Yours Cheerfully [ARC]

Yours, Cheerfully is the second book in the Emmy Lake Chronicles series by British author, AJ Pearce. With Henrietta Bird's departure from the Woman's Friend, newly-minted editor Guy Collins finds himself needing a writer for the problem page. A satisfactory compromise that includes (Production) Mrs Mahoney's extensive life experience and Emmy's writing talent solves the problem.

Four months on, Cheerfully Yours is helping to increase the magazine's popularity when a request from the Ministry of Information sends Emmy's career in a new, exciting direction. Answering the call to attract more women to war work, Woman's Friend staff come up with lots of innovative ideas. A conversation on a train with a widowed mother of two, about to start at a munitions factory, inspires Emmy to suggest a series of interviews with the women doing this work, to give their perspective.

In her first interview and factory visit, as well as learning that the women are appreciated for their work ethic, that they work hard and enjoy the camaraderie, Emmy begins to understand the parlous situation into which war widows, especially those with children, have been thrust: an ungenerous pension, lower pay than men doing equivalent work, union membership denied, and a scarcity of childcare all make their lives much more difficult than she had envisaged.

She imagines that the MOI won't be pleased to see that in print, but her editor in no way dismisses her concerns, and a little lateral thinking sees some different approaches to the problem. Letters to various authorities, an appeal to the Ministry of Labour's female representative and, ultimately, a head-to-head confrontation with a recalcitrant factory owner who refuses to apply for a government-funded nursery for his women: none are effective. But these women are not beaten...

This instalment features an engagement, a patriotic parade, a promotion, and a wedding: a celebration that is joyful and resourcefully provisioned despite rationing and food shortages. Pearce's portrayal of war work and its challenges demonstrate her thorough research, and the support and solidarity these women give each other is inspirational. This is excellent historical fiction and the third volume, Mrs Porter Calling, is eagerly anticipated.