“If there was anything I wanted most in the world (other of course than for the war to end and Hitler to die a quite grisly death), it was to be a journalist. Or to be precise, what people in the know referred to as a lady war correspondent.”
When Emmeline secures a job at a newspaper, she is dismayed to discover on her first day that the role is not that of a “lady war correspondent” but for someone to type up replies to letters sent in to the problem page of a women’s magazine.
Emmeline’s boss – the formidable Mrs Bird – is a fiercely unsympathetic agony aunt and, as Emmeline reads people’s often heartbreaking letters, she begins to secretly answer them, putting her job at risk.
Meanwhile, Emmeline and her best friend Bunty brave the Blitz with pluck and verve, volunteering for the Auxiliary Fire Service, walking home in blacked-out streets from nights spent dancing or watching films and generally refusing to be cowed by the war.
Dear Mrs Bird is a joyously upbeat novel, full of good humour and charm, reminding us of the bravery of the wartime generation.
It also offers a wonderful portrayal of female friendship and camaraderie.
Although both Emmeline and Bunty experience romantic encounters and heartbreak, there are no men on white chargers to come and save the day.
These friends are independent and courageous, even in the face of their own vulnerabilities and deep losses. Uplifting, moving and deeply enjoyable, Dear Mrs Bird is a gem of a novel.
