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Shadows of the workhouse

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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 t...

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Main Author: Worth, Jennifer, 1935-2011
Format: Books Print Book
Language:English
Published: New York : Ecco/HarperCollins, [2013], c2005.
Edition:1st U.S. ed.
Series:Call the midwife ; v. 2
Subjects:
Worth, Jennifer, > 1935-2011.
Midwives > England > London > Biography.
Childbirth > England > London > History > 20th century.
Almshouses > England > 20th century.
Poor > England > London > Social conditions > 20th century.
East End (London, England) > Biography > 20th century.
East End (London, England) > Economic conditions > 20th century.
East End (London, England) > Social conditions > 20th century.
Online Access:Go to Downloadable eBook Here.
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Summary: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. Orphaned brother and sister Peggy and Frank lived in the workhouse until Frank got free and returned to rescue his sister. Bubbly Jane's spirit was broken by the cruelty of the workhouse master until she found kindness and romance years later at Nonnatus House. Mr. Collett, a Boer War veteran, lost his family in the two world wars and died in the workhouse. 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.
Item Description:"First published in Great Britain in 2005 by Merton Books" --T.p. verso.
Physical Description:294 p. ; 21 cm.
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references (p. 294).
ISBN:9780062270047 (pbk.)
0062270044 (pbk.)
Author Notes:Jennifer Worth was born Jennifer Lee in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex on September 25, 1935. She trained as a nurse at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, and then moved to London to train as a midwife. She later worked at the Royal London Hospital, the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital in Euston, and the Marie Curie Hospital in Hampstead. She left nursing in 1973 to study music. She received the Licentiate of the London College of Music in 1974 and was awarded a Fellowship ten years later. She taught and performed solo and in choirs throughout the United Kingdom and Europe. When she felt her musical talents ebbing, she turned to writing.

She wrote three books about her experience as a midwife: Call the Midwife, Shadows of the Workhouse, and Farewell to the East End. These books are the basis of the BBC television series Call the Midwife. Her other works include Food Allergy: The Hidden Cause? and In the Midst of Life. She died of cancer on May 31, 2011 at the age of 75.

(Bowker Author Biography)

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