Dear Mrs Bird: a novel (The Emmy Lake Chronicles #1) [B2296]

2018 PB in Gift-Worthy condition. 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 may 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.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "This was a surprisingly easy, cozy, read, which sounds odd for a WW2 novel but I actually quite liked it. This was book 1 in the series and I think I'll read the next one. It's charming and funny, and feels kind of like hallmark meets EML meets Kristin Hannah."; "Charming historical fiction. Cute characters and easy read."; "As someone who worked for my high school and college's newspapers, I instantly found myself connecting with the main character Emmy - having big dreams of what we wanted to write about. The author did a great job with balancing the chipper vibes surrounding the Woman's World office and the antics around the secret 'Mrs.Bird' response letters amid the grim realities of the war going on around London. 'Definitely pleased with this selection and intrigued to see what the rest of the series is like."; "Fab read.. loved the writing, the friendships and Mr Collins! Super easy read. The friendship that Bunty and Emmy have is really warming. I liked how the Author wrote about how important women's roles were during ww2 and how Emmy really wanted to 'be there' for these women."