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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
Another 3.5
I liked this book - it went into sometimes heartbreaking detail about some of the saddest cases in the show, namely Frank, Peggy and Joe Collet. Others have pointed out it seems unlikely that these people would have shared information about their past with Jenny - she was close with Joe so that makes sense, but she didn't seem overly fond of Jane so it just seems like she must have made up or at least embellished some details.
The Sister Monica Joan section felt put of place - a lot of information was repeated from book 1 and would have fitted better in there. It really had nothing to do with the workhouse.
Overall a more enjoyable read than the first one though if you ignore that.
I liked this book - it went into sometimes heartbreaking detail about some of the saddest cases in the show, namely Frank, Peggy and Joe Collet. Others have pointed out it seems unlikely that these people would have shared information about their past with Jenny - she was close with Joe so that makes sense, but she didn't seem overly fond of Jane so it just seems like she must have made up or at least embellished some details.
The Sister Monica Joan section felt put of place - a lot of information was repeated from book 1 and would have fitted better in there. It really had nothing to do with the workhouse.
Overall a more enjoyable read than the first one though if you ignore that.
reflective
sad
fast-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Incest, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma
I’ve enjoyed this second book in the Midwife trilogy. There weren’t as many ‘stories’ as there were in the first book though they are familiar (adapted into the tv series). I was surprised though that the story of Peggy & Frank took about 1/3 of the book because I think it was only 1 episode! I was also a little conflicted in that story as I really wasn’t sure how to feel about them but… as always, I tell myself, people’s choices are their own. What I love about these books so far is the lovely balance between the awfully heartbreaking stories in between the heart-warming ones and tidbits of historical facts of life. Best of all is these are all true stories of real people! It is obvious that the author loves life and people and well-suited to her vocation.
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Not as good as the first in the series, but still a wonderful read.
There was a little repetition, and I found the author to be more removed from the experiences as a lot of them she wasn't directly a part of. This is more reiteration than a memoir. It is much more fact-heavy thanks to this slight removal of the author.
There is still much emotion here though, and the people and their stories so enveloping. It is very hard to put down. There is a level of understanding on the authors part that is portrayed naturally to the reader. I very much felt that I could have been sitting with the author experiencing many of the conversations myself.
And that is the gift of Jennifer Worth. She has an ability to draw one in and seamlessly blend historical fact and personal experience. She excels at very simple, but very vivid description.
Shadows of the Workhouse is a natural progression from Call the Midwife and I look forward to reading more of the series.
There was a little repetition, and I found the author to be more removed from the experiences as a lot of them she wasn't directly a part of. This is more reiteration than a memoir. It is much more fact-heavy thanks to this slight removal of the author.
There is still much emotion here though, and the people and their stories so enveloping. It is very hard to put down. There is a level of understanding on the authors part that is portrayed naturally to the reader. I very much felt that I could have been sitting with the author experiencing many of the conversations myself.
And that is the gift of Jennifer Worth. She has an ability to draw one in and seamlessly blend historical fact and personal experience. She excels at very simple, but very vivid description.
Shadows of the Workhouse is a natural progression from Call the Midwife and I look forward to reading more of the series.
Long-winded but nonetheless compelling. Worth does a remarkable job of conveying those complicated and harrowing times in such acute detail, but as she delves so deep I can't help but wonder how much was truly left to her imagination. This makes for a decent companion to the TV series; you obviously get a lot more background and insight to the characters and their stories, though I would have much more enjoyed more, albeit shorter segments in this volume.
I really had no idea about how awful the workhouses in England were.... like I had an idea due to my cursory knowledge of Dickens but, whoa. The cruelty humans can put on others in the name of “progress” or “social order” is harrowing.
Also there’s more Sister Monica Joan shenanigans in this one.
The final story is just so beautiful, detailing Jenny’s friendship with an elderly man who’s life has been touched by war at every point.
Also there’s more Sister Monica Joan shenanigans in this one.
The final story is just so beautiful, detailing Jenny’s friendship with an elderly man who’s life has been touched by war at every point.
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced