Listen free for 30 days
-
Farewell to the East End
- Narrated by: Saskia Butler
- Series: Call the Midwife, Book 3
- Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Arts & Entertainment, Music
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Listen with a free trial
Buy Now for £30.19
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Letters to the Midwife
- By: Jennifer Worth
- Narrated by: Patience Tomlinson, Clive Mantle
- Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When the Call the Midwife series became best sellers Jennifer Worth received mountains of letters - not only praising her books, but also from people who remembered the world her books described; life in the East End of London during the late 1940s and early '50s. Often her books touched her audience and they felt moved to write, or they wanted to share their own memories.A prolific letter writer herself, Jennifer always corresponded and this book includes some fascinating letters she received.
-
-
More than I expected
- By R. Card on 22-11-15
-
Shadows of the Workhouse
- The Drama of Life in Postwar London
- By: Jennifer Worth
- Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
- Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this follow up to Call the Midwife, Jennifer Worth, a midwife working in the docklands area of East London in the 1950s, tells more stories about the people she encountered. There's Jane, who cleaned and generally helped out at Nonnatus House - she was taken to the workhouse as a baby and was allegedly the illegitimate daughter of an aristocrat. Peggy and Frank's parents both died within six months of each other, and the children were left destitute. At the time, there was no other option for them but the workhouse.
-
-
Brilliant but at times tough
- By Jynx07 on 04-01-21
-
Call the Midwife
- A True Story of the East End in the 1950s
- By: Jennifer Worth
- Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
- Length: 12 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jennifer Worth came from a sheltered background when she became a midwife in the Docklands in the 1950s. The conditions in which many women gave birth just half a century ago were horrifying, not only because of their grimly impoverished surroundings, but also because of what they were expected to endure. But while Jennifer witnessed brutality and tragedy, she also met with amazing kindness and understanding, tempered by a great deal of Cockney humour.
-
-
A Beautiful Book
- By SallyB on 04-10-20
-
In the Midst of Life
- By: Jennifer Worth
- Narrated by: Barbara Flynn
- Length: 5 hrs and 55 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The last collection of true-life nursing stories from the number one best-selling author of the Call the Midwife series, soon to be a major BBC TV series. Jennifer Worth's best-selling memoirs of her time as a midwife have inspired and moved readers of all ages. Now, in In the Midst of Life she documents her experiences as a nurse and ward sister, treating patients who were nearing the ends of their lives.
-
-
wonderful
- By M. Sulaiman on 26-01-17
-
An Armful of Babies and a Cup of Tea
- Memoirs of a 1950s Health Visitor
- By: Molly Corbally
- Narrated by: Karina Fernandez
- Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After serving as a nurse in WW2, Molly Corbally joined the brand-new NHS and became one of the first official District Health Visitors, attending to mothers and babies from all walks of life in the picturesque village near Coventry she came to call home. Social work was uncharted territory at the time, and Britain was very much worse for wear - TB, polio, measles and whooping cough were just some of the hazards new babies faced. Social conditions could also add to the problems, when poverty and alcoholism were rife.
-
-
absolutely brilliant
- By Jessica on 01-02-22
-
Call the Midwife - A Labour of Love
- Celebrating Ten Years of Life, Love and Laughter
- By: Stephen McGann
- Narrated by: Matthew Spencer, Sophie Roberts, Stephen McGann
- Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Learn the up-close and personal story of Call the Midwife as told by the cast and crew. Call the Midwife: A Labour of Love is a moving journey through the iconic series and features personal reflections, photos of fan-favourite moments and anecdotes and insights from co-stars, producers, technical crew and guests.
-
Letters to the Midwife
- By: Jennifer Worth
- Narrated by: Patience Tomlinson, Clive Mantle
- Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When the Call the Midwife series became best sellers Jennifer Worth received mountains of letters - not only praising her books, but also from people who remembered the world her books described; life in the East End of London during the late 1940s and early '50s. Often her books touched her audience and they felt moved to write, or they wanted to share their own memories.A prolific letter writer herself, Jennifer always corresponded and this book includes some fascinating letters she received.
-
-
More than I expected
- By R. Card on 22-11-15
-
Shadows of the Workhouse
- The Drama of Life in Postwar London
- By: Jennifer Worth
- Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
- Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this follow up to Call the Midwife, Jennifer Worth, a midwife working in the docklands area of East London in the 1950s, tells more stories about the people she encountered. There's Jane, who cleaned and generally helped out at Nonnatus House - she was taken to the workhouse as a baby and was allegedly the illegitimate daughter of an aristocrat. Peggy and Frank's parents both died within six months of each other, and the children were left destitute. At the time, there was no other option for them but the workhouse.
-
-
Brilliant but at times tough
- By Jynx07 on 04-01-21
-
Call the Midwife
- A True Story of the East End in the 1950s
- By: Jennifer Worth
- Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
- Length: 12 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jennifer Worth came from a sheltered background when she became a midwife in the Docklands in the 1950s. The conditions in which many women gave birth just half a century ago were horrifying, not only because of their grimly impoverished surroundings, but also because of what they were expected to endure. But while Jennifer witnessed brutality and tragedy, she also met with amazing kindness and understanding, tempered by a great deal of Cockney humour.
-
-
A Beautiful Book
- By SallyB on 04-10-20
-
In the Midst of Life
- By: Jennifer Worth
- Narrated by: Barbara Flynn
- Length: 5 hrs and 55 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The last collection of true-life nursing stories from the number one best-selling author of the Call the Midwife series, soon to be a major BBC TV series. Jennifer Worth's best-selling memoirs of her time as a midwife have inspired and moved readers of all ages. Now, in In the Midst of Life she documents her experiences as a nurse and ward sister, treating patients who were nearing the ends of their lives.
-
-
wonderful
- By M. Sulaiman on 26-01-17
-
An Armful of Babies and a Cup of Tea
- Memoirs of a 1950s Health Visitor
- By: Molly Corbally
- Narrated by: Karina Fernandez
- Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After serving as a nurse in WW2, Molly Corbally joined the brand-new NHS and became one of the first official District Health Visitors, attending to mothers and babies from all walks of life in the picturesque village near Coventry she came to call home. Social work was uncharted territory at the time, and Britain was very much worse for wear - TB, polio, measles and whooping cough were just some of the hazards new babies faced. Social conditions could also add to the problems, when poverty and alcoholism were rife.
-
-
absolutely brilliant
- By Jessica on 01-02-22
-
Call the Midwife - A Labour of Love
- Celebrating Ten Years of Life, Love and Laughter
- By: Stephen McGann
- Narrated by: Matthew Spencer, Sophie Roberts, Stephen McGann
- Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Learn the up-close and personal story of Call the Midwife as told by the cast and crew. Call the Midwife: A Labour of Love is a moving journey through the iconic series and features personal reflections, photos of fan-favourite moments and anecdotes and insights from co-stars, producers, technical crew and guests.
-
Sisters of the East End
- By: Helen Batten
- Narrated by: Annie Aldington
- Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
‘A second’s silence and then an almighty scream. It was the most moving thing I had ever seen … A baby, a real live baby, another human life had entered the world. It didn’t seem possible and yet I had witnessed it with my very own eyes.’ Born into a happy working-class North London family in the mid-twentieth century, Katie is determined to ‘do something’ with her life. Working in the impoverished East End in the 1950s, she meets the Sisters of St John the Divine – a community of nuns dedicated to nursing and midwifery.
-
-
Good but slow start quiet a boring voice
- By corky on 08-11-21
-
The Four Streets
- By: Nadine Dorries
- Narrated by: Emma Gregory
- Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1950s Liverpool. In the tight-knit community of the Four Streets, two girls are growing up. One is motherless and hated by the cold woman determined to take her dead mother's place. The other is hiding a dreadful secret which she dare not tell to anyone. The people of Four Streets laugh, grieve and hope together. But what can they do when a betrayal at the heart of their world comes to light?
-
-
Not for the faint hearted!
- By FOXY LADY on 23-04-15
-
The Tobacco Girls
- By: Lizzie Lane
- Narrated by: Anne Dover
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bristol, 1939. School leaver Maisie Miles suspects her father, a small-time crook, has an ulterior motive for insisting she gets a job at the W. D. & H. O. Wills tobacco factory but keeps it to herself. She's befriended by effervescent Phyllis Mason and kind-hearted Bridget Milligan who take pity on her and take Maisie under their wing. But beneath their happy-go-lucky exteriors, they all harbour dreams and worries about what the future holds.
-
-
another very good book well presented and narrated
- By mrs susan white on 29-06-21
-
Julian Fellowes's Belgravia
- By: Julian Fellowes
- Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
- Length: 15 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Julian Fellowes's Belgravia is the story of a secret. A secret that unravels behind the porticoed doors of London's grandest postcode. Set in the 1840s, when the upper echelons of society began to rub shoulders with the emerging industrial nouveau riche, Belgravia is peopled by a rich cast of characters. But the story begins on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. At the Duchess of Richmond's now legendary ball, one family's life will change forever.
-
-
Reminiscent of Georgette Heyer
- By Lorna on 17-07-16
-
Down Lambeth Way
- Adams Family, Book 1
- By: Mary Jane Staples
- Narrated by: Annie Aldington
- Length: 13 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Adams family were poor, cheerful and, above all, respectable. There was Mrs Adams, a widow having lost her husband in the Boer War; Boots, the bright one; Tommy, the quiet one; Sammy, a wheeler dealer in the making; and Lizzy. Lizzy was a real pearl - one of the prettiest girls in Walworth. Then Lizzy falls in love it is 1914. War is coming, and everyone is going to be affected. Will the Adams family - gutsy, tough and cheeky - pull through? Down Lambeth Way is the first in Mary Jane Staples' Adams Family series. Their story continues in Our Emily.
-
-
Absolutely fabulous...
- By JM Manington on 14-03-21
-
The District Nurses of Victory Walk
- By: Annie Groves
- Narrated by: Alex Tregear
- Length: 11 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alice Lake has arrived in London from Liverpool to start her training as a District Nurse, but her journey has been far from easy. Her parents think that she should settle down and get married, but she has already had her heart broken once and isn’t about to make the same mistake again. Alice and her best friend, Edith, are based in the East End, but before they’ve even got their smart new uniforms on, war breaks out, and Hitler’s bombs are raining down on London.
-
-
The district nurse of victory walk
- By Anne Dudley on 17-07-21
-
Keep Smiling Through
- By: Daisy Styles
- Narrated by: Helen Lloyd
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lake District, 1942: the women at Mary Vale Mother and Baby Home must pull together during their darkest hour. But this is not easy when three very different women walk through its doors. Sybil would rather be anywhere else. She hoped to spend the season in London, but an unexpected pregnancy soon put paid to those plans. While poor Rosie arrives with her two children in tow - their lives torn apart after their house was bombed. And when new midwife Edith joins, it's clear she has her own secrets to hide.
-
-
Great reader liked her.
- By amanda on 29-01-22
-
The Nurses of St Croix
- By: Diney Costeloe
- Narrated by: Nicolette McKenzie
- Length: 13 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1921. In the sleepy village of Charlton Ambrose, eight ash trees stand as a timeless memorial to the men killed in the Great War. On a dark and chilly night, a ninth tree appears. Who planted it and why? And who was 'the unknown soldier' for whom it is marked? 2001. Eighty years later, the memorial is under threat from developers. Local reporter Rachel Elliott is determined to save it and to solve the mystery of the ninth tree.
-
-
Very Emotive
- By Mrs. B. Harland on 27-06-22
-
The Shop Girls of Harpers
- Welcome to Oxford Street's Newest Emporium!
- By: Rosie Clarke
- Narrated by: Juliette Burton
- Length: 10 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Sally, Beth, Margaret and Rachel meet at a job interview for the wonderful new store in Oxford Street, they have no idea they will become lifelong friends. When all four girls are lucky enough to be selected as sales staff their exciting new adventure begins. Join them as they overcome heartbreak and grief, find love and happiness and remain united in their friendship, whatever life throws at them.
-
-
not my cuppa
- By Trudie on 03-08-21
-
Christmas with the Teashop Girls
- By: Elaine Everest
- Narrated by: Annie Aldington
- Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is late 1940, and the war feels closer to home than ever for Rose Neville and her staff at the Lyon’s Teashop in Margate. The worry of rationing hangs overhead as the Nippies do their best to provide a happy smile and a hot cup of tea for their customers. When a heavy bombing raid targets the Kent coastline, Lyon’s is badly hit, throwing the future of the cafe into jeopardy. The light in Rose’s life is her dashing fiancé, Capt. Ben Hargreaves, and planning their Christmas Eve wedding.
-
-
A lovely sequel to The Teashop Girls
- By Tracy Hewett on 04-10-21
-
The Throwaway Children
- By: Diney Costeloe
- Narrated by: Anne Dover
- Length: 17 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rita and Rosie Stevens are only nine and five years old when their widowed mother marries a violent bully. Under pressure from her new husband, she is persuaded to send the girls to an orphanage. It is not long before the powers that be decide to send a consignment of orphans to their sister institution in Australia. Among them, without their family's consent or knowledge, are Rita and Rosie, the throwaway children.
-
-
A wonderful novel, beautifully narrated.
- By Elizabeth on 28-02-17
-
Not Your Average Nurse
- The Entertaining True Story of a Student Nurse in 1970s London
- By: Maggie Groff
- Narrated by: Catherine Milte
- Length: 11 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
To a young girl, the life of a student nurse sounds exciting, but with long hours and short shrift it's never easy. So when Maggie Groff embarks as a student nurse at London's King's College Hospital, she must quickly get to grips with the demands of her chosen career. It's sink or swim. In a delightful romp through time, played out against the march of feminism and the fashion, music and movies of almost half a century ago, we follow Maggie's highs and lows as, with trial and much error, she becomes a highly skilled nurse and sets sail for a new life in Australia.
-
-
Didn't want it to end!
- By Maggie on 08-05-22
Summary
Written by Jennifer Worth, Farewell to the East Endis one of the trilogy of memoirs upon which the popular BBC series Call the Midwifeis based.
London's East End in the 1950s was a vibrant place-a close-knit community of families where children made playgrounds on bombsites and a lively social scene emerged. It was into this world that Jennifer Worth entered as a young midwife. Post-war life could be a struggle, but there was also warmth and humour. Farewell to the East End chronicles the lives, culture and stores of a bygone era.
Critic reviews
More from the same
What listeners say about Farewell to the East End
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
- Helen
- 23-07-11
Brilliant !
I have given this book a rating of five stars, it was my first Jennifer Worth and I simply can not wait to hear / read more after finishing Farewell To The East End. Very funny, emotional and completely captivating, brilliantly written, I was gripped throughout. This one is nice and easy to follow so good to listen to whilst doing other things like knitting or following a pattern, the characters are nicely portrayed so it was easy to connect with them and get a real sense of each persons story within this book. Really love the way each chapter develops, a good read, definitely recommended. The rarator: Saskia Butler, has done a fantastic job bringing the story to life, really like her voice which made for a very good experience listening to this one.
15 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mrs
- 11-04-14
Loved it
What made the experience of listening to Farewell to the East End the most enjoyable?
Not my usual thing but very touching
Who was your favorite character and why?
Sister Monica was wonderful.
Any additional comments?
Shame the television series was so sanitised
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- T
- 27-05-14
Heartfelt
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
Lovely stories, time well spent.
What other book might you compare Farewell to the East End to, and why?
The help, story about real people.
What three words best describe Saskia Butler’s voice?
clear, changeable and interesting
Do you think Farewell to the East End needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?
No, there are plenty of stories in the one book.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- mrs
- 29-07-12
Enjoyed it with reservation
As a midwife myself I much enjoyed listening to the minutiae of midwifery in the fifties. However, the mispronunciation of many of the obstetric/midwifery terms was irritating to say the least. On a few occasions I only realised what the word was because of the context. But despite this It was a jolly good listen.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Sandy
- 29-01-12
Enjoyable, easy listening
The author and narrator made the medical situations accessible and interesting. The book lacked consistency in parts and was more a series of anecdotes than a chronological story with character development, and there was no actual plot as a result. Having said that, in places I was laughing, in other places I was shocked, sickened and saddened. Overall, interesting and enjoyable.
7 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Carole
- 11-07-14
Thought it was "Call The Midwife"
Didn't read the details properly so I thought this was "Call the Midwife".
Nevertheless it was very good. Not so much about the work of the midwives but more about the setting in which they were working, the views of the time and the living conditions of their ladies.
Very interesting.
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- M. Sulaiman
- 10-03-15
Great narrative
narration brilliant. disappointing ending could have expanded on the characters. wish it was more like the television series.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Sarah
- 23-01-15
super!
lovely book really enjoyed it! made me laugh and cry all at the same time fully reccomend it to anyone.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- nickyh
- 30-05-15
Don't expect 'Call The Midwife'
If you are a fan of the TV series, you might be disappointed by this other version of your favourite characters. Otherwise this is mostly a good listen, in particular the sections about the history of TB and the medical details of the midwifery and nursing (which are sadly lacking in the series).
The performance is mostly good, but spoiled a little by some errors - 'Bobby on the heat' for example, instead of 'beat'. Also the reader's accents for different characters are a little grating; particularly Trixie's slightly mockney accent (especially as the nurses are described in the book as Middle class, this seems particularly incongruous).
Also note that there are also far fewer happy outcomes in this more truthful account than the televised version, so if you are looking for fun and a happy ending, this may not be for you.
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Mrs
- 10-03-13
I love this audio book!
Just a really brilliant audio book about a subject I love. 5 Stars from me!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- kiwimum
- 06-09-12
A Brilliant Book
This is the third book in the trilogy by Jennifer Worth on her life as a midwife in the East End of London in the 1950's. After being hooked on the BBC adaptation of her first book, Call the Midwife, I have devoured what I can find of her writings, and she does not disappoint.
But I must emphasise that it is not a book for the faint-hearted! Most of the stories are sad, but she writes the accounts in such a way with humour sprinkled liberally throughout the book, that somehow you don't mind the sadness, and the characters you meet are filled to the brim with life, with all with the sweetness, brutality, stoicism, fortitude and love that comes with the desperately poor conditions Jennifer was working among. It is the stuff of real life.
Her writings on this period in history is an education as well in a time of English history that is not so glittering, and Worth deals with many of the social issues that are not so widely talked about such as back-street abortions, suicide, infanticide and prostitution - so it is not a 'light' read, but I enjoyed it because of the richness of characters and the interesting lives and stories weaved around those lives, and found myself many times with tears on my face, or laughing out loud.
I loved the ending because she gives a brief summary of the lives of the nurses she worked with and what happened to them. Chummy, Cynthia, Trixie, the Nuns and herself. There are no loose ends at the finish, and I find that very satisfying when you have come to love the main characters.
You will run the gamut of emotions in this brilliant book.
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Penny Kavanagh
- 12-03-18
BIG FAN OF THIS SERIES
Loved "Call the Midwife" and grabbed this one - there is some repeats in the stories about particular lives, but overall good. Narrator fantastic!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Crystal
- 07-05-15
interesting but disjointed compared to first two
still found this very interesting however it felt much more disjointed than the previous books. nothing really related to anything else. still lots of interesting things just less of a story more of a random history book.