Mrs Porter Calling (Emmy Lake Book Three) by A.J. Pearce

 

Mrs Porter Calling (Emmy Lake Book Three) by A.J. Pearce.

Published 25th May 2023 by Picador.

From the cover of the book:

THE FEEL-GOOD NOVEL OF THE SUMMER

A heart-warming, heart-wrenching wartime story from The Sunday Times bestselling author of Dear Mrs Bird, AJ Pearce.

Emmy Lake is the much-loved agony aunt at Woman’s Friend magazine, relied upon by readers across the country as they face the challenges of life on the Home Front. With the problem page thriving and a team of fantastic women behind her, Emmy finally feels she is Doing Her Bit.

But when a glamorous new owner arrives, everything changes. As the Honourable Mrs Porter tries to charm her way around the rest of the team, Emmy realizes that she plans to destroy everything readers love about the magazine.

With happiness quickly turning to heartbreak and war still raging in Europe, will Emmy and her friends find the inner strength they need to keep keeping on - and save the magazine they love?

***********

London, April 1943. Things at Woman's Friend magazine are going well, despite the war that seems never ending. Sales are on the up and agony aunt Emmy Lake, editor Guy Collins, and the rest of the Woman's Friend gang know just what to feature to keep up the spirits of their readers. 

Then, a glamorous, fancy-hat-wearing hiccup arrives in the shape of the magazine's new owner, The Honourable Cressida 'Egg' Porter, who has a raft of bizarre ideas to make the magazine a whole lot 'Less Mis'. Soon articles that highlight the good work of women on the Home Front, and provide helpful advice about how to survive domestic troubles and the privations of war, are pushed out in favour of 'cute' pictures of dogs in hats, snaps of society weddings, and recommendations for consumer goods way out of the reach of the women who read Woman's Friend. Mrs Porter's vanity project is quickly ruining the magazine that is so dear to Emmy, her colleagues, and their readers. With the war raging on, can Emmy and her friends find the strength to carry on, and keep their beloved magazine alive?

Mrs Porter Calling is the third book in the enchanting Emmy Lake series, and the challenges Emmy and her friends and colleagues face this time around are ones which threaten to well and truly take the wind out of their 'keep the home fires burning' sails. Emmy and her friend Bunty are doing their bit to help the war effort and stay cheerful, whatever life throws at them. They are soon joined in the big house in Pimlico by Emmy's friend Thelma and her three children. Times are hard, loved ones fighting in Europe are desperately missed, and finding new and exciting ways to cook with a dwindling array of ingredients is not easy, but laughter, larks, and a sprinkling of romance keep them going.

Then the awful Mrs Porter arrives, with steely determination, behind her fluttering eyelashes, to change Woman's Friend beyond all recognition. Emmy and the gang have a fight on their hands, but it is not easy keeping the flame of the magazine alive in the face of someone as out of touch with reality as Mrs Porter, especially when their attempts to subvert her have to be kept secret from her 'dog in the manger' allies.

Trials and tribulations abound, and emotions are running high with the characters - and in your own heart-sore breast - as you hope they can find a way to cope with aching loss, grinding hardship, and the constant worries that Pearce sends their way. But battles were never won by being a 'weedy knickers', and it is love and friendship that triumph in the end - bolstered by help from an unexpected direction. Hurray!

Courage, determination and pulling together in adversity are at the heart of the story, and there are scenes to make you chuckle, sob your heart out, and punch the air with glee. Pearce brings alive time and place to hit that bittersweet spot to perfection, weaving in themes that highlight the very real work of women's magazines to tackle the social issues that affected their readers at this time, shine a light on how women carried the burden of keeping things going on the Home Front, and explore the class divide.

I loved this warm and wonderful story, especially the way Pearce uses letters to heighten the emotional impact of the plotlines. The letters between Emmy and her husband are particularly poignant, and the ones from the bemused readers of Woman's Friend are comedy heaven - but the best one of all, is the touching letter written by young Hester, the editorial assistant, which I will leave you to discover for yourselves. This book was an absolute joy to consume, and I cannot wait for more from A.J. Pearce!

Mrs Porter Calling is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Ed.PR for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

AJ Pearce is the author of the Sunday Times Top 10 bestseller DEAR MRS BIRD, which was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick and shortlisted for Debut of the Year at the 2019 British Book Awards. It has been translated into fifteen languages and optioned for development for TV.

Born in Hampshire, her favourite subjects at school were English and History, which now (finally!) seems to be making some sense.