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Shadows of the Workhouse

The Drama of Life in Postwar London

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Shadows of the Workhouse

By: Jennifer Worth
Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
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About this listen

A fascinating slice of East End life, from the number one best-selling author of Call the Midwife, now a major BBC TV series.

In this follow up to Call the Midwife, Jennifer Worth, a midwife working in the docklands area of East London in the 1950s, tells more stories about the people she encountered.

There's Jane, who cleaned and generally helped out at Nonnatus House - she was taken to the workhouse as a baby and was allegedly the illegitimate daughter of an aristocrat. Peggy and Frank's parents both died within six months of each other, and the children were left destitute. At the time, there was no other option for them but the workhouse.

The Reverend Thornton-Appleby-Thorton, a missionary in Africa, visits the Nonnatus nuns, and Sister Julienne acts as matchmaker. And Sister Monica Joan, the eccentric 90-year-old nun, is accused of shoplifting some small items from the local market. She is let off with a warning, but then Jennifer finds stolen jewels from Hatton Garden in the nun's room. These stories give a fascinating insight into the resilience and spirit that enabled ordinary people to overcome their difficulties.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio on our Desktop Site.

©2008 Jennifer Worth (P)2020 Orion Publishing Group
Biographies & Memoirs Sociology Inspiring Thought-Provoking England
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What listeners say about Shadows of the Workhouse

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Fascinating

Interesting social history and a wonderful performance by Juliette Stevenson. I highly recommend listening to this!

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Saddest book ever.

This is a must read or listen to book for anyone who still refers to past times as 'The good old days'.
It is the most upsetting book I have listened to.
It really makes you think about our lives now and the luxury within which we live, even just having a hot meal every day and a clean bed to sleep in is pure luxury compared to the lives of a lot of people years ago.
It really is a must read/ listen to book to put your life into perspective.

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This book will make you cry. outstanding

Fascinating insights into the life and experience of a nurse. My mum was one heartbreaking and funny at times.

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Easy listening

Really enjoyed listening to this highly recommend it good companion to call the midwife serirse

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A delight

Fans of Call the Midwife may enjoy this… it’s about people that she met while working in Poplar… quite sad but also heartwarming…and a brilliant piece of social history… just life…as it was…

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Excellent

Really enjoyed listening to this. I could not wait for the next chapter to begin.

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Fantastic

Brilliant reading of Jennifer Worth's book without falling into the trap of trying to imitate Call the Midwife. I highly recommend

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Good book

really enjoyed it, narrator was excellent and it was the first time using audio

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Factual, fascinating and humbling.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book. The narration was excellent and really made the book come to life. The historical detail was very interesting and also very sad to listen to at times. But even though these families lived in desperate poverty, they were grateful for what they had. The author gave detailed accounts of the different characters and Juliet Stevenson, the narrator did a wonderful job of portraying them. I was particularly touched by Part 3 and the story of Mr Collitt. I would definitely recommend this book.

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A hard listen

This is a gripping story but is not easy listening in parts. The hardships of the workhouse are described graphically. If you enjoy Call the Midwife, you will love Jenny Lee’s original story.

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