord by Julia Stuart; The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer; The Alice Network by Kate Quinn; The Spies of Shilling Lane by Jennifer Ryan; Royal by Danielle Steel; A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende; and The Little Teashop of Lost and Found by Trisha Ashley.

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