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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
I love the tv series, so I expected to like this book. It didn't disappoint, but if anyone you love is seriously ill, wait until they're better before reading it.
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Medical content, War
dark
emotional
informative
medium-paced
Shadows of the Workhouse is just as, if not more interesting than Call the Midwife. It provides fascinating insights into life in the workhouse and army, as well as shedding light on some of the dismal treatment of clients in care homes in the 1950s. Unlike the first book, Shadows of the Workhouse barely focuses on midwifery and replaces its predecessor's anecdotal approach with three parts focusing on a different story and/or theme. However, this resulted in the inclusion of details that I am convinced Jennifer Worth invented, such as certain dialogue or descriptions of interactions between people that I doubt she ever received that information from. As a result, the first part occasionally reads more like historical fiction than a memoir. Nevertheless, the insights into some darker sides of history make up for that and I would definitely recommend it.
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
This one was a harder read emotionally than the first one, but for me almost more compelling. It is less about midwifery and instead looks in-depth at the lives of just a few individuals whose lives at various points were drastically impacted by the workhouses. Very interesting and heart tugging.
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
informative
Overall a good book. What brought my rating down was the first half of the book. It was full of stories and conversations I'm not sure how Worth could have known as she hadn't been present and I doubt the people in the story had given her that much information. It was heartfelt story but I'm not sure how much was fact and how much was her filling in gaps. The second half was much more personal, dealing with situations she had dealt with more personally. This book did not quite live up to the first one for me but was still an interesting read.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma
Moderate: Death of parent, Pregnancy, War
Not as good as the first one. The second book in the Call the Midwife series looks at other aspects of the East End London life in the 1950s, that shouldn't be ignored either.