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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
Fewer stories in this one but they're more fleshed out than the first book in the series. This one is less focused on midwifery stories, so if that's what you're looking for it's not the book for you. The focus on the workhouse was definitely interesting (if, obviously, depressing).
Not many stories about midwifery; the focus of this book is on the people who grew up in the East End and were impacted by the work houses. Still lovely!
Actual rating: two and a half stars. Thoughts to come!
I do not remember a single birth story in this book and that is really what I enjoyed about the first one. It was still readable and at least half way interesting though.
I think I’ve enjoyed the books much more than the show! There’s just so much more to Jennifer Worth’s storytelling, that the show did not capture. I find it so fascinating to know what life was like for people in England during the early 1900’s. An enjoyable read. Definitely plan to read the last book!
I prefer the short vignettes of the first book, but still brilliantly written.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
After reading The Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times, I picked up this sequel expecting to read, as I did in the first book, some fairly graphic childbirth scenes, even perhaps some upsetting stories where either mother or baby died, as well as many humorous and uplifting vignettes, too. Shadows of the Workhouse has some of all of those elements, and is in many ways a continuation of themes from The Midwife, of course. But what I found heart-breaking in this second installment had little to do with birth or even death. It was, instead, the way people lived that broke my heart and the goodness and joy they found in spite of horrific conditions that gave me hope.
Unlike the previous book, which tells many shorter stories of both life in the convent and medical cases in the community, Shadows of the Workhouse, focuses primarily on three overarching stories, told in succession. The first describes the workhouse system, predominant in the later part of the nineteenth and early part of the twentieth centuries. While workhouses can be seen as "the first attempt at social welfare" in the United Kingdom and "in this respect it was nearly one hundred years ahead of its time", they way they operated in actual practice was almost always degrading, dehumanizing, and impossible to escape from. Families with no other option than to enter the workhouse were separated, not only husbands and wives, but children from their parents, literally to never see each other again. The conditions Ms. Worth describes are deplorable and heart-wrenching.
For example, in The Midwife, Ms. Worth tells the story of a Mrs. Jenkins who went to the workhouse after her husband's death had left her unable to provide for her five children, all of whom died in the workhouse before reaching adulthood. Her experiences in the workhouse left her out of touch with reality, frequently addressing her dead daughter and refusing any hygiene or medical care. Shadows of the Workhouse shares many more desperately sad stories including the story of a little girl named Jane who is brutally beaten for holding on to the dream that her rich father will some day rescue her from the bleakness of the workhouse. Her spirit is broken and the bright, eager, and exuberant child she was is replaced by a perpetually nervous and terrified one who still as an adult struggles with debilitating fear.
In the midst of the bleakness, however, there are hopeful rays of light...
To continue reading this review, visit my blog Build Enough Bookshelves.
Unlike the previous book, which tells many shorter stories of both life in the convent and medical cases in the community, Shadows of the Workhouse, focuses primarily on three overarching stories, told in succession. The first describes the workhouse system, predominant in the later part of the nineteenth and early part of the twentieth centuries. While workhouses can be seen as "the first attempt at social welfare" in the United Kingdom and "in this respect it was nearly one hundred years ahead of its time", they way they operated in actual practice was almost always degrading, dehumanizing, and impossible to escape from. Families with no other option than to enter the workhouse were separated, not only husbands and wives, but children from their parents, literally to never see each other again. The conditions Ms. Worth describes are deplorable and heart-wrenching.
For example, in The Midwife, Ms. Worth tells the story of a Mrs. Jenkins who went to the workhouse after her husband's death had left her unable to provide for her five children, all of whom died in the workhouse before reaching adulthood. Her experiences in the workhouse left her out of touch with reality, frequently addressing her dead daughter and refusing any hygiene or medical care. Shadows of the Workhouse shares many more desperately sad stories including the story of a little girl named Jane who is brutally beaten for holding on to the dream that her rich father will some day rescue her from the bleakness of the workhouse. Her spirit is broken and the bright, eager, and exuberant child she was is replaced by a perpetually nervous and terrified one who still as an adult struggles with debilitating fear.
In the midst of the bleakness, however, there are hopeful rays of light...
To continue reading this review, visit my blog Build Enough Bookshelves.
I wanted to read this not only because I enjoyed the first book in this series, but because I also enjoy the TV show. Several of the stories in the book inspired episodes and characters in the TV show. It was interesting to see how interconnected Jane was with Peggy and Frank, since her background for the TV show was changed. Getting background on all three of them really illustrated how Sister Julienne described them in the show, that by the time they left the Workhouse they weren't siblings anymore. It gave a clearer picture of how they ended up in the Workhouse, met Jane, how they were separated, and what Frank did to get Peggy out of the Workhouse.
I've worked in long term care with geriatric patients so found Sister Monica Jo's ordeal with kleptomania and Joe's friendship with Jenny especially touching. I felt that through Joe it was really illustrated how a caregiver and patient can become important to each other. I loved hearing Joe's stories (my library only had the audio book version) even if some of his life wasn't pleasant. The book also showed how wounds can heal with time and treatment, but left without any they can fester. I felt like I was given a glimpse into history. Some of it was joyous, a lot of it was difficult, and much of it was sad, but this book didn't shy away from any of this and for that I'm grateful.
I've worked in long term care with geriatric patients so found Sister Monica Jo's ordeal with kleptomania and Joe's friendship with Jenny especially touching. I felt that through Joe it was really illustrated how a caregiver and patient can become important to each other. I loved hearing Joe's stories (my library only had the audio book version) even if some of his life wasn't pleasant. The book also showed how wounds can heal with time and treatment, but left without any they can fester. I felt like I was given a glimpse into history. Some of it was joyous, a lot of it was difficult, and much of it was sad, but this book didn't shy away from any of this and for that I'm grateful.