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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
At times, a little difficult to read. But overall, this author is always able to find some brightness in some very dark situations.
Instead of delving into midwifery, which was such a delightful part of her first book, this sequel to "Call the Midwife" goes into the Workhouses of London, and their lasting effects on those in the East End. Great stories about those who she met during her time at Nonnatus House.
Truly a 3.5
Truly a 3.5
I could kick myself for not having written a review for the first book in Worth’s trilogy (Call the Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times), about her life as an East End London midwife in the 1950s. I guess I could technically write one now, but my memory is so shoddy, and I don’t even have my highlighted and flagged hard copy to reference. What I can tell you about the first book is that I bawled!
This book didn’t make me bawl, but it was an amazing sociological read, and the tears ran freely. The night I finished it, wee into the morning hours, my stifled sobs startled my husband. He thought there’d been an emergency in his sleepy state. When he caught sight of my booklight and paperback, he sighed and said into his pillow, “Eve, I don’t know why you do this to yourself. Read something happy!”
This book is not depressing, but history is always filled with sad happenings including war, unfair treatment of the poor, women, children and infirm. This book centers on the workhouse, a Victorian solution to the poor and homeless situation that crept up soon after the Industrial Revolution.
Although created with the best of intentions, the workhouses were soon managed by heartless, ruthless masters set on gaining a profit, and humiliating those seeking refuge. The rules regarding admittance and life inside made my blood run cold. Those children that survived and made it out never recovered from the effects thereafter.
I am a hardcore fan of the television series, but am never sure when the script writers take liberties. Upon completion of this book, I’ve realized that the series does include many of the anecdotes featured in the book, but many are embellished. You also miss out on the history of the times and regional customs by watching the show alone. So this was definitely a worthwhile read, especially if viewed as a companion to the series! Looking forward to the final book in the series.
This book didn’t make me bawl, but it was an amazing sociological read, and the tears ran freely. The night I finished it, wee into the morning hours, my stifled sobs startled my husband. He thought there’d been an emergency in his sleepy state. When he caught sight of my booklight and paperback, he sighed and said into his pillow, “Eve, I don’t know why you do this to yourself. Read something happy!”
This book is not depressing, but history is always filled with sad happenings including war, unfair treatment of the poor, women, children and infirm. This book centers on the workhouse, a Victorian solution to the poor and homeless situation that crept up soon after the Industrial Revolution.
“Victorian England was not the period of complacency and self-satisfaction that is so often portrayed in the media. It was also a time of growing awareness of the divide between the rich and the poor, and of a social conscience. Thousands of good and wealthy men and women…brought many evils to light and sought to remedy them.”
Although created with the best of intentions, the workhouses were soon managed by heartless, ruthless masters set on gaining a profit, and humiliating those seeking refuge. The rules regarding admittance and life inside made my blood run cold. Those children that survived and made it out never recovered from the effects thereafter.
I am a hardcore fan of the television series, but am never sure when the script writers take liberties. Upon completion of this book, I’ve realized that the series does include many of the anecdotes featured in the book, but many are embellished. You also miss out on the history of the times and regional customs by watching the show alone. So this was definitely a worthwhile read, especially if viewed as a companion to the series! Looking forward to the final book in the series.
Split into three parts, each section told the account of people the author knew through her work. Only the first was really focused on life in the workhouse. However I wanted to keep reading.
I strongly dislike this author's voice. I find her condescending and self-important. Sometimes she writes with (glaringly false) false humility and other times she comes across as arrogant and snooty. Almost never in my life have I liked a TV/ movie adaptation better than the book, but sadly, this is one of those times.
emotional
informative
inspiring
relaxing
fast-paced
She repeats herself a lot in these memoirs; it makes me wonder if they were published as short stories first? I haven't researched it, so I don't know.
This book is grittier with sadder stories and a closer look at the abject poor. I'm fascinated by the material so it's a five star rating from me, even if the writing isn't that polished. Half way through her last book now and I'll miss them...
This book is grittier with sadder stories and a closer look at the abject poor. I'm fascinated by the material so it's a five star rating from me, even if the writing isn't that polished. Half way through her last book now and I'll miss them...
A lot darker and more depressing than the first memoir, Call the Midwife. It was rough going at first, reading the heart-wrenching story of Jane, followed by the creepy story of her friend Peggy & Peggy's brother, Frank. I wondered if Jenny Worth chose the name Jane as the pseudonym in honor of Jane Eyre. The children's ward of the workhouse that Jane was raised in reminded me a lot of the the orphanage that Jane Eyre is sent to. I had to force myself to finish Jane's story. I only did because I have seen the tv show and knew her story ended happily. Well, as happily as possible, for such a sad tale. The related workhouse story about Jane's friends Peggy & Frank was also unsettling. Props to Jenny Worth for being so understanding of their relationship but I have to admit I was pretty skeeved out by the whole story. I was glad when that section of the book ended.
The middle part of the book is the most light-hearted of the three sections. Normally I would not describe the trial of a senile nun as being light-hearted, but certainly in comparison to the workhouse stories and to Mr Collett's story, it was. Whenever I read about Sister Monica Joan, I wish I could read her memoir. How great a story would that have been?! What a life. So fascinating. One of my favorite things about Jenny Worth's memoirs is how she recognizes that each and every person has an amazing personal story and she attempts to uncover those stories and then shares them with us, the readers. I could in no way deal with the medical issues Jenny & the other nurses deal with - enemas, cleaning pus filled wounds, etc - but I would love to have a job where I was able to glimpse into and learn about so many other's lives. These memoirs remind me a bit of a recent New Yorker article that was about a hospice nurse. She makes home visits, the way the nurses do in Jenny's memoirs, and the hospice nurse spends a lot of time conversing with her elderly patients and listening to their stories - all of which are so interesting. Giving others the gift of an attentive, listening ear. So many people are busy talking talking talking all the time - the art of being a good listener seems to fall by the wayside.
The final section of the book is all about Mr Collett. Again, difficult to read his story at times but not nearly as horrific as Jane's story. The tale of his life and his final lonely days created more of a weepy sadness with me rather than the revulsion and angry I felt reading about workhouse conditions at the beginning of the book. His funeral - so gut-wrenching! It was like the Beatles song Eleanor Rigby: "Eleanor Rigby died in the church and was buried along with her name
Nobody came
Father McKenzie wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave
No one was saved"
Heartbreaking. Simply heartbreaking.
The middle part of the book is the most light-hearted of the three sections. Normally I would not describe the trial of a senile nun as being light-hearted, but certainly in comparison to the workhouse stories and to Mr Collett's story, it was. Whenever I read about Sister Monica Joan, I wish I could read her memoir. How great a story would that have been?! What a life. So fascinating. One of my favorite things about Jenny Worth's memoirs is how she recognizes that each and every person has an amazing personal story and she attempts to uncover those stories and then shares them with us, the readers. I could in no way deal with the medical issues Jenny & the other nurses deal with - enemas, cleaning pus filled wounds, etc - but I would love to have a job where I was able to glimpse into and learn about so many other's lives. These memoirs remind me a bit of a recent New Yorker article that was about a hospice nurse. She makes home visits, the way the nurses do in Jenny's memoirs, and the hospice nurse spends a lot of time conversing with her elderly patients and listening to their stories - all of which are so interesting. Giving others the gift of an attentive, listening ear. So many people are busy talking talking talking all the time - the art of being a good listener seems to fall by the wayside.
The final section of the book is all about Mr Collett. Again, difficult to read his story at times but not nearly as horrific as Jane's story. The tale of his life and his final lonely days created more of a weepy sadness with me rather than the revulsion and angry I felt reading about workhouse conditions at the beginning of the book. His funeral - so gut-wrenching! It was like the Beatles song Eleanor Rigby: "Eleanor Rigby died in the church and was buried along with her name
Nobody came
Father McKenzie wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave
No one was saved"
Heartbreaking. Simply heartbreaking.
I liked it, but was an easy/casual read, nothing really special. Read a bit differently than the first Call the Midwife book, seemed more like short stories.
Minst lika bra som den första boken och jag blir så fascinerad över människorna man får möta. Är också riktigt förtjust i den historiska aspekten och sättet som East End skildras på. Läs hela recensionen här: https://ewelinasbokblogg.blogspot.se/2017/10/barnmorskan-i-east-end-del-2.html