Daring To Challenge: My Review of Mrs. Porter Calling (The Emmy Lake Reviews Part 3)

Publishing is an ever-changing industry. Trends come and go, and so do publishers. This is fact that Emmy and her friends discover when Mrs. Porter calls.

(This part 3 of a series. For part 1, click here. For part 2, click here.)

Overview

London 1943: Woman’s Friend comes under new management when energetic socialite Mrs. Porter takes over as publisher. But within just a few weeks of her reign, she changes everything that makes Woman’s Friend a hit and replaces it with articles about society weddings and expensive clothes.

As the number of readers drops to an all-time low, can Emmy and her friends save Woman’s Friend?

My Thoughts

I think this is the funniest Emmy Lake book yet. I spent the first two-thirds practically rolling on the floor laughing.

Mrs. Porter is, as the British say, crackers. I personally wanted to reach into the book a few times and kick her in the tail, especially when she started tearing apart Woman’s Friend. Particularly, when she gets rid of Yours Cheerfully because it isn’t upbeat and cheery enough. Because this my favorite part of these books, I personally felt a little bit of rage towards Mrs. Porter.

Even through Mrs. Porter’s terrible decision making brings down the quality of Woman’s Friend, Emmy and her friends still work to maintain the integrity not only of the magazine, but of themselves. They kept pulling for their readers and trying to keep them despite all of the changes.

While I loved the first two thirds of Mrs. Porter Calling, I didn’t love the third act. It packed an emotional punch, but it felt too similar to the third act of Dear Mrs. Bird. So many of the plot points just felt the same, which made it a little less enjoyable.

I did however, appreciate the growth that Pearce gave to all of the characters from the previous books, but especially Emmy. Over the course of the series so far, we’ve seen her grow from a dreamer with a bit of a mouth, to a confident, mature woman.

Final Thoughts and Rating

Mrs. Porter Calling is a wonderful third entry to the series. With each book, I’ve fallen more and more in love with the story.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Would I Recommend This Book: Yes!