Dear Mrs. Bird

A Novel

AJ Pearce

• Publisher: Scribner
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781501170089
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Historical Fiction
• Index: Literature

This charming, irresistible debut novel set in London during World War II about a young woman who longs to be a war correspondent and inadvertently becomes a secret advice columnist is "a jaunty, heartbreaking winner" ( People )—for fans of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and Lilac Girls. Emmeline Lake and her best friend Bunty are doing their bit for the war effort and trying to stay cheerful, despite the German planes making their nightly raids. 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, renowned advice columnist of Woman's Friend magazine.Mrs. Bird is very clear: letters containing any Unpleasantness must go straight into the bin. But as Emmy reads the desperate pleas from women who many have Gone Too Far with the wrong man, or can't bear to let their children be evacuated, she begins to secretly write back to the readers who have poured out their troubles. "Fans of Jojo Moyes will enjoy AJ Pearce's debut, with its plucky female characters and fresh portrait of women's lives in wartime Britain" ( Library Journal )—a love letter to the enduring power of friendship, the kindness of strangers, and the courage of ordinary people in extraordinary times. "Headlined by its winning lead character, who always keeps carrying on, Pearce's novel is a delight" ( Publishers Weekly ). Irrepressibly funny and enormously moving, Dear Mrs. Bird is "funny and poignant…about the strength of women and the importance of friendship" ( Star Tribune, Minneapolis).

Table of contents

• Cover
• Dedication
• Chapter 1: An Advertisement in the Newspaper
• Chapter 2: Mr. Collins, Features and Editor at Large
• Chapter 3: Yours Sincerely, Mrs. H. Bird
• Chapter 4: Mrs. Bird Will Help
• Chapter 5: Dear in a Muddle
• Chapter 6: People Are Not Always Good Sorts
• Chapter 7: A Quandary over next Steps
• Chapter 8: A Rumour of Pineapple Chunks
• Chapter 9: We Don’t Know a Harold
• Chapter 10: Please Call Me Charles
• Chapter 11: A Bad Night at the Station
• Chapter 12: Half of It’s Just Bloody Gone
• Chapter 13: An Absolute Comfort to Know
• Chapter 14: To Us, Emmy Lake
• Chapter 15: I Know What I’m Doing
• Chapter 16: Impersonating an Editress
• Chapter 17: The Safest and Gayest Restaurant in Town
• Chapter 18: Someone Shone a Torch
• Chapter 19: It Was Our Turn
• Chapter 20: Trust Me, Write
• Chapter 21: War Was Foul
• Chapter 22: Yours Ever, Mrs. Wardynski
• Chapter 23: With Much Love, Emmy
• Chapter 24: Dear Mrs. Bird, Please Might You Help?
• Chapter 25: My Name Is Mrs. Eileen Tredmore
• Chapter 26: Absolutely Nothing to Lose
• Chapter 27: Lord Overton Himself
• Chapter 28: You Never Gave Up
• Author’s Note
• Reading Group Guide
• Acknowledgements
• ‘Yours Cheerfully’ Teaser
• About the Author
• Copyright