Monday, September 24, 2012

Shadows of the Workhouse by Jennifer Worth


Shadows of the Workhouse by Jennifer Worth
The Midwife Trilogy, Book 2
Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson (January 2010)
223 pages, Paperback (purchased myself in an omnibus edition for $11.99)
Book Rating: 5 Stars

In her first book, Jennifer Worth introduced us to the life of a midwife in London’s East End in the 1950’s, and in this second book, we take up the stories of some secondary characters from the first book (Jane, Frank & Peggy, and Sister Monica Joan) as well as the story of an old soldier by the name of Joseph Collett. This book contains much less of Worth’s own experiences and more of the stories of others that she encountered while working as a midwife. Some of the stories within have more to do with the institutional workhouse than others, but most have some connection thereto. I enjoyed the layout of the stories, logically arranged into three parts and appreciated the author’s reflective, non-judgmental voice throughout the telling never condemning a person for actions or choices that were clearly a product of the times and the situations people found themselves in. Wonderful read and an excellent continuation of the first book in this series!


Movie Adaptations/Modern Retellings/Related Works:
Call the Midwife (TV Series 2012-)
Vanessa Redgrave, Jessica Raine, Bryony Hannah

My Rating: 3 Stars
Adaption: Verbatim-Tweaked-Veiled
Eye Candy: Plain-Pretty-Sultry

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