Dear Mrs. Bird
Ratings32
Average rating3.7
An interesting story with lots of interesting characters. The story just kind of ended and didn't tie up all the ends I thought it would.
My full review is here: https://literaryquicksand.com/2021/09/review-dear-mrs-bird-and-yours-cheerfully-by-a-j-pearce/
When I found out I would be able to receive an ARC of Yours Cheerfully in exchange for an honest review, I decided that I'd read Dear Mrs. Bird first. Although it's possible for Yours Cheerfully to stand alone, I definitely think reading them in order helped me enjoy the second one more. Although it goes over some of the big points of what happened in Mrs. Bird, I'm glad I read it first.
When I started Dear Mrs. Bird, I had a little bit of a hard time at first getting into the writing style. It's different than what I've read in historical fiction before. The author chooses to capitalize some things, and that's a style that put me off a little. For instance, Emmy might explain something as “having become Quite the Big Thing.” However, as I kept reading, I got more used to it and it didn't bother me quite so much. Still, the grammarian in me had kind of a hard time!
The plot was really light to begin with, but it got deeper and less fluffy for sure. Still, even when the subject matter got heavy with war fallout, Emmy is so good-natured and talks in such a...sweet? way that it's heavy without feeling too gloomy.
Overall, I found Dear Mrs. Bird light, yet it tackles difficult subject matter. The portrayal of friendship was so heartwarming, it was just a fun read. I gave it 4.5 stars overall.
Dear Mrs. Bird takes place during the London Blitz. Emmy is a young woman who jumps at the opportunity to work at a newspaper, and accepts a job there before she realizes she is simply going to be typing up the questions and responses for an advice column. Mrs. Bird, the columnist, Emmy soon learns, has a long list of issues she refuses to address in the column, and Emmy finds herself longing to help those who are struggling with these difficult issues.
I figured out exactly where this story was going from the start, and usually that puts me off a story. But this story had such wonderful characters and so much humor that I ended up loving it anyway.
''Μrs Bird says if people get themselves into a silly pickle, they've only themselves to blame.''
London is trying to survive in the middle of the Blitz. The Londoners are doing their best to go on with their lives, amidst the devastating results of the air raids. A young woman, Emmeline, wants to become a war correspondent. However, she is stuck in the ‘‘headquarters'' of a dying magazine, typing letters addressed to Mrs. Bird, a formidable editor who gives advice on everything. Everything that doesn't fall into the subcategories of...Unpleasantness. Which is a problem. Emmeline takes the discarded letters (and their writers) under her wings and becomes...Mrs. Bird.
''It's all absolutely under control.''
Well, not quite. Control is lost when decorum takes over in an era where changes abound, brought about by the special circumstances that arise in a terrible war. However, problems that concern daily issues do not stop. They need attention and require solutions, and this is why Emmeline dedicates herself in solving the problems that Mrs. Bird refuses to acknowledge.
Α.J.Pearce writes in pleasant language about circumstances that are anything but. Seemingly light-hearted, her writing elegantly exposes a major issue of the era. Women were denied information and means of prevention and protection in the name of propriety, They were not the Good Sorts that Mrs. Bird accepts. Their morality was frightfully low...Young love, (or love in general), sexual relations, divorce, pregnancy, menopause. Unpleasantness is everywhere along with the traits that Mrs. Bird considers as signs of weakness. In a time when Death was literally around the corner and women volunteered their powers to the fight against tyranny, they were denied their independence and vital information to protect their well-being. Their last resort was to address a...magazine.
Emmeline is a stubborn girl and I really liked her. Thankfully, she is the heart of the novel. The rest of the characters are nothing to write home about with the possible exception of Mr. Collins. Bunty is utterly irritating, Mrs. Bird is a cardboard shrew, the male characters are used as vehicles, doing nothing. The problem with Emmy is that she is awfully good. Too good. And immensely naive to the point of exploitation. And yet, there was something in the way her character is constructed that I couldn't help but sympathize with her, even though her motives and choices were completely beyond my understanding of behaviour and decisions.
The atmosphere of London during the dark years of WWII comes alive and although the story could definitely be characterized as ‘‘predictable'', there is much to find below the surface. Sometimes, a read that is light-hearted and meaningful is all we need...
My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/
I've described this book to friends as “kind of like The Devil Wears Prada but with rampant bombing” and having finished it I still think that's not a terrible way to sum it up.
It takes the same tone as the protagonist; intentionally upbeat while the world quite literally burns. It's optimism to the point of denial, because the characters aren't sure how else to keep going. Being overwhelmed by helplessness and hopelessness in the context of vast political conflicts resulting in much suffering is something many can relate to. But it's more lighthearted than that makes it sound.
It wasn't a favorite, but it's a pretty quick and boisterous read.