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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
Jennifer Worth tells these stories with such empathy, it is a very touching and emotional read, in addition to being very informative. The stories are stronger in the cases where she was actually witness to the scene. The first section of this book told the stories from of three people in her acquaintance, but it seems impossible that they could (or would) have told her these extremely specific and intimate details of their early lives. Even though those stories were very moving, they lost some impact with the knowledge that the details were surely embellished or imagined. Aside from that small quibble, I really loved this book.
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
To me, if you've watched the series, this one is worth skipping. It does go into more detail about some of the characters, but the details of the workhouse conditions are really sad. Definitely will bum you out.
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Includes one truly horrific depiction of a workhouse whipping of a child.
So far, this is the single most disturbing and upsetting narrative I've subjected myself to since I saw "The Magdalene Sisters" back in ought six.
Okay, done now. It got considerably less brutal.
Okay, done now. It got considerably less brutal.
Still really good, but light on the midwife stories. This one centers on three characters from the previous book. The author's style certainly draws the reader in. Just wasn't as interested in the retired soldier's story. Like the other story of Peggy and Frank, it was altogether too sad.
This was still interesting, but feels much more like historical fiction than the first one, particularly the first third. Jenny doesn't feature for much of it, giving great detail to the childhoods and experiences of people she encountered in her work. This felt off for a "memoir" given that there is no indication as to how she came about this information.