This is the third book in the Emmy Lake series, following on from ‘Dear Mrs Bird’ and ‘Yours Cheerfully’. This is a series that is charming, cheerful and funny – even as the realities of World War II continue to have their impact on the characters’ lives.
Thanks to NetGalley for my opportunity to read this book and apologies for the late review.
In this third look at wartime Pimlico, we rejoin Emmy and her colleagues at the offices of Woman’s Friend, a publication packed with helpful tips on cooking, affordable fashion, and the general art of making do and getting by under rationing. One of the most popular sections is Emmy’s advice column, offering an invaluable lifeline to women trapped by their domestic situations, wartime problems or overwhelming worries. When a new owner takes over the publication (the titular Mrs Porter), Emmy and the team have to fight for the things that make their magazine unique and treasured by its readership.
For those who have followed Emmy since the start, you’ll know that the magazine staff are more like family than colleagues. You’ll also know that they take their work very seriously, contributing to the war effort, boosting morale and spreading positive messaging about women’s lives in wartime Britain. This makes the stakes feel pretty high when Mrs Porter arrives with her plans to change the publication that they’ve worked so hard to make a success. I felt totally invested in this plot, especially given the glorious ‘villains’ that A. J. Pearce has written for Emmy to battle.
Mrs Porter herself is a fabulous character – I don’t want to give away the plot, but she’s described with such fabulous details that I loved it when she was on the scene. There’s some brilliant observations about her work ethic, general appearance and relationships with the team – and I laughed out loud at her reaction to meetings. To be honest, I think I feel the same!
As with the previous books, this is really a story about the power of women; the men are at war (including Emmy’s husband), Emmy works on a women’s magazine and lives with strong, supportive women. I loved the sense of female community and friendship – from Emmy’s housemates, to the other girls on shift at the fire station where Emmy volunteers, to the women at the magazine (Mrs Porter and the hilarious Mrs Pye excepted!) This becomes especially poignant when the heartbreaking realities of war hit close to home in a turn of events that have a huge impact in an otherwise positive and upbeat book.
That;s not to say there are no men – there are the ones too old to serve, too injured, or doing protected jobs like those in the fire service. They make a charming and sweet supporting cast – without taking the women from the limelight. I especially loved the Scar(e)y ones from the pub – you have to read it to appreciate fully!
Overall, this is another upbeat and mostly cheery look at the women keeping the home fires burning in World War II. To a modern reader, it all sounds quite grim – rationing, coupons, sandbags, fire watches and endless volunteering shifts on top of the day jobs – but Pearce’s characters muddle along as best they can and there’s humour and camaraderie along the way. Bad things do happen – and it’s tragic and awful – but there is also hope and joy. Another delightful instalment in Emmy’s wartime experiences and one I’d recommend.
If you’d like to buy a copy of this book, please use my affiliate links below – thanks for supporting my blog with any purchases. It always makes me smile when my book recommendations are taken up!
If you’re new to the series, you might want to start with Book 1, ‘Dear Mrs Bird’:
Header photo by Florian Klauer on Unsplash
