Dear Mrs Bird

Cosy up with this heartwarming and heartbreaking novel set in wartime London

By: AJ Pearce

Narrated by: Anna Popplewell

Read by Anna Popplewell, known for her role in The Chronicles of Narnia.

Richard & Judy Book Club Pick
Sunday Times Bestseller

Set during London's blitz and filled with warmth, wit and heartbreak, Dear Mrs Bird by AJ Pearce is a wartime story about the power of friendship, the kindness of strangers and the courage of ordinary people.

London, 1941. Amid the falling bombs Emmeline Lake dreams of becoming a fearless Lady War Correspondent. Unfortunately, Emmy instead finds herself employed as a typist for the terrifying Henrietta Bird, the renowned agony aunt at Woman’s Friend magazine. Mrs Bird refuses to read, let alone answer, letters containing any form of Unpleasantness, and definitely not letters from the women the war has left lovelorn, grief-stricken or conflicted.

But the thought of these desperate women waiting for an answer becomes impossible for Emmy to ignore. She decides she simply must help and secretly starts to write back – after all, what harm could that possibly do?

'The most uplifting, lovely book about courage, friendship, love' – Marian Keyes
'Utterly charming and helplessly funny' – Jenny Colgan
'A proper comfort read' – India Knight

Critic reviews

If I had only known how much I was going to adore Dear Mrs Bird, I wouldn’t have gobbled it down all at once. Funny, fresh, and touching, Dear Mrs Bird is a treat of a read. (Annie Barrows, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society)

I fell in love with Dear Mrs Bird on page one and completely adored every single word . . . a wonderfully heartwarming book, which I will recommend to everyone I know (Jill Mansell, author of An Almost Perfect Summer)

Utterly charming and helplessly funny (Jenny Colgan, author of Little Beach Street Bakery)

Witty, wise and full of charm . . . I absolutely loved it (Rachel Lucas, author of The Winter Cottage)

The sweetest, most uplifting, lovely book about courage, friendship, love . . . It'll be huge; it deserves to be (Marian Keyes, author of The Break)

A winning wartime romp . . . as hilarious as it is moving. Emmy is truly charming. When her upper lip finally wobbles, the reader’s will, too. In the end, the novel’s spirit is madly winning, and its foregrounding of wartime women seems spiffingly modern.

This story of female friendship is just the tonic for that jaded feeling that the world is ugly and mad.

A joyfully uplifting and optimistic novel . . . a timely story of courage and good humour in adversity.

A marvellous treat. Charming and delightful. (Nina Stibbe, author of Love, Nina)

When we need it most, Dear Mrs Bird is a wonderful, uplifting novel and, like its heroine, its breathless, giddy tone has real depth and heart. (Sarra Manning)

Here’s a refreshing take on the Second World War novel. Dear Mrs Bird is charming without being twee, full of fun and heart, and will being you to tears. (Sarah Shaffi)

Dear Mrs Bird is an adorable novel, charming, funny, and uplifting . . . Catch a cold immediately and retire to bed with it (Louisa Young, author of My Dear I Wanted To Tell You)

Irresistibly charming and delightful (Kate Eberlen, author of Miss You)

A joy from start to finish. Dear Mrs Bird is as funny as it is heart-warming. (John Boyne, author The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas)

An utterly charming story of friendship, heartbreak and heroism... You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll love it (Lucy Diamond)

I've never read a novel that has grabbed me by the heart quite so much as this one

Books that make you shake with laughter and sob with tears are rare. I gulped this one down but didn’t stop thinking about it for a long time (Katie Fforde)

Dear Mrs Bird is an utterly enchanting debut: cheering, compelling, charming. If you loved Their Finest this is for you. (Amanda Craig, author of The Lie of The Land)

A thoroughly lovely book, and reading it is like a great big shot of serotonin in the arm. I defy anyone not to fall for its numerous charms (Kate Riordan)

Authentic British accent by narrator.

The Story gave a me a good idea how people lived during the IIWW in London.

Enjoyable

An enjoyable listen. I was a little disappointed with the ending.
Would have enjoyed a sequel to this story

A view to WW2 from a different angle.

Enjoyed the book, nice narrator. Interesting view in to world war two from the people left at home to cope with uncertain times.

Wonderful read

I absolutely loved the story and the Ann Popplewell read it beautifully.
Very good I couldn't stop listening.

A wonderful story.

we hear so much about the spirit of the blotz, as though those people were stoic. i think this novel portrays a more realistic view, they were tired and scared and did stuff anyway. what a lovely novel, and a wonderful picture of the intensity of female friendship.