Dear Mrs Bird by AJ Pearce

If you're looking for a fun, quick, easy read with heart I would thoroughly recommend this book.  I literally read it in one afternoon.  Set in London in 1941 this is a World War Two novel about life on the home front.  Everything is very proper and amusingly stiff-upper-lip British with realistic 1940s language and mannerisms.

The central character, Emmeline, is young and naïve, but she is also brave with a very kind heart.  She is a bit of a daydreamer, and has a positive outlook on life, despite the war.  Emmy dreams of being a Lady War Correspondent and is thrilled when she manages to secure her first job in journalism.

But of course Emmy’s job is not at all what she had expected.  Instead of being a journalist she is merely a typist for the domineering old fashioned Mrs Bird.  And Mrs Bird is not an inspiring political reporter or even an amusing home front columnist, she is an agony aunt.  And to make matters worse, Mrs Bird’s strict views about which letters are deemed suitable to respond to challenge Emmy’s kind heart and positive attitude.

I found the politics around the letters highly amusing and Pearce does a great job of highlighting and subtly challenging the ridiculous attitudes of the time towards women and sexual health information.  I liked the characterisation of Mrs Bird and Mr Collins and the details about the newspaper offices.

But it isn’t all light hearted.  There is a war going on.  Emmy and her best friend Bunty try to enjoy themselves when they can, but they are living through the Blitz.  In the evenings Emmy volunteers as a telephone operator for the Auxiliary Fire Service and she hears and sees her fair share of bombings, death and destruction.

Emmy is not immune from the war, despite her chirpy disposition, and there are genuinely sad and painful moments.  Pearce manages to evoke the atmosphere and tension of wartime London without overdoing it, and although some elements of the story are a bit predictable, they are also believable.

Although there are a fair few male characters, this is clearly a book about the women’s war experience.  Pearce includes a variety of letters written to Mrs Bird and not only does this provide a nice change of pace and alternative voices, it also serves to bring the experience of a wider array of women into the novel.

Whilst the topic of this novel is nothing new, and it is clearly reminiscent of other home front women’s war literature, it is a really enjoyable read.  I loved the young gutsy Emmy and was rooting for her to succeed, and survive.  This is AJ Pearce’s first novel and I am eagerly awaiting her next book.