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Last week, I reflected on the career of Maggie Smith. Tina shared her September Reading Roundup, that included books set in Ireland and England, as well as Long Island, by Irish writer Colm Tóibín.

Book: Dear Mrs. Bird, Yours Cheerfully, Mrs. Porter Calling by A.J. Pearce
Genre: Historical fiction
Publisher: Big Dog Little Dog Ltd
Publication date: 2018

Source: audio books borrowed from the library

Summary: The Emmy Lake Chronicles are a series of three World War II novels set in London. Emmy Lake, the main character, is a young woman in London whose dearest wish is to become a Lady War Correspondent. Through a comedy of errors, Emmy thought that she got herself started on the path of budding journalist but ended up as the typist for an agony aunt column in a women’s magazine.

Dear Mrs. Bird is set during the worst of the Blitz. The attack on Pearl Harbor happens during the events covered by Yours Cheerfully. Mrs. Porter Calling takes place in 1943.

Through the books Emmy Lake comes to appreciate, more and more, the roles of women in World War II and how a magazine can help those women.

Thoughts: Although these books have very serious themes and moments, befitting the World War II setting, I loved the humorous narrative voice. Since I listened to the audio book, it’s a little hard to tell whether the humor came from the performance of the reader or from the text. Here’s a good sample from early in the first book to give you an idea, describing her thoughts as she’s about to enter the office on her first day of work:

I knew that as a Junior I was staring at the bottom, but I didn’t mind in the least. I pictured myself becoming chums with Lively Types, discussing the news of the day in between admirable amounts of hard work, typing like billy-o or taking down impossibly fast dictation. Perhaps–given time–suggesting an idea for a news feature or, should someone very unfortunately be taken ill, stepping up to the mark and filling in for them at the scene of a terrible crime or during a raid in the middle of the night. (p. 24)

Does that sound like a fun voice to hear through three novels? It worked for me.

According to the author’s website, she is currently working on a fourth novel in the series.

Appeal: I bought a paperback of Dear Mrs. Bird so that I can study why it worked so well for me. I would love for the World War II novel that I’m writing to make readers feel the way that I felt reading this one.

Have you read these books? What did you think?