Dear Mrs.Bird - Book review

Dear Mrs. Bird by A.J. Pearce
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Very well written tale about how people carry on with their lives during war.
This story is based in London when the Germans are bombing the city all over the place leaving behind scenes of absolute destruction. In this scenario you will find the residents resilient to all the destruction around and do fall in and out of love, have parties and run to and fro to work in whatever means of transport available without giving a second thought to 'what next'.
It deals wih the role of an agony aunt during the war.
The author has maintained the stiff upper lip humour right through the book which doesn't bore or depress you with the rigours and tragedies of war alone.
Loved the description of the prevailing architecture.
'It was a dear little Georgian house, surrounded by weeping willows and with such symmetrical windows it looked as if a child had told an architect exactly how a house should be designed.'
The horrors of war are brought forth brilliantly in this sentence - 'A man was slumped over a table as if he was drunk. I didn't see his face, but I saw that his hands were gone.'
The author very succintly explains why life seems casual - 'If Hitler had his way, no one would ever care about anyone, or anything other than him and his appalling ideas. Well my dear, You must know that that is fascism and Hitler is a fool. The day we stop caring or showing we are human is the day we mght just as well give in.'
The characterisation is on the spot and like everything else in the book the author maintains a level headed approach to all situations without going overboard.
For a debut novel it is excellent and a must read if you like British humour and writing.

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