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 … 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.
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Absolutely a good read, wonderful characters.
The TV series is one of my favorite programs, and reading this is both different a little bit, and yet the same. It does help to explain the area in London where the series is set, and how Nonnatus House is structured. The book would be great if I didn’t own a TV, just s the TV series would be great if I didn’t read the book.
This is a poignant book and well work the read.
Perhaps not as well written as the first in the series but a very worthy effort filled with insights into the realities of post WWII for London.
I watch the show faithfully. Can’t wait to start the book
I love the Call the Midwife books.Our world has changed so much since the late 50 ‘s I learn so much history in a very enjoyable format plus the characters are excellent
I love the show on PBS and this was a great companion read to the TV series
Loved the series and wanted to read more about it. The series captured most of the book, but the written word is always better than TV or movie versions. If you haven’t seen the program, this is a wonderful read, at times uplifting, sometimes a little sad.
An interesting read but these books are a lot more depressing than the series.
Absolutely wonderful book!!
Excellent read. I would like to catch more of this author’s books. Shows a piece of history that isn’t in books.
I have watched the whole series on PBS. Reading the book was the icing on the cake – filling in all the back stories. Very enjoyable.
Read this after watching the fabulous BBC miniseries which captured the spirit of Jennifer Worth’s memoir. A must-read!
So many individual stories within a larger story. The stories bring up many emotional feelings in the readers. Not knowing what to expect is also delightful.
The book the show is based on, but as usual the book is so much better.
A very well written picture of a part of history which is more or less forgotten. The reader can feel for the characters and the trauma they are experiencing. I have, at this point not finished the novel completely, but feel it is well worth reading. Also enjoyed the TV series upon which it is based, though the novel goes into far more detail and character development
I would have enjoyed this book more if I had read the first book of this series first.
I am a retired Nurse Practitioner with Public Health & enjoy reading of what nurses in the past have done & how they have coped with situations!
Very inspiring!
As a fan of the show and a long time RN who has a special interest in infant and mother care, I love it ALL!!!
I’ve followed the PBS series “Call The Midwife” from the beginning and consider it one of my favorite series. The characters are endearing, particularly the nuns, but the sequel, “Shadows of the Workhouse” was disturbing. It’s hard to believe that even in the early 20th century, there were people in East London and Poplar who were forced to live in such terrible squalor.