Mrs Porter Calling

Critics Review

• AJ Pearce has created a great boo-hiss villainess in Mrs Porter for her third Emmy Lake book . . . This is at heart a cosy, jolly diversion in the best Joyce Grenfell tradition.

  The Times

• I raced through Mrs Porter Calling, it is just brilliant, so utterly charming and uplifting . . . all I want is for Emmy and Bunty to be my friends!

  Jill Mansell, author of Promise Me

• [A] charming, comforting book, which never shies away from the horrors and the losses of the war.

  Red

• AJ Pearce has not lost her touch. Mrs Porter Calling is a winning combination of warmth, humour and a compelling story of the power of friendship. This book really is a joy.

  Katie Fforde, author of One Enchanted Evening

• A pleasure you’d be daft to deny yourself . . . Pearce has hit on a winning blend of irrepressible fizz and poignant period charm.

  Mail on Sunday

• Heartbreaking yet feel-good, we loved it.

  Woman & Home

• . . . beautifully warm and genuine, and with just enough jeopardy to make this wonderful read all the more satisfying. Sheer perfection.

  Heat

• The third book in the Emmy Lake Chronicles series, which started with Dear Mrs Bird, is a ray of sunshine.

  Good Housekeeping

• Being on Team Emmy makes you feel like you are part of her tight circle of friends.

  The Lady

• Both hilarious and heart-wrenchingly sad, this charming book is an utter delight.

  Heat

• If ever there was a book to cheer a heart, it’s Mrs Porter Calling. Touching, beyond charming, meticulously researched and full of the best one-liners, it is playful, perky, poignant and perfect. I love, love, LOVED it.

  Milly Johnson

• A beautiful story of love and friendship.

  Jo Thomas, author of Retreat to the Spanish Sun

• AJ’s writing just goes from strength to strength and I can’t wait for her next one – such a poignantly happy ending to a perfect book!

  Catherine Jones, author of Fates and Fortunes in Little Woodford

• Humorous and sharp, poignant and profound, it is a book that will stay in my heart and on my shelf, and I suspect will become a very battered comfort-read, to be returned to whenever my spirit needs a lift or I need a good old sob.

  Iona Grey, author of The Glittering Hour

• A book to sink into. With Emmy and Bunty by your side you know you are in safe hands. Smashing!

  Sally Page, author of The Book of Beginnings

• Wonderful . . . I loved Mrs Porter Calling. I cheered for Emmy, I laughed and cried with her – I was with her every step of the way. In a series bursting with warmth and compassion, I think this book might be the best yet.

  Shelley Harris, author of Jubilee

• This is such a wonderful, touching, funny, gorgeous book. I couldn’t put it down. I honestly think the books are getting better each time, which is so amazing.

  Anne Booth, author of Small Miracles

• I loved AJ Pearce’s previous novels in the series, Dear Mrs Bird and Yours Cheerfully but I have to say Mrs Porter Calling is absolutely glorious. So spectacularly joyful, uplifting and just the treat I needed. I found I couldn’t wait to get back to it once I’d started – I absolutely loved it.’

  Tracy Rees, author of The Elopement

• Emmy Lake is back in the popular wartime series – and we couldn’t be more thrilled . . . Heartbreaking yet feel-good and thoroughly enjoyable, we loved it.

  Woman's Weekly

• Clear a space on the shelf reserved for your favorite comfort books. Mrs. Porter Calling is the rare novel that manages to be deep as it is delightful. Funny, endearing, heartbreaking, and uplifting — it’s a thoroughly entrancing story about friendship, work, and finding the best in life, even during the worst of times.

  Nina de Gramont, author of The Christie Affair

• With quirky, lovable characters, this story is moving, humorous and utterly uplifting!

  Candis

• Fizzing with charm, warmth and plenty of humour this is a delight to read – and the sad moments are all the more impactful and poignant when set against the backdrop of such simple joy.

  My Weekly Special

• I’ve loved all of the books in the fabulous series and this one is a true delight – full of joy and memorable characters. A superb read, I love the camaraderie between Emmy and her friends. I can’t wait to read more about Emmy Lake – hopefully she’ll be reunited with the lovely Charles soon!

  Top Review in My Weekly

• The third instalment in this heartwarming series.

  Best

• Heartbreaking, yet feel-good and very enjoyable.

  Woman

• The third book in the Emmy Lake Chronicles delivers once again, and is full of laughter and tears.

  The Sun