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1941: In war time London, letters are a lifeline….
Dear Mrs Bird
What you need to know before your trail
London, 1941. Emmeline Lake and her best friend Bunty are trying to stay cheerful despite the Luftwaffe making life thoroughly annoying for everyone. Emmy dreams of becoming a Lady War Correspondent and when she spots a job advertisement in the newspaper she seizes her chance – but after a rather unfortunate misunderstanding, she finds herself typing letters for the formidable Henrietta Bird, the renowned agony aunt of Woman’s Friend magazine.
Mrs Bird is very clear: letters containing any form of Unpleasantness must go straight into the bin. But as Emmy reads the desperate pleas from women who may have Gone Too Far with the wrong man, or can’t bear to let their children be evacuated, she decides the only thing for it is to secretly write back .
Locations
Reset- England - London
- A: EC4 Lauceston House
- B: Carlton St
- C: Old War Office Building
- D: Pimlico
Travel Guide
London 1941
This story was based on the real life letters sent to women’s magazines during the war. The stories of perseverance, hope and support really inspired the author and made her want to write this novel in homage to them. These magazines gave women the strength and a sense of community required to carry on. Magazines at the time played a vital yet often unheard about role. This novel pays homage to them.
Emmeline Lake dreams of being a Lady War Correspondent but working for Mrs Henrietta Bird on the letters page of the woman’s weekly magazine Woman’s Friend.
This is a London threatened by bombs. Life however has to go on and the letters on the page discuss fashion and everyday life.
Everything from the lack of clothes to bombs are a part of daily life during this time and that’s not even considering the constant threat of death of your nearest and dearest! There is a huge list of issues not suitable for readership apparently. difficult in times like this.
“Mrs Henrietta Bird Will Help
There’s nothing that can’t be sorted out with common sense and a strong will. Mrs. Bird is here to answer your worries. For a postal reply in confidence, send a stamped addressed envelope but please note that Mrs Bird’s postbag is a full one, so there may be a temporary delay.”
This is a novel of wartime London, of women living in war time London and the trials and tribulations of living in a city on the edge. How women tried to become more involved in the war and try to play an important role. This is the novel of “Keep Calm and carry on” and paints an evocative portrait of wartime London
Booktrailer Review
Susan: @thebooktrailer
There’s so much to love about this novel, I don’t know where to start. The premise is the first thing – girl gets a job in a newspaper but it’s not quite the journalist role she wants, when she’s given the Dear Mrs Bird letter column, answering letters from women about their worries. Of course, war is ongoing, and her bosses tells her that the letters must remain upbeat and that they should be sorted into ‘unpleasant’ and ‘less unpleasant”
Well, Emmy soon decides to be Mrs Bird and give these women a voice, a friendly word, a connection in a world that seems to have forgotten that life goes on. Emmy and Bunty, her friend, just have to be two of the loveliest and interesting characters I’ve read in a long time. There’s something nice about reading a novel about nice people who help, who want to make a difference and who think of others. This novel does delve into some dark subjects of wartime but it’s a look at the Keep Calm and Carry On brigade and it’s a lovely, atmospheric read. War time London and the Blitz are characters too, as are the letters. Ah the lost art of letter writing! It’ll make you grab a pen and paper.
So nice to read a book with such a warm voice and positive outlook. The story was inspired by real life advice pages in old magazines and AJ Pearce has taken real life inspiration and woven it into a hug of a read.
Booktrail Boarding Pass: Dear Mrs Bird
Destination : London Author/Guide: AJ Pearce Departure Time: 1940s
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