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Shadows of the Workhouse
- The Drama of Life in Postwar London
- Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
- Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins
- Categories: Biographies & Memoirs
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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.
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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.
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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.
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‘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.
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Good read
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Call the Midwife
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Overall
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Performance
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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.
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A Beautiful Book
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Written by Jennifer Worth, Farewell to the East End is one of the trilogy of memoirs upon which the popular BBC series Call the Midwife is 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.
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Brilliant !
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Overall
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Performance
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The hit BBC TV series Call the Midwife is based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth, chronicling her life as a midwife in London in the 1950s. Farewell to the East End is the third book in the trilogy. Following on from the best-selling Call the Midwife and Shadows of the Workhouse, Jennifer brings her story to a conclusion. Postwar life could be a struggle - the devastating effects of TB, dangerous backstreet abortions, people driven to extremes by poverty....
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Overall
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Performance
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Overall
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Performance
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Overall
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Performance
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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.
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Is It My Fault Mummy?
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'Is It My Fault Mummy?': seven-year-old Paris is trapped in a prison of guilt. Devastated after the death of her baby brother, Joel, Maggie faces one of her most heartbreaking cases yet as she tries to break down the wall of guilt surrounding this damaged little girl. 'A Desperate Cry for Help': 12-year-old Meg arrives at Maggie's after a fire destroys the children's home she's been living in. Traumatised by the fire and angry and vulnerable, having been put into care by her mother, Meg is lashing out at everyone around her.
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brilliant
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The Midwives of Raglan Road
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- Unabridged
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Summer, 1936. Newly trained midwife Hazel Price returns to the Yorkshire streets of her childhood, only to find that her modern methods and 'stuck-up' ways bring her into conflict with her family and other formidable residents of Raglan Road. Determined, Hazel battles on, assisting with home deliveries and supporting the local GP. The days are long and hard, but Hazel brings knowledge and compassion to the work she loves.
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The Midwives of Raglan Road.
- By Ian Long on 18-06-18
Summary
A fascinating slice of East End life, from the number one best-selling author of Call the Midwife, now a major BBC TV series.
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.
The Reverend Thornton-Appleby-Thorton, a missionary in Africa, visits the Nonnatus nuns, and Sister Julienne acts as matchmaker. And Sister Monica Joan, the eccentric 90-year-old nun, is accused of shoplifting some small items from the local market. She is let off with a warning, but then Jennifer finds stolen jewels from Hatton Garden in the nun's room. These stories give a fascinating insight into the resilience and spirit that enabled ordinary people to overcome their difficulties.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio on our Desktop Site.
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What listeners say about Shadows of the Workhouse
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Jynx07
- 04-01-21
Brilliant but at times tough
I'm not even finished it yet and whilst it is really good, Janes' story was really tough to listen to.
1 person found this helpful
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- Lisa Garrard
- 08-01-21
Amazing Stories
Well written and performed. Although these stories have been told on Call the Midwife the detailing in the book gives you much more insight to what times were like in the workhouse days. Definitely worth a listen.
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- Amazon Customer
- 27-12-20
Youth and old age
Young people should read this book and appreciate how lucky they are to live in this day and age