A.J. Pearce Books In Order
Book links take you to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn money from qualifying purchases.Publication Order of The Emmeline Lake Chronicles Books
| Dear Mrs. Bird | (2018) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
| Yours Cheerfully | (2021) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
| Mrs. Porter Calling | (2023) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
A.J. Pearce is an English author of fiction novels. Originally she took to writing as a hobby of sorts instead of considering it professionally all the way back in 2005.
She was born in Hampshire in the U.K. When she was at school, one of her favorite subjects was English and the other was history. Thankfully as an adult and a writer those early preferences have fit into her life quite nicely and now make a lot of sense.
Pearce went to the University of Sussex. There she studied American History and she chose to spend her third year attending Northwestern University located across the pond in Illinois in the United States of America.
She did not always have the intent of starting out on a writing career, but took to it all the same. She had started writing as a hobby but then she came across a copy of a weekly magazine for women in 1939. That sparked the idea of writing a story that would be set in the time of war-struck London.
A.J. Pearce first became an author with the publication of her first book, which is titled Dear Mrs. Bird. She had finished the book in the early months of 2016, and she was signed up with her literary agent a short time later. Just a week after she had submitted the novel, and after an auction involving seven different publishers bidding on the book in the United Kingdom, there was a winner.
Picador had bid on her novel and successfully won it. In the United States, Scribner also acquired the rights for the states after having its own auction. The book was vaguely doing well before it even hit the shelves, and translation rights were actually sold in a few more countries as well. Currently, A.J. Pearce’s debut story has paid off and now the novel has been optioned successfully and is in the middle of television development.
She was also selected to be one of the New Faces of Fiction in the category of debut novelists of 2018 by The Observer. Pearce has enjoyed writing her first novel and has been happy at the warm reception to it!
Dear Mrs. Bird is the debut novel from the acclaimed already author A.J. Pearce. This charming novel is a debut to remember and many readers are falling in love with this story set in historical times gone past.
London during the time of World War II was full of adventure and buzz and a strange sense, and once the war was in full scale mode everyone was swept up in it. When a young woman with a sense of adventure becomes a columnist that secretly gives out advice, she has no idea how popular it will be.
This funny and moving story brings to mind such other works as Lilac Girls. The time is 1940 and in London things are pretty much crazy. Bombs are literally falling out of the sky and being dropped on England with a force that the city really has never experienced. The minute that you hear a siren, you drop everything and scramble to get to a shelter.
The main character in this book is a young woman named Emmy Lake. Emmy is trying to do everything that she can for her country and for the war effort as a whole. It’s because of young women and men like her that England has a fighting shot at winning the war. Emmy was working as a telephone operator working for the Auxiliary Fire Services.
Every bit helps, and one night Emmy sees a job ad placed in the London Evening Chronicle. She’s always wanted to be a female war correspondent, and now the idea of becoming one seems a lot more manageable. The job ends up being a position where she will be a typist to Henrietta Bird.
Henrietta is a force to be reckoned with and known for being a force of nature. The advice columnist needs someone to type up things for her and wants Emmy to be that person. She’s a little let down, but Emmy decides that she’s going to make the most of this situation and opportunity and try to learn everything that she can about it, so she doubles down and gets to work.
While Henrietta is demanding, she’s specific about one thing in particular regarding the letters. Any letters that are considered to be unpleasant must be thrown out in the trash. One day Emmy picks up letters from women. The letters are full of women that need advice, that have problems, that are lonely, that have fallen into a dalliance with another person, and people that are in trouble.
Even though she thinks her employer would disapprove, Emmy cannot help but respond as she is compelled to try and reach out to these women that need so much advice as their lives are falling apart. The Germans continue to plague the country and the city as the planes go over the buildings on their raids every night.
Every day, the people of London walk out to parts of the city smoldering and pick up the pieces. Emmy continues to write back even as things continue to stay incredibly dangerous and sends letters out to these women that need help fixing their troubles. Even if they aren’t going to get a letter from Mrs. Bird, they can feel like they got an answer from a reliable guide and a woman whose advice they not only would trust, but desperately need.
Emmy and her best friend are the stars of the show in this exciting novel, the debut from A.J. Pearce. Dear Mrs. Bird is a period piece that showcases the best of human attributes when they are unwilling to bow their heads in defeat in the face of insurmountable odds. The bombs may keep on dropping on London, but the spirit of the people mean that England is sure to prevail.
Do yourself a favor and pick up this warm and marvelous novel from author A.J. Pearce and find out why critics and readers are raving about it!
Book Series In Order » Authors »
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Have read all three of the series books and it was difficult to put any one of them down. Have found a new favorite author. Beautiful characters throughout.
I loved the 2 books and somehow I think I heard a sequel was coming. Is that true and when will it be at my library? That is the Beaverton City Main Library in Beaverton, Oregon.
Thanks for a lovely read.
Nancy Engel
I stayed up til 1:00 am last night to finish Cheerfully Yours. Absolutely loved it! Especially loved the story of Em and Bunty’s lifelong friendship. I have been telling everyone I know about this book series. Your books are life giving. Please write another book and tell us what happens with Bunty.