Mrs. Porter Calling by AJ Pearce

MRS. PORTER CALLING by AJ Pearce is the third in the Emmy Lake Chronicles following Yours Cheerfully and Dear Mrs. Bird. This time, Emmy Lake, a young advice columnist at the magazine named Woman’s Friend, grapples with unwanted changes in the publication due to its recent inheritance by Mrs. Cressida (call me Egg) Porter. Mrs. Porter is totally clueless about the magazine and the value it brings to its readers who are bravely dealing with numerous personal issues while scrimping and saving in wartime. Instead, she wants to add her own poetry, fashion layouts, and society weddings – all of which necessitates cutbacks in the more established sections. Emmy and her colleagues (editor Guy Collins, Mrs. Mahoney, young Hester and more) form a solid, caring team who strive to remember the readers in all they do. So much focus on publishing had me thinking about The Lady and its niche market in the UK. The first part of MRS. PORTER CALLING, chronicling many unattractive actions by Mrs. Porter and firmly establishing that unlikeable character, is a bit of a slog. Heartwarming shenanigans by three children from a family who moves in with Emmy and her friend Bunty (who experiences a new romance) add humor. The second half turns inspirational after a personal tragedy galvanizes everyone and that is more of the caliber of Pearce’s earlier titles. MRS. PORTER CALLING and this entire series is suggested for readers who enjoyed Jennifer Ryan’s The Kitchen Front, another book about friendship and pulling together on the Homefront in England during World War II.