"Mrs. Porter Calling" is Book #3 in the Series "The Emmy Lake Chronicles"!

It's now Spring in London, April 1943, as WWII continues for more than three years. One year has already passed since Emmy's marriage to Captain Charles Mayhew, who's off fighting the war.

Emmy is grateful to have her work at "Women's Friend" magazine as she remains in charge of the heavily read advice column, "Yours Cheerfully", which keeps her plenty busy.

Just when she thinks all is going as planned, there's change in the air...

Publisher Lord Overton has died and left "Women's Friend" magazine to his niece and socialite, the Honorable Mrs. Cressida Porter, who has, 'ahem', quite a presence.

Mrs. Porter knows nothing about "Women's Friend", publishing, editing, or the demographics of the readership, but wants to make a few changes that will barely be noticeable and are bound to make the magazine better.

Unfortunately, what Mrs. Porter wants to change is everything the readers love about the magazine, and so the chaos begins...

"Mrs. Porter Calling" gave me cause for a happy dance. My fingers were crossed this series would continue, so hearing about Book #3 was a delightful surprise.

The character of Mrs. Porter was quite a boost and brought a crazy amount of excitement to the story. She's complicated, hard to read, inconsistent, and just when the group at "Women's Friend" thinks they have her figured out, she slithers through their fingers. Personally, I wanted to ring Mrs. Porter's socialite neck. What a great character!

The second half of the story definitely has a faster pace and where most of the movement in the story happens. A tragedy hits hard, and it's one I didn't see coming but solidifies why this series is so heartfelt, touching, and loved by so many readers. Get the tissues out, folks, you're going to need them.

"Mrs. Porter Calling" is a great balance between the changes happening at 'Women's Friend' magazine and dealing with the hardships of day-to-day life in London during wartime. I love this story and only wish for more correspondence between Emmy and Charles, I love their letters of support and love, and I didn't get near enough of Emmie's or Bunty's families. Maybe next time?

Yes, my fingers are crossed, once again, for a Book #4...

I highly recommend "Mrs. Porter Calling" to readers who love Historical Fiction that circles around families and friendships!

4⭐

Thank you to NetGalley, Scribner, and A.J. Pearce for an ARC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review. Publication date: 8/8/23.

I read Dear Mrs. Bird when it was first released so I was so happy to see remembered characters. Mrs. Porter Calling is delightful. I laughed and cried right along with Emmy and her mates. You feel as though you are with them as they strive to keep their newspaper going and responsive to their readers. I can relate to wanting to fix things as the motivation behind Yours Cheerfully. I loved not liking the Honorable Mrs. Cressida Porter right along with the staff, a truly selfish and self-centered person as opposed to the giving, caring, and dedicated staff. The book is well written and reading it is a lovely way to spend the afternoon. I regret not yet reading Yours Cheerfully so have added it to my list to get. 5 stars

Mrs. Porter Calling was mostly fun, a little despondent. The cast of characters offer a wide range of personalities, from delightful to ghastly, all equally fun to read. The backdrop of World War II lent a serious tone with light-hearted fun threaded generously throughout. Women’s Friend magazine has proven to be a beacon of hope in the past 2 books in the series until Mrs. Porter comes a-calling’ and sets out to ruin it. The Women’s Friend family, led by Emmy and Guy, lead the March to save the magazine, but it won’t be easy. Wonderful characters that I just adore made this a book I won’t soon forget. Cheers to an outstanding third installment of the Emmy Lake series! Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

I received an electronic ARC from Scribner through NetGalley.
Pearce returns readers to London during WWII and to the lives of her characters from the first two books. In this segment, Emmy and the rest of the magazine staff must adjust to a new owner after Lord Overton's death. His niece has distinctly different ideas for the magazine and very little awareness of life for most at that time. This battle between Guy & Emmy and Mrs. Porter plays out with dignified comments and hidden barbs for much of the book. Tragedy does strike again and Emmy and Bunty cope with this curve ball in a realistic manner. In the end, Emmy and the crew are able to purchase the magazine with help from a surprising source.
The story feels forced at times as some characters play more as stereotypes. This surprised me but Pearce makes sure readers see how out of touch the Honorable Mrs. Porter is. Portions of the book feel like they are sidebars to her main theme for the series. I hope a next book will wrap up some of the character lives and move the story forward again.

This was definitely my favorite of the books so far in the Emmy Lake Chronicles series. Mrs. Porter was a fantastic and believable villain (major Dolores Umbridge vibes!). Emmy is really coming into her own and she feels like an old friend you want to root for to keep winning. And I thought the end was super satisfying. I can’t wait to see where this series goes from here!

I was hoping to LOVE this book, but unfortunately i never really connected with the story. I am sure that many people will love this book, and I am definitely willing to give it a second chance, but for now it is a "miss" book for me.

I have loved this series, and I believe this is the best of the three. It has a cheerfulness and coziness that I really enjoy despite the tragic circumstances it portrays. Very authentic and evocative - reminds me a bit of Call the Midwife. A really delicious villain, too, which is always fun. I’m looking forward to the next installment.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC for my review.

Another real but still delightful book about how things are at home while WWII rages on. England worked so hard keeping spirits up, making food appealing on meager rations, and working so hard for the war effort. Great little story. Recommend.

This series is just so heartwarming, and this third book is no different. I love catching up with all of the characters and getting to know some new ones. This is still a WWII book, so there is heartbreak, but overall this is just a fun storyline. This third book was my second favorite in the series, and I hope it keeps going!

3.75 stars
This charming series, set in WWII London, is a soothing read. You find yourself rooting for the characters, who in the midst of wartime, naturally are experiencing a vast field of emotions and circumstances.

Emmy Lake works for a woman's monthly magazine. The staff is family -- literally in the case of her editor who is her husband's brother. They care very much about their readers and their problems and try to make a connection during the isolation of war-torn England. But when the old publisher dies and leaves the magazine's control to family member Mrs. Porter, everything changes. She is an entitled rich woman who is oblivious to anyone else. She cloaks her selfishness with lots of airheaded comments and meaningless gifts, but she guts the magazine and refuses to listen to staff.

Meanwhile Emmy and family and friends are doing the best they can during the deprivation of bombing, husbands at war, rationing, and fear. The story of how they cope and rise above their situation is at times humorous and at times poignant, a testimony to their resilience. This would work as a standalone but I recommend reading all three books. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Mrs. Porter Calling is the 3rd or 4th book of the series and I recieved it as an ARC from netgalley. I did not however read the first books in the series so I feel like I can not give a full accurate review. I will be going back to reading them in order as I did really enjoy the book but need to read them in order to better understand the background.

Emmy Lake returns in this third title by Pearce as a married woman, still working at Women's Friend magazine, but with increasing responsibilities both at work and at home. Her husband away at war, she forms a makeshift family of friends, some who live with her and others whom she is close with through various war related activities. With the original owner of the magazine's death, the ownership has passed on to his neice, Mrs. Porter. Imagine the surprise when she wants to take an active role in running the magazine! Mrs. Porter has no grasp of the deprivations of the war period, nor of the limitations and troubles many subscribers suffer and insists the magazine publish what she wants: articles on posh clothing, extravagant meals, and multiple pages just about her. Emmy, Guy, and the others work against this with the hope that she will soon tire of things. Outside of work, the family Emmy befriended when writing about factory work in the previous book moves in with her, along with her children. Tragedy strikes in more than one way, and it is Emmy's determination to make things right.

An engrossing read, full of "keep calm and carry on" spirit.

I very much enjoyed the first two Emmy Lake books, but this one was a bit of a letdown for me. The Honorable Cressida Porter, who becomes the new owner of Women’s Friend, is such a two-dimensional villain. She’s upper crust, doesn’t care about anyone who isn’t just like her (actually, not just doesn’t care, is downright disgusted to be reminded that they exist and form the entire readership of the magazine), plays dumb flirty games to get her way and becomes an ice-cold witch if it doesn’t work, and is brainless. It’s just not entertaining to read about her—or her even less-developed henchman, Mr. Elliott. I can almost imagine she might be entertaining in a dramatized version of the book, but on the page it’s just too annoying to have to spend so much time reading about her. As a dog lover, it was also infuriating to me how she overindulged her dog to the point of making him ill.

The portions of the book not involving Mrs. Porter—best friend Bunty, friend Thelma and her brood of three children, the at the fire service where Emmy volunteers, and everyone else in Emmy’s private life—are enjoyable and often make touching reading.

I think I’m a bit spoiled by having recently read Annie Lyons’s The Air Raid Book Club. Another in this sub-genre of Plucky-Britons-In-Wartime, it has much more dimensional characters, and its troublesome characters aren’t caricatures like Mrs. Porter. Still, since I did like the first two Emmy Lake books, I’ll give the fourth a try when it appears.

Mrs. Porter Calling is the third book in The Emmy Lake Chronicles. I would suggest reading the books in order so you understand the relationships and the progression of the friendships/loves. I have enjoyed this series. The books remind me of a heartwarming BBC series. Call the Midwives keeps coming to my mind only set around a women's magazine.

World War 2 is still taking its toll on London in 1943. Woman's Friend magazine is dispensing practical articles about how to help housewives/mothers/friends to make it through the war. The people have limited food choices, money is going into war bonds, and if you want to feel feminine with beauty products or stylish dress, a bit of ingenuity and resourcefulness are going to have to come into play.

The owner of the magazine passes away and leaves the well running Woman's Friend to his niece, the Honorable Mrs. Cressida Porter, aka Egg. Mrs. Porter has other ideas for the magazine and tries to change to format so it will appeal to the fashion forward and well-to-do of London. Emmy, her friends, and employees all come together to try and save the magazine.

This book series is for people looking for pretty wholesome books. There is very limited language, they would not dream of having sex out of wedlock, and good values all around. Emmy was worked up about taking two pencils and hole punch after the staff was fired. There is tragedy in the books that comes with war. The books are a good read and I would recommend The Emmy Lake Chronicles and specific to this review, Mrs. Porter Calling. I think there could be more books in this series.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. #NetGalley #AJPearce #MrsPorterCalling #theEmmyLakeChronicles

Mrs. Porter Calling is the third book in The Emmy Lake Chronicles, an excellent series that I would comfortably recommend to a wide range of readers. Strong female characters who "carry on" during wartime, not without tragedies, but overall hopeful in tone. Many thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the opportunity to read this...and now I'm off to recommend it to my wine club!

Book 3 of the Emmy Lake chronicles finds Emmy happily writing the Yours Cheerfully column for Women's Friend, writing letters to her husband off at war, and spending time with Bunty and her other friends. But things change when Mrs. Porter inherits the magazine and wants to make it "less mis". Everything at the magazine is changing and not for the best. Will Emmy and her friends figure out a way to save the magazine? A story of life and friendship that leaves you wanting more of the life of Emmy Lake.

Set in London, this begins in April of 1943, as World War II continues. This is the third book in the Emmy Lake Chronicle series, with Emmy’s husband, Captain Charles Mayhew, off fighting in the war. Emmy sends him letters often, and spends much of her time writing the ’Yours Cheerfully’ column for the ’Woman’s Friend’ magazine as the war continues on. Emmie is still running the advice column, and is devoted to both the column and actually listening to the reader’s stories, their problems and concerns. She considers what she does as helpful, occasionally crucial, and often heartbreaking, but her ability to truly listen and often sound advice is not insignificant. The mail they receive for the ’Woman’s Friend’ column is not just needed for some of those who write of more difficult problems, but also some not quite as urgent.

When a new publisher, the ’Honorable Mrs. Cressida Porter’ becomes the new publisher, who turns everything upside down, and insists on tossing out what their readers love the most - the relatable issues, the concerns about their loved ones, the war, recipes, and personal issues and wants to turn it into a ‘society’ magazine for the ‘right’ crowd, the ones who are not struggling financially. The one that she targets to start with is Emmy’s ’Yours Cheerfully’ column, one of the more popular columns. Instead of keeping a popular column for the average reader, she wants to replace it with sharing the newest, most fashionable clothing, and stories about what the rich and semi-famous are wearing and doing.

Emmy and the children who enter her life, her friends and loved ones are what keep this story engaging, and Emmy’s desire to give more of her time to share the lives of those whose women who work is not only important, but crucial, as the jobs who previously were held by men who are now serving their country, can now show that they are capable of doing these jobs - if only the companies would provide child-care.

A moving story, with some charm, as well, this is a story of life during war, the effect the war has had on these lives, perhaps especially the children who have lost family during the war, this does have happier moments, as well.

A story of friendship, loss, and most of all, love.


Pub Date: 08 Aug 2023

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Scribner

I like stories set in WWII Britain in general, so I'm predisposed to liking the Emmy Lake series by AJ Pearce. Even were I not, the series is so well-written that I'd read it, anyway. I genuinely enjoy spending time with the characters. We've seen Emmy grow over the last three years from an unsure young woman with dreams of being a war correspondent who is "doing her bit" to a professional writer (still doing her bit, though). She's also married and dealing with her husband fighting on the frontlines.

Woman's Friend, the magazine for which Emmy writes an advice column, is taken over by a relative of the now-deceased publisher. Mrs. Porter, or "Egg," as she wishes to be called, seems charming enough at first, but soon reveals her plans for the magazine, to the dismay of the staff. Egg is a typical, but not stereotypical, example of the upper class with no understanding of how the majority live. She has no desire to understand, either, as it's just "too mis."

While Emmy fights to keep the magazine 'friendly' to its devoted readers, she's also working for the Auxiliary Fire Services, and rearranging the home she shares with her best friend, Bunty, to take in another friend and her three children, and some livestock.

The potential closure of the magazine, on top of the death of a close friend, throws Emmy for a loop for a bit, and she loses her way. But, with the encouragement of her friends and family, she rallies (I would expect nothing less.) and fights to save the magazine for herself and her coworkers.

The letters the magazine receives reflect actual issues, such as domestic abuse and pregnancies, and it's interesting to see the differences and similarities in how they are viewed then and now. There are everyday issues, too, such as rationing, and the magazine also provides tips on how to "make do and mend" and stretch supplies.

Everything in this book worked for me - everything. The characters, the setting, and the story all seem so real that it's hard to believe this is fictional. It's everyday people doing everyday things in an extraordinary time. Even Egg, as narcissistic as she is, has one redeeming quality in her love for her (long-suffering) dog, Small Winston. Poor Small Winston - hopefully he'll have his own V-E Day (Victory over Egg).

5 out of 5 stars. Highly recommended.

These books continue to delight. I'm so glad Emmy and Bunty's stories are continuing. And that they continue to support each other. Female friendships are so wonderful to read about. It's just a pleasure to read about these two characters. The novel is fun and quirky and poignant and sad and just about every emotion....like life.

This third installment in the Emmy Lake series is heartwarming while still being realistic in the face of war. Still in London, 1944, Emmy and her friends are kept busy with magazine publishing and helping man the fire stations at night. Through good times and devastation, life must go on and they are faced with immeasurable loss and a fight to save the magazine they love.