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apostrophen 's review for:
Call the Midwife: Shadows of the Workhouse
by Jennifer Worth, Nicola Barber
This has been my audiobook for the last few weeks, and I've been completely immersed in Nurse Jenny Lee's remembrances. This book - the sequel to [b:Call the Midwife|25431511|Call the Midwife|Jennifer Worth|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1430058217s/25431511.jpg|6292672] - has a different focus than the first. The first book was very much about midwifery, and while that still is mentioned in passing in this book, there is more focus on the patients and friends Nurse Lee sees in different circumstances.
Here we learn more of the very poor and the dreaded Workhouses, and the paupers who were forced into them, their families broken, their futures basically sealed, and through discussion of a few key people Jenny knew - Joe, a former soldier; Frank and Peggy, siblings who were sent to the workhouse as child and infant; and Jane, the nervous broken woman who works at the house with the sisters and nurses. Through those people's histories, we learn about the severe injustices these people faced - all because they were poor. It's harsh, and greatly distressing, and important that it not be forgotten.
There's also more about one Sister in particular - Sister Monica Joan - who may or may not be somewhat senile, and her trial for theft, which was a scandal to say the least, and the ending of which was stirring and moving.
I've often felt that in not getting to know any of my grandparents (I'm British, and none survived to meet me) that I've lost something of history that would have been fascinating to know. Books like this remind me that stories still exist, and are worth seeking.
Here we learn more of the very poor and the dreaded Workhouses, and the paupers who were forced into them, their families broken, their futures basically sealed, and through discussion of a few key people Jenny knew - Joe, a former soldier; Frank and Peggy, siblings who were sent to the workhouse as child and infant; and Jane, the nervous broken woman who works at the house with the sisters and nurses. Through those people's histories, we learn about the severe injustices these people faced - all because they were poor. It's harsh, and greatly distressing, and important that it not be forgotten.
There's also more about one Sister in particular - Sister Monica Joan - who may or may not be somewhat senile, and her trial for theft, which was a scandal to say the least, and the ending of which was stirring and moving.
I've often felt that in not getting to know any of my grandparents (I'm British, and none survived to meet me) that I've lost something of history that would have been fascinating to know. Books like this remind me that stories still exist, and are worth seeking.