Breezy and heart-warming it was just the thing to get me out of my reading slump. It's a little bit silly but sometimes you just need that. The friendships are wonderful to read about and the characters are lovely if not complex. I particularly enjoyed reading a wwii novel that neither dwelled solely in the darkness nor pretended it was all chummy

In terms of tone and setting, Dear Mrs. Bird is a good read along or follow up to Radio Girls except that Maisie and Hilda have a good working relationship, and Emmeline and Henrietta's borders on toxic.

4 Stars *A poignant debut about war driving ordinary people to do extraordinary things* Dear Mrs. Bird is strongly reminiscent of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It is a Hisotrical Fiction novel about a young woman in London during WWII. Both novels have epistolary elements although Dear Mrs. Bird is split between epistolary and traditional narrative. Both stories also start off seeming light and fluffy but turn surprisingly heartfelt and poignant by the end. In Dear Mrs. Bird, a young woman named Emmy Lake is determined to become a war correspondent. Then she mistakenly applies for a job at a women’s magazine instead of the London Evening Chronicle. Instead of writing serious news, she is stuck assisting on a women’s advice column called Dear Mrs. Bird. Although Emmy initially thinks the column is unimportant and beneath her, she soon realizes just how powerful advice can be in this poignant tale of friendship, compassion, and endurance. “Joan, Thelma, and Mary, like thousands of others, spent day and night after day and night carrying on with their jobs in the most frightening of conditions. Every day they helped save strangers they didn't know and would never meet. But today it was their friend. Stiff upper lips and getting on with things were all very well, but sometimes there was nothing to do but admit that things were quite simply awful. War was foul and appalling and unfair.” The peek into live on the English Homefront during the war was intriguing. This certainly is not the first book I have read with that setting, but I liked that the story focused on women’s role. The story juxtaposed the severe effects of the war with the banality of the little things in life. The tone does feel a little young at times. I would just as easily recommend this to teens and adults. I also enjoyed the author’s note regarding the real-life women’s magazine articles that inspired this book. The historical elements were well-researched and blended well with the fictional parts. All in all, this little debut was wonderful to read! RATING FACTORS: Ease of Reading: 4 Stars Writing Style: 4 Stars Characters and Character Development: 3 Stars Plot Structure and Development: 4 Stars Level of Captivation: 4 Stars Originality: 3 Stars

Sweet quick read.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book but I knew that it was pretty popular and took place during WWII. As I started to read the first chapters I decided that it was a romp, a humorous tale of a young woman finding herself. Then I got further into it and it became so much more. I so loved this charming and emotional story. I have book two ready to pick up and I can't wait. Note to self: keep kleenex box handy.

2,5

I have had a bit of weird start to my reading year in that I've read a number of really great books, but not really enjoyed any of them very much. I picked up Dear Mrs Bird because I wanted an easy read that would hopefully make me smile. I can happily say that this lovely book delivered. While this book is not a life-changing piece of literature it is funny, enjoyable and it made me smile. Dear Mrs Bird is a delightful and charming novel and it was just what I needed to bring some joy back into my reading. 3.5 Stars - while not a piece of art, this book is like a cosy meal on a cold night, warms you from the inside.

It’s was a pretty decent book and made me laugh a couple of times. There were moments I liked the main character and moments I didn’t. However, I pretty much adored her best friend throughout. This isn’t something I’d read again, but it was a lovely and empowering story, and a great way to gain a little insight into London during WWII. Emmeline Lake is a courageous young woman, and that was very inspiring.