A Typist’s Wartime Risk: Dear Mrs. Bird by AJ Pearce

September 5, 2025November 8, 2025Leave a comment

| Description

• Historical Fiction

Amid falling bombs in 1941 London, Emmeline Lake dreams of becoming a fearless War Correspondent. Unfortunately, Emmy instead finds herself employed as a typist for the formidable Henrietta Bird at Woman’s Friend magazine. Mrs Bird refuses to read, let alone answer, readers’ letters containing any form of Unpleasantness, and definitely not those from the lovelorn, grief-stricken, or morally conflicted. But the thought of these desperate women waiting for an answer at this most desperate of times becomes impossible for Emmy to ignore.

| My Thoughts

I didn’t even glance at the book blurb before diving into this novel. I just knew it was historical fiction (my all-time favorite genre), and I’d heard through the grapevine about the book’s “vibe” and content level.

That was enough for me.

Humor, Dilemmas, Danger

While much of this novel turned out to be pretty simple reading for me, I got a particular kick out of the humor. I also liked that I could really feel for Emmy through her moral and relational dilemmas and moments of serious danger.

Twists and Titles

Now, the writing oftentimes gets repetitive while making its points. And the way the twists are set up made them predictable to me. (Perhaps they weren’t really supposed to be surprising anyway, though?)

In that vein, when chapters have titles rather than just numbers, those titles can often spoil what’s coming up in the chapters, even inadvertently. I usually skip over chapter titles but didn’t always in the case of this book. So I found that some of its chapter titles can/do indeed serve as alerts about important events before they go down, when a lot of readers would rather not be tipped off ahead of time that way.

Continuing the Series?

All things considered, I appreciate the overall spirit of this read and what Emmy strives to accomplish. Not every loose end is tied up before the somewhat abrupt ending, but before I got there, I’d already been planning to continue on to the next book in this series sometime. I’m looking forward to it.

| Content Note

war violence, especially bombings
aside from a few “deity swears,” language kept to a “PG” level
no explicit sexual content

The Emmy Lake Chronicles Series

3D book image of The Gift of Family behind strands of Christmas lights

Middle Age and Christmas Dreams: The Gift of Family by Mary Monroe

July 4, 2025November 8, 2025Leave a comment

The Gift of Family
by
Mary Monroe

| Description

• Contemporary Fiction

Successful, secure, and still very much in love, middle-aged couple Rosemary and her husband Eugene have never given up on one special wish: to be parents. And while Christmas always brings happiness and a whirlwind of holiday fun, their hopes for children of their own seem further away than ever. Especially this year, when Rosemary must have emergency surgery and home help to recuperate. Wanting to lift his wife’s spirits, Eugene suddenly has an inspiration from back in the day…

| My Thoughts

• 3.5 Stars, rounded up

As much as I enjoy my share of Christmas romances, it’s refreshing to find a standalone, “PG” Christmas read featuring Black characters outside of the romance genre.

For Holiday Relaxation

Sure, this isn’t a story that holds any big surprises. It’s just the kind of tale to relax with, feeling sure that even as the characters have understandable worries to deal with, it’s going to be all right in the end.

Now, the writing could have used a little more originality and less repetitive word choices and phrasing. But the style makes for easy reading.

More from This Author?

This is the second book I’ve read by this author, and I’ll probably check out at least one more of her Christmas reads sometime.

| Content Note

a few references to past violence
no profanity
no explicit sexual content

Kate & Frida by Kim Fay

May 2, 2025November 8, 2025Leave a comment

Kate & Frida
by
Kim Fay

| Description

• Epistolary Novel

Twenty-something Frida Rodriguez comes to Paris in 1991, relishing the city’s butter-soaked cuisine and seeking her future as a war correspondent. But when she writes to a bookshop in Seattle, receiving an answer from bookseller Kate Fair, a friendship begins that will nourish and transform the two women through the most tumultuous years of their young lives.

| My Thoughts

So, um, yeah… This is one of those times when literal words in a review are so not going to do justice to the experience I had with a book.

But, my very goodness—how this gritty and lovely novel spoke to me.

When a Book Lover Outgrows a Book

The story points out that books show us how we’ve moved on.

For me as a lifelong book lover, for whom reading is more than just a casual pursuit, a special kind of sadness passes over me when I revisit novels I once thought were wonderful, but given how I’ve grown and changed over the years, those novels’ messages no longer fit who I am. (And no, I’m not talking about simply outgrowing a lot of the juvenile books I read back before I came of age.) It is indeed much like when you realize a relationship in your life doesn’t fit who you are anymore.

Major Turning Points

Now, admittedly, somewhere during Part One of this novel, I started to think I wasn’t in the headspace to keep reading. I came close to setting the book aside to try again at some later time.

But then both of the main characters’ lives hit major turning points, and I was all in. Along for the journey of these two women having to learn that there’s more than one way to make a difference in the world. Two women learning something so key about misery and joy. Particularly in the face of tragedy, injustice, and devastation.

A Life-Affirming Tie

And then there’s the novel’s significant tie to the absolute top book of my childhood and my favorite children’s book series that it comes from (written by Beverly Cleary). Yes, it goes to show how precious and amazing it is when certain books still resonate with a lifelong book lover after decades of her growing and changing. But beyond that, the way that particular children’s book series ties into this story is utterly life-affirming.

One More Thing…

Oh, I’ll only frustrate myself if I go on, since, yeah—nothing I’m saying is doing justice to what’s going on inside me after reading this novel. Even so, I’m adding it to my list of all-time favorite books.

| Content Note

war violence
no explicit sexual content; one character refers to an adult simile written in a book she read, but she doesn’t spell out the whole thing
language kept to a “PG” level; one instance of stronger language isn’t completely spelled out

The Radio Hour by Victoria Purman

April 25, 2025November 8, 2025Leave a comment

The Radio Hour
by
Victoria Purman

| Description

• Historical Fiction

Martha Berry is fifty years old, single, and one of an army of polite, “invisible” women in 1956 Australia who get things done without fuss, fanfare, or reward. Working at the country’s national broadcaster, Martha is sent to work as a secretary on a brand-new radio serial. But she soon finds herself at the mercy of an erratic young producer who hasn’t got a clue, and the serial faces impending cancellation. It’ll be up to Martha to take dire matters into her own hands—somehow.

| My Thoughts

• 3.5 Stars, rounded up

I wanted to read this novel as soon as I saw the book cover (of the Australian edition, pictured above). Not only did the cover appeal to me as a lover of historical fiction but also as a bona fide nostalgic who’s enjoyed listening to a modest share of radio programs from the era before television.

Particularly episodes of My Favorite Husband, the American radio show starring Lucille Ball, which was eventually reworked to become the classic television sitcom I Love Lucy.

Sorry! Kinda veering off topic, but I couldn’t mention I Love Lucy without cueing a few snippets from iconic episodes of the show. 😀

Vibrant Vintage Vibe

I carried the vibe from The Radio Hour’s book cover with me as I read about Martha’s personal relationships with her mother, her neighbors, and her friends at work. I felt it during the characters’ excited chats about their favorite radio programs.

Sexism—and Where It Often Leads

But of course, the vibe isn’t merry and bright as the story tackles the issue of sexism. Then, as Martha leans all the way into the issue during the last third or so of the book, the reading begins to come off somewhat more like a manifesto than a novel at times. While those moments would pull me out of the story as a fiction reader, I as a person understood the tone and energy of it all.

From the sexism issue stems the story’s tackling of sexual harassment and assault. At some point during the last third, as the novel went on in that vein, the reading started to feel long to me. But the most aggravating aspect of that was/is the fact that it isn’t unrealistic—the multiple women in those scenes all having something to say about how they’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted. Because, yes, it’s that common in real life.

On a Technical Note

Now, when Martha reaches her first major turning point to take action on the radio front, some of the key information showing why she’s ready to handle that specific task should have been mentioned earlier on in the book, simply as nuggets about her character—so as not to seem like the author brought Martha to the turning point and only then began thinking up how to make it fully plausible.

Also, the writing in general could have used more originality and subtlety. The details are often clichéd or on-the-nose. It also gets repetitive in a number of places when the story gives details and explanations that already appeared in earlier scenes or chapters.

Speaking Up

Nevertheless, my nostalgic, historical-fiction-loving self enjoyed this novel overall. And I as a person, especially as a woman, was compelled by the theme of finding your voice and speaking up. For your own sake as well as for others.

| Content Note

language kept to a “PG” level; the characters’ occasional stronger language isn’t written out
some descriptions of sexual harassment and sexual assault
a few references to past war violence

Prismatic Prospects

Nadine C. Keels, Author and Blogger of Hope and Inspiration

Tag: Women’s Fiction

A Typist’s Wartime Risk: Dear Mrs. Bird by AJ Pearce

| Description