The last book in the trilogy begun by Jennifer Worth’s New York Times bestseller and the basis for the PBS series Call the MidwifeWhen twenty-two-year-old Jennifer Worth, from a comfortable middle-class upbringing, went to work as a midwife in the poorest section of postwar London, she not only delivered hundreds of babies and touched many lives, she also became the neighborhood’s most vivid … neighborhood’s most vivid chronicler. Call the Midwife: Farewell to the East End is the last book in Worth’s memoir trilogy, which the Times Literary Supplement described as “powerful stories with sweet charm and controlled outrage” in the face of dire circumstances.
Here, at last, is the full story of Chummy’s delightful courtship and wedding. We also meet Megan’mave, identical twins who share a browbeaten husband, and return to Sister Monica Joan, who is in top eccentric form. As in Worth’s first two books, Call the Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times and Call the Midwife: Shadows of the Workhouse, the vividly portrayed denizens of a postwar East End contend with the trials of extreme poverty—unsanitary conditions, hunger, and disease—and find surprising ways to thrive in their tightly knit community.
A rich portrait of a bygone era of comradeship and midwifery populated by unforgettable characters, Call the Midwife: Farewell to the East End will appeal to readers of Frank McCourt, Katherine Boo, and James Herriot, as well as to the fans of the acclaimed PBS show based on the trilogy.
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I loved, loved, loved it. It was great entertainment and also an eye-opener.Some of the content was heart breaking but an integral part of the story. Great read.
As much as I love the PBS series, the cockney writing is just too tedious to read, so I didn’t get far in the book. I’ll stick with the beloved TV series.
Excellent!
I felt like a part of me died at the end of the book. The characters are real people I can relate to.
Another wonderful book from Jennifer Worth
I read this before I watched it—and I will admit that Season One is very close to the book and utterly enjoyable. The book, though, is more personal—I felt a deeper connection with the narrator, more like I was over her shoulder. This is the case with books vs. TV shows.
I learned both history and empathy from reading this.
Farewell to the East End is the last of the three books chronicling nurse Jenny Lee’s time as an East End midwife in 1950s London. (It is also the basis for almost all of season two of the show Call the Midwife on BBC/PBS.) It follows the same structure as the first memoir, Call the Midwife, with each chapter detailing the story of a patient – …
Great read if you love the TV show!
I started this series on a whim and they knocked my socks off! Extremely well written, fully developed characters, interesting time in history and one of the best set of books I have ever read. They left me wanting so much more…!
Classic great literature
The whole Midwife Series is absolutely wonderful. Characters are real, description of Poplar and the time frame is so accurate that you can “live in that moment” with the Midwives. In spite of the fact that the Nuns are involved, the Church never plays a part in the story.
Very well written book. Would read again. You don’t forget this book.
Loved this series but in truth be told I am a retired Maternity nurse. The characters were well developed, Look for the PBS series on TV,not an exact duplication but also very entertaining
a realistic true story of nurse midwives in post WWII London slums.
This series form the basis for the TV series Call the Midwives.
A glimpse into another world of London in the earlier years of the 20th century and the midwives who delivered the majority of the babies born during that time. This is also a pbs series.
This is a beautifully written memoir by a nurse serving London’s poorest. She is honest about her own shortcomings and points out the good in others.
Sad and happy at the same time. Very interesting to hear about the colorful characters that populated that part of London at that time.
Fantastic series!!
I enjoyed this book!
If you were a fan of the PBS series “Call the Midwife” you will definiely enjoy this book.