Resilience

As a novel set during the London Blitz, Dear Mrs. Bird deals with how people come to terms with suffering and horror. Pearce explores this theme through the ways in which Emmy and Bunty respond to the devastation of their city and William's death. The novel also explores resilience more subtly in the sort of advice Emmy and Mrs. Bird gives to the Woman's Friend readers.

Emmy narrates the novel from a generally lighthearted point of view that regards the bombings as inconveniences and distractions from her goals and from her enjoyment. The novel begins by whimsically dismissing the raids as such, but a more sober and mature perspective emerges later. During a walk with Bunty, Emmy reflects on "something rather triumphant about the monuments and statues, even the parks and big department stores that were still there, getting on with things" after a raid (91). The...