A wonderful book that depicts the period and takes you there (Call The Midwife: A True Story Of The East End In The 1950s - Jennifer Worth)

Member Name: bucksfizz66

Product:	Call The Midwife: A True Story Of The East End In The 1950s - Jennifer Worth
Date:	07/06/09 (12 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Addictive to read, compelling individual tales

Disadvantages: Not one for your conservative aunts

This book tells the story of a trainee midwife in the 1950's docklands of London at Nonnatus House trained by Nuns. It is undoubtedly a brilliant book which makes an avid read however some of the graphic descriptions of the prositutes actions on Cable Street might make you think twice about giving this as a nostalgic gift to conservative aunts, mother in laws or grannies.

Without doubt this book will make you think about how in such a short space of time (50 to 60 years) life on our island has changed. This is a period in time when hygiene and cleanliness were not abundant and tenement buildings with their primitive facilities were still about. But without doubt the sense of community shines through regardless.

The individual stories contained within this book draw you in, the plight of Molly and her children and Mary who came over from Ireland and ended up being a prostitute who became pregnant and Mrs Jenkins a victim of the workhouses who lost all her children but was always outside the house at the time of every local birth. The stories of the Nuns and the continuing strive made by them to improve midwifery in their community in what we would consider appauling conditions they did un-erringly and the experience and wisdom they passed onto the young midwives.

Funniest bit of the book for me is when Chummy one of the midwives described as completely ungainly has to learn to ride a bike, as is necessary for a docklands midwife and then crashes it resulting in concussion - my partner and I were in tears.

Summary: Life has changed so very quickly this book shows