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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
3.5 stars, but rounding up.
The second volume of Jennifer Worth's midwife/nursing memoirs is incredibly readable and very personable. I just didn't love it as much as the first installment. Maybe it was the lack of nursing and birthing stories, this book was more about a few, interesting minor characters rather than a true memoir. Still, I enjoyed the view into history and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.
The second volume of Jennifer Worth's midwife/nursing memoirs is incredibly readable and very personable. I just didn't love it as much as the first installment. Maybe it was the lack of nursing and birthing stories, this book was more about a few, interesting minor characters rather than a true memoir. Still, I enjoyed the view into history and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.
This book is structured differently than the others in the series because it is far more focused on one topic and fewer individuals. Worth makes the workhouse the main theme of this volume, using three tragic stories to really illustrate the long-lasting effects of the horrible conditions. I like her writing because she is a masterful storyteller and this book, though not happy, does a good job of highlighting a facet of history that I was not aware of before.
Worth brings tenderness to such a sad part of history. Looking forward to the last installment in the trilogy!
I enjoyed Call the Midwife a lot more than this one, but this one was extremely informative. It truly is all about the history of workhouse and its abominable conditions. I'm a mood reader so I think I would have liked it more if I hadn't thought it was second in a series about the midwives. It is, yet it isn't. There are no babies being born in this one. There is very little nursing either. There are many chapters devoted to Sister Monica Joan (is she senile or isn't she?). The last story, the one about Joe Collett (whom Jenny Lee befriends in the show) is very moving. The story about Frank and Peggy, while interesting, dragged on too long and took up the first third of the book. I'm looking forward to reading Farewell to the East End but this time realize that I should probably read the back cover before diving in!
Another enjoyable book that reads more like a novel. As the title suggests this book focuses on explaining the workhouse and the effects it had on some of the people who grew up in one.
Again, I wish Goodreads had half stars. This would be a 2.5
Part 1: loved it!
Part 2: okay, but a little hokey
Part 3: could barely get through it (except for the very end)
Part 1: loved it!
Part 2: okay, but a little hokey
Part 3: could barely get through it (except for the very end)
I almost gave this fewer stars than the first just because there were SO FEW BIRTHS and that’s what I came for (yikes who have I become) but by the end I was weeping too much to give it less than 5. I’m so grateful for Jenny’s faithfulness in telling stories that would have disappeared from history otherwise.
There was some overly descriptive parts but less than in the first book. I appreciated how when talking about the workhouses the author didn’t sugar coat the ugliness and sadness of it but also took time to acknowledge the intention behind them and even some of the good that came from them. Was definitely an interesting read
Totally different from her other book, [b:The Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times|6114607|The Midwife A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times|Jennifer Worth|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348479635s/6114607.jpg|6292672]. I found it interesting, but less compelling. Still a heartbreaking look into the time and lives of those in the workhouses.
This book was seriously depressing to read, but also fascinating. It is full of interesting information, told through three personal stories told at great length. They affected me greatly, even more so, of course, because they were all true.