4.38/5
Author: Jennifer Worth
Publication Date: Jan 22, 2013
Formats: PDF,Paperback,Kindle,Hardcover,Audible Audiobook,Audio CD
Rating: 4.38/5 out of 20089
Publisher: Anthony Bourdain/Ecco
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The sequel to Jennifer Worth's New York
Times bestselling memoir and the basis for the PBS series Call
the Midwife
When twenty-two-year-old Jennifer Worth,
from a comfortable middle-class upbringing, went to work as a midwife
in the direst section of postwar London, she not only delivered hundreds
of babies and touched many lives, she also became the neighborhood's
most vivid chronicler. Woven into the ongoing tales of her life in the
East End are the true stories of the people Worth met who grew up in the
dreaded workhouse, a Dickensian institution that limped on into the
middle of the twentieth century.
Orphaned brother and sister Peggy
and Frank lived in the workhouse until Frank got free and returned to
rescue his sister. Bubbly Jane's spirit was broken by the cruelty of the
workhouse master until she found kindness and romance years later at
Nonnatus House. Mr. Collett, a Boer War veteran, lost his family in the
two world wars and died in the workhouse.
Though these are
stories of unimaginable hardship, what shines through each is the
resilience of the human spirit and the strength, courage, and humor of
people determined to build a future for themselves against the odds.
This is an enduring work of literary nonfiction, at once a warmhearted
coming-of-age story and a startling look at people's lives in the
poorest section of postwar London.
Jul 30, 2008
This is a charming book. It is the memories of a woman who was a young midwife in the 50s in the post-war, poverty-stricken East End of London where little had moved on since Edwardian and even Victorian times. She worked and lived in a convent of nursing nuns and writes both of her patients in the community and their colourful, if difficult lives, and the nuns she lives with.Mar 14, 2015
I could kick myself for not having written a review for the first book in Worth’s trilogy (Call the Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times), about her life as an East End London midwife in the 1950s. I guess I could technically write one now, but my memory is so shoddy, and I don’t even have my highlighted and flagged hard copy to reference. What I can tell you about the first book is that I bawled!Jul 01, 2012
I thoroughly enjoyed "Call the Midwife" and started this follow up to it with great expectations. The problem was I'd also seen the BBC mini-series based on these books and found too much of the book familiar. But that's not the author's fault, except that her prose this time just didn't seem to grab me as it did in the first book. While I read her first book in a day or so, it took me weeks to get around to finishing this one.Feb 03, 2017
Early last year (2016), I discovered the first book in 'The Midwife Trilogy' called 'The Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy and Hard Times' written by Jennifer Worth. Now that I have finished listening to the audiobook of the second book in this trilogy, I very much regret that I did not take the time to write a review of the first book in the series. This trilogy, a memoir of sorts, describes Jennifer Worth's experiences as a midwife in London's East End in the 1950s. The first book in the series Early last year (2016), I discovered the first book in 'The Midwife Trilogy' called 'The Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy and Hard Times' written by Jennifer Worth. Now that I have finished listening to the audiobook of the second book in this trilogy, I very much regret that I did not take the time to write a review of the first book in the series. This trilogy, a memoir of sorts, describes Jennifer Worth's experiences as a midwife in London's East End in the 1950s. The first book in the series introduces the reader to Jennifer Worth and describes how she came, at the age of 22, to join the convent of Saint John the Divine…. an order of Anglican nuns. Ms. Worth describes her life with the nuns at Nonnatus House with the humor, respect and admiration which she developed over the years. The nuns, who had taken a vow of poverty, were devoted to the suffering people of the East End.Aug 08, 2013
I included this book on my British Charm shelf, even though some of the stories were not charming at all -- they were gut-wrenching.Feb 24, 2014
SpoilersDec 22, 2012
A deeply eye-opening and very emotionally moving book.Jun 21, 2013
Television dramas cannot compare with the suffering and terrible grief occurring in the East End of London for close to two hundred years. Programs like Downton Abbey and Mr. Selfridge disguise but only allude to real conditions of ordinary working class people. Ms. Worth tells the actual story of East London Cockneys: horrific, dark, sadistic workhouses where the poor were imprisoned and made to do forced labor, not to mention the all-consuming later grief of survivors from WWII Nazi bombing.Feb 09, 2016
This book is unfortunately problematic. I read Worth's first memoir several years ago and I enjoyed it far more, and the reason is simple: while in Call the Midwife you largely follow her personal experiences, here you rarely focus on Worth herself. It is split into three sections, each focusing on a different person (or group of people) that she knew.Nov 29, 2012
Jennifer Worth worked as a midwife and nurse with an order of nuns in the 1950s. I loved her previous book, The Midwife. In this book, she revisits the setting and many of the same people. It is not all about the workhouse, as I expected from the title, but about the times and culture in which the workhouse existed up into the 1950s. It tells the stories of several people whom the author met while doing her work: Three people who spent their childhoods in the workhouse and were close to each Jennifer Worth worked as a midwife and nurse with an order of nuns in the 1950s. I loved her previous book, The Midwife. In this book, she revisits the setting and many of the same people. It is not all about the workhouse, as I expected from the title, but about the times and culture in which the workhouse existed up into the 1950s. It tells the stories of several people whom the author met while doing her work: Three people who spent their childhoods in the workhouse and were close to each other as adults; 90-year-old Sister Monica Jean, who seems to have a shoplifting habit; and a lonely elderly man who tells her his life history. Although much of the subject matter is grim and sad, the book is cheerful, colorful, and in some places hilarious--as when the author recreates and explains Cockney dialect. These individual histories illuminate the broader history, not (as we more often read) from the viewpoints of the powerful, but from the powerless--the poor, women, children, and cannon-fodder soldiers. Worth is a wonderful writer, and I can't praise this book too highly. ...moreJan 20, 2014
This sequel to Call The Midwife was just as fascinating and touching as the 1st book.Jun 23, 2010
I love this author - she writes so redemptively. The author chronicles a lot of sadness of the poor in this book and it will take a few days for some of it to sink in, and parts of the book really affected me emotionally.Jun 17, 2019
A fascinating in depth look at the poor during the early part of 1900s England. As a history nerd it’s interesting to see how people lived how war changed lives and a closer look at how people lived. This book was a bit slower than the first because it focused on fewer people but followed the PBS series well.May 27, 2012
This is the weakest of the three books written by Jennifer Worth about her experiences in the East End. I read the other two first. The stories she tells are interesting and sobering in light of the cruel and ignorant statements I see today about those who, for a variety of reasons, cannot make the transition to the economy of the 21st century. The harshness of the work house seems only a step away today. I think we are still dealing with the dislocation of lifestyle and vocation that began in This is the weakest of the three books written by Jennifer Worth about her experiences in the East End. I read the other two first. The stories she tells are interesting and sobering in light of the cruel and ignorant statements I see today about those who, for a variety of reasons, cannot make the transition to the economy of the 21st century. The harshness of the work house seems only a step away today. I think we are still dealing with the dislocation of lifestyle and vocation that began in the late 1700s when factories, assembly line work, mining, etc., pushed humans away from a rural, non-monetized world. Worth shows us how the best of intentions in dealing with the unlucky and incapable human byproducts can lead to terrible cruelty. I think this book did get me thinking more than the other two but it seemed like a cobbled together effort. ...moreAug 19, 2018
Continuing the popular “Call the midwife†trilogy, this second book contains many more stories of hardship, resilience, heartbreak, strength and courage featuring memorable characters from Poplar tenements (in London) in the ‘50s.May 15, 2013
Not quite as gripping as the first book in the series, but still an excellent read.Jun 19, 2014
Jennifer Worth is a first rate story teller. Her memoirs of living and working as a nurse and midwife in the East of London in the 1950's are some of the best books I've read in a long time. These stories are poignant and will bring a tear to your eyes. She tells of the conditions of the poor with straightforward honesty and pulls no punches.Jan 02, 2017
Finished this book an hour ago. It was hard to read but don't be misled by that comment. I was gripped from start to finish bu as many other readers have commented, I found myself in tears time and again. It is different in content to 'Call the Midwife' but equally absorbing. Anyone having their children way back in the fifties in other areas of this country must never have realised how horrific the conditions were where Jennifer Worth practised her profession. Truly wonderful and heartbreaking Finished this book an hour ago. It was hard to read but don't be misled by that comment. I was gripped from start to finish bu as many other readers have commented, I found myself in tears time and again. It is different in content to 'Call the Midwife' but equally absorbing. Anyone having their children way back in the fifties in other areas of this country must never have realised how horrific the conditions were where Jennifer Worth practised her profession. Truly wonderful and heartbreaking to read and highly recommended. ...moreMay 21, 2012
3.5 I didn't like this one quite a much as her first but it was still informative and well written. It actually covered quite a bit, the history of the work houses, the convent of nursing sisters and even parts of the World War II. The parts with the children in the workhouses was heartbreaking, those poor children, but the parts with the sisters was more lighthearted. A matchmaking mother superior and a nun I won't soon forget, Sister Monica Jean. All in all a very good read.Dec 01, 2017
Really liked this book as it goes into more detail on things that happen in the BBC series which is my TV show of all time. Do have to agree with some of the others in that it wasn't as good as her first in this series.Aug 02, 2015
Yet another gorgeously written and utterly captivating book in the “Call the Midwife†series. The characters are truly memorable. Once again, I experienced an entire gamut of emotions – sobbing in some parts and laughing in others.Oct 17, 2015
I seriously love curling up with the stories of the midwives. This particular book was difficult to read though with the descriptions of workhouse conditions. It's hard to believe that these places existed. The book was sprinkled with fun stories throughout as well to combat the sad ones.Sep 01, 2013
Jul 23, 2013
I loved this memoir just as much as the first installment if not more. I originally picked up the books because I really like the television show based on them, but I confess the books are as always so much better. Ms. Worth's wry sense of humor and sassy quips don't come through in the Jenny Lee character on screen, but they simply make this memoir. This book also contains searing political commentary, accurate historical information, the joys and terror of birth and families, and the best and I loved this memoir just as much as the first installment if not more. I originally picked up the books because I really like the television show based on them, but I confess the books are as always so much better. Ms. Worth's wry sense of humor and sassy quips don't come through in the Jenny Lee character on screen, but they simply make this memoir. This book also contains searing political commentary, accurate historical information, the joys and terror of birth and families, and the best and worst of humanity. But the best part is that I don't feel like I'm reading nonfiction, or even a memoir. This book makes me feel alive and happy to be that way, and it makes me reflect more on life than any other book I've read this year. Ms. Worth's writings are simply a treasure. I even wrote down notes while I was reading! There is so much wit, wisdom, and heart in this book that I'm sure I will be rereading in the future. I would also like to mention that Ms. Worth is a very fair recorder of history. She encourages readers not to put aside the idea of the workhouse as some terrible and inhumane idea of an age long ago, but instead reminds us that it did the system was put in place with the best of intentions and we would do well to remember that so such things won't happen again. She also does an excellent job (from a Sociology major's point of view) of showing the pros and cons of urban renewal and its effects on communities. ...moreFeb 03, 2019
There is pretty much nothing about delivering babies in this second Call the Midwife book! It's a series of stories, first about a related set of characters all linked to the workhouse. Then we get into the wonderful story about Sister Monica Joan (deservedly a favorite character in the TV series, and even better on the page) and then about an old soldier Jennifer Worth befriended after meeting him through her district nursing duties.Take your time and choose the perfect book.
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