Dear Mrs. Bird by AJ Pearce Published by Simon and Schuster on July 3, 2018
Genres: Fiction, Historical, General, Coming of Age, Humorous
Pages: 288
Format: Audiobook
Length: 9 hours and 48 minutes
Source: Library
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This charming, irresistible debut novel set in London during World War II about a young woman who longs to be a war correspondent and inadvertantly 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).
My Thoughts:
Dear Mrs. Bird came onto my radar from some friends who read it and loved it. I love historical fiction and so I decided to check it out. Best decision ever! It landed on my list of top books I read in 2018 and I simply adored it.
The story takes place in London in WW2 and centers around the people, the women in particular, left behind in war time London. Most historical fiction books taking place in WW2 doesn’t focus on the home front and I was so glad that this one did. It was a peek into the daily life of what it was like to live in the middle of the war– you still have to work, but there are air raids, bombs dropping and people trying their best to give toward the war effort. It’s the every day life but with the added strain of knowing your loved ones are out there fighting and also living with bombs destroying places, homes, people and having to just get on despite it all. It was so very real and genuine to see it all from Emmy’s point of view. Emmy is a columnist just trying to get through it and her misadventures working for Mrs. Bird’s column were so great to see. She reads letters every day of women and young girls with issues and troubles she longs to address and so she does despite this being against the rules.
Her story was emotional, but also light hearted in the sense that she is such a hopeful, uplifting character that her narrative doesn’t become too heavy. The issues are hard, and nothing is easy during this time but Emmy’s attitude was brilliant. I adored her friendship with Bunty and every relationship in this book. The connections and emotions felt very real and I was so invested in every character. I loved this book so much and highly recommend!
The audio version is one of my favorites. I think Anna Popplewell did such a fantastic job bringing Emmy to life. If you like historical fiction this is a must read!
Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton Published by Penguin on February 6, 2018
Genres: Fiction, Women, Hispanic & Latino, Cultural Heritage
Pages: 400
Format: Audiobook
Length: 11 hours and 16 minutes
Source: Library
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THE JULY PICK FOR REESE WITHERSPOON'S HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB
"A beautiful novel that's full of forbidden passions, family secrets and a lot of courage and sacrifice."--Reese Witherspoon
After the death of her beloved grandmother, a Cuban-American woman travels to Havana, where she discovers the roots of her identity--and unearths a family secret hidden since the revolution...
Havana, 1958. The daughter of a sugar baron, nineteen-year-old Elisa Perez is part of Cuba's high society, where she is largely sheltered from the country's growing political unrest--until she embarks on a clandestine affair with a passionate revolutionary...
Miami, 2017. Freelance writer Marisol Ferrera grew up hearing romantic stories of Cuba from her late grandmother Elisa, who was forced to flee with her family during the revolution. Elisa's last wish was for Marisol to scatter her ashes in the country of her birth.
Arriving in Havana, Marisol comes face-to-face with the contrast of Cuba's tropical, timeless beauty and its perilous political climate. When more family history comes to light and Marisol finds herself attracted to a man with secrets of his own, she'll need the lessons of her grandmother's past to help her understand the true meaning of courage.
My Thoughts:
Historical fiction with dual alternating timelines. That’s basically all you need to say to get me to read something! I LOVE this sort of thing. However, this one fell short a little bit for me. I really really liked Elisa’s story and was riveted every time it was her POV. But Marisol and Luis– I wasn’t as into. I can’t really place a why (their romance just never clicked with me maybe?), but her chapters dragged more for me and I wasn’t as interested. I always kept wanting to go back to Elisa.
That being said, the storytelling was lush and beautiful and so atmospheric. The writing was wonderful. I don’t know enough about Cuba and its history and this was a really great, unique look at that slice of time that I really have very little knowledge of. It made me look up the history and read more about it which is something I love about historical fiction books. It always makes me want to know more and at the same time, makes that history so much more real.
I’ll definitely be reading the companion book, When We Left Cuba though! If historical fiction and dual timelines are your thing, this is one you won’t want to miss!
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