Letters to the Midwife: Correspondence with the author of ''Call the Midwife'' by Jennifer Worth
| Letters to the Midwife: Correspondence with the author of Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth | |
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| Category: History | |
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Reviewer: Louise Jones
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| Summary: A selection of treasured fan letters sent to the author Jennifer Worth. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 256 | Date: February 2014 |
| Publisher: W&N | |
| ISBN: 9780297869085 | |
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Jennifer Worth, author of the bestselling Call the Midwife, sadly passed away in May 2011 following a short illness. Her books have gained a great deal of popularity in recent years with their mixture of warmth, sadness and humour based on her experiences working as a midwife in the East End of London. Letters to the Midwife features some of the treasured letters received by Worth from former work colleagues and fans of her books. The resulting book is a rich testament to a life lived fully and to a very special lady whose memories have managed to inspire and touch so many.
Many of those who chose to write to Worth in appreciation of her books had stories of their own to share. They had read her books and this had sparked long-buried memories from their own lives, either as residents of Poplar sharing warm recollections of life in the area, or as nurses and midwives reflecting on how practices have changed as time has gone by. I really enjoyed reading the different stories shared by these individuals and the fact that they wrote to Worth as though she was a dear friend rather than a stranger.
The central section of the book contains a previously unpublished account by Worth about her short career as a nanny in Paris. Her writing beautifully evokes scenes of street cafes and the Parisian lifestyle and it was entertaining to read about the different families she worked for. One amusing anecdote recalls how Worth was sitting in a dining room at a fancy hotel reviewing all of her offers of employment from France. She said rather loudly to her male friend: I want you to look through all these French letters and pick out the best. It was only years later that she understood why he felt so uncomfortable for the rest of the evening!
The final section of the book contains some of the many letters of condolence sent to her family after she had died. One particularly memorable letter was from a biker who was 6 foot, 14 stone and loved martial arts. He had been reduced to tears when hearing of Worth’s death as he was a huge fan of her stories. His letter to her family was truly touching and tender.
Letters to the Midwife will appeal to anyone who has enjoyed Worth’s books or the recent TV series based on her work. She was clearly loved and appreciated by many and will be sorely missed.
Shadows Of The Workhouse: The Drama Of Life In Postwar London is a fascinating book in which Worth shares more of her memories of working as a nurse in the East-End. For more real stories of Midwifery, we can also recommend Hard Pushed: A Midwife's Story by Leah Hazard.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Letters to the Midwife: Correspondence with the author of ''Call the Midwife'' by Jennifer Worth at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Letters to the Midwife: Correspondence with the author of ''Call the Midwife'' by Jennifer Worth at Amazon.com.
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