Dear Mrs. Bird by A.J. Pearce

Why Dear Mrs. Bird by AJ Pearce Should Be Your Next Historical Fiction Read (Especially If You Loved The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society)

 

 

“How often did anyone ever tell women they were doing a good job?”

 

If you’re looking for a story that delivers charm, grit, and a quiet kind of bravery, Dear Mrs. Bird by AJ Pearce belongs at the top of your reading list.

Set against the backdrop of London during World War II, this novel doesn’t waste time with melodrama or overworked tropes.

Instead, it gives you something better: an honest, heartwarming, and surprisingly funny take on what it means to stay hopeful when the world feels like it’s falling apart.

 

Genre: Historical Fiction

What’s it about?

Emmeline Lake, or “Emmy” as she’s known to her friends, has big dreams.

She wants to be a war correspondent — out there on the frontlines, writing stories that matter, capturing the truth of what’s happening in a world at war.

So when she spots a newspaper ad for a job at The London Evening Chronicle, she thinks it’s her big break.

Except… it’s not.

Instead of covering the war, she finds herself typing letters for Woman’s Friend, a women’s magazine, under the command of the famously old-fashioned advice columnist Mrs. Henrietta Bird.

 

 

Mrs. Bird has very strict rules: absolutely no dealing with “Unpleasantness” — which includes anything related to love, grief, marriage problems, or anything even remotely emotional or real. Any letters of the sort are tossed straight into the bin.

At first, Emmy tries to follow the rules, but as she reads through the discarded letters, she realizes that these women are pouring their hearts out — looking for someone to listen in a time when the world feels unsafe.

Against her boss’s strict orders, Emmy begins secretly responding to the letters Mrs. Bird refuses to touch.

She doesn’t see herself as a rebel.

She just feels that in the middle of a war, when people are losing everything, the least she can do is offer a few kind words.

What begins as a small act of defiance turns into something far more meaningful — both for the women she writes to and for Emmy herself.

 

Who Is Emmy Lake?

Emmy is in her early twenties, living with her best friend Bunty, trying to make the most of life while the city burns around them.

By day, she volunteers as a phone operator for the fire brigade, and by night, she dreams of writing stories that matter.

But as a woman in the 1940s, that dream doesn’t come easy.

The world still expects her to play it safe. 

So when she decides to start responding in secret, she knows exactly what's at stake.

So when she decides to start responding in secret, she knows exactly what’s at stake. She’s jeopardizing her reputation and the career she hasn’t even had the chance to start.

But for Emmy, it’s a risk worth taking.

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Why She Goes Against Her Boss’s Rules

Mrs. Bird doesn’t just edit an advice column—she censors it.

Her definition of “appropriate” is painfully outdated, and she won’t acknowledge the real fears, heartbreaks, or dilemmas that women are facing in wartime.

Emmy starts reading the rejected letters—the ones from women begging for guidance on love, loss, and fear—and realizes she can’t ignore them.

She begins replying in secret, knowing full well she’s risking her job. But Emmy believes these women deserve to be heard.

And in doing so, she finds her own voice as a writer.

 

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Why I Loved It

I’ll be honest — wartime novels aren’t usually my thing.

They tend to be bleak, heavy, and just not my cup of tea.

 But I picked up Dear Mrs. Bird anyway because it was a short read and I thought “why not?”

And I’m so glad I did.

I loved how A.J. Pearce highlighted the firefighters, those first responders who faced danger night after night, and how their courage mirrored the women who also stepped up in their own ways.

Emmy is one of those women.

 

“Mother always said it wasn't just about keeping going, but about standing up for what you believed in as well.”

 

She might not be fighting on the frontlines, but she’s fighting in her own way — through compassion, words, and sheer determination.

By responding to those letters — to women she didn’t even know — she created a quiet ripple of kindness and connection.

What united them was simple but powerful: womanhood.

There are all kinds of heroes in this world, and not all of them wear capes. Sometimes heroism looks like empathy — choosing to care, to reach out, to listen — especially in a time when tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.

 

Final Verdict: Would I Recommend It?

Without hesitation: yes.

If you’re a fan of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Maisie Dobbs, or Call the Midwife, you’ll love this. 

Read it. Then gift it. Then re-read it again.

Until my next read,

Marianna ♥

 

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