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Shadows of the Workhouse

Call the Midwife, Book 2

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About this listen

When twenty-two-year-old Jennifer Worth, from a comfortable middle-class upbringing, went to work as a midwife in the direst section of postwar London, she not only delivered hundreds of babies and touched many lives, she also became the neighborhood';s most vivid chronicler. Woven into the ongoing tales of her life in the East End are the true stories of the people Worth met who grew up in the dreaded workhouse, a Dickensian institution that limped on into the middle of the twentieth century.

Though these are stories of unimaginable hardship, what shines through each is the resilience of the human spirit and the strength, courage, and humor of people determined to build a future for themselves against the odds. This is an enduring work of literary nonfiction, at once a warmhearted coming-of-age story and a startling look at people's lives in the poorest section of postwar London.

©2005 Jennifer Worth (P)2014 HighBridge Company Gender Studies Medical Professionals & Academics Social Sciences Women Witty Nonfiction Biography England Resilience
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I really enjoyed this second book by Jennifer Worth although some stories were repeated from the first book. The stories were developed well and Nicola Barber did an excellent job with the various characters. I recommend this book to anyone.

Good Book

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What a wonderful book, yet filled with the sadness of heartbreak, abuse, hardship and poverty, but all overthrown by the depth of love and commitment. My grandmother and her siblings were admitted to a workhouse in east London in the 1920’s, and my fathers sister was born in the workhouse. It breaks my heart to read about the awful conditions and wretched abuse my family and these people and children endured.

Heartbreaking and Moving

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Such a good memoir, lots of detail, excellent for those who enjoy history and real-life stories.

Rich in detail

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I was shocked by some of what I heard. It was good that those section were interspersed with less graphic accounts. It helped that it was read by a kind female voice. The violence and cruelty will stay with me for a long time.

Hard to hear the harsh and graphic reality of how and what people had to do to survive.

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it is a very good book although I do find that the first book was better this was an excellent book would definitely listen to again really pulls on your heartstrings

a good sequel

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