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Call the Midwife
Call the Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times | Jennifer Worth
The highest-rated drama in BBC history, Call the Midwife will delight fans of Downton AbbeyViewers everywhere have fallen in love with this candid look at post-war London. In the 1950s, twenty-two-year-old Jenny Lee leaves her comfortable home to move into a convent and become a midwife in London's East End slums. While delivering babies all over the city, Jenny encounters a colorful cast of womenfrom the plucky, warm-hearted nuns with whom she lives, to the woman with twenty-four children who can't speak English, to the prostitutes of the city's seedier side.Based on Jennifer Worth's bestselling memoirs, Call the Midwife is the true story behind the beloved PBS series.
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JenniferEgnor
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Pickpick

Based on the hit BBC show of the same name, this is the first of several memoirs of midwifery in Poplar, England, in the 1950s. Nonnatus House isn‘t a real place but it is named after a 13th century Saint, Raymond Nonnatus. Here, Jennifer shares the humbling experiences she had while working as a midwife and living with nuns.Life was hard and inequities rampant. During this time, forced sterilization, the lack of contraception, lack of access to⬇️

JenniferEgnor abortion care, lack of housing and clean water, living wages, made pregnancy, birthing and parenting even more dangerous and harder than it already was. Sadly, we still see these inequities occurring today. 9mo
JenniferEgnor At times I felt the author was a little mean. The stories made me more grateful for the rights we have today, though they are being taken away at an alarming pace. I wouldn‘t want to have been a pregnant capable person in the 1950s. Stories like these are important to remember. We cannot forget what it looks like when we don‘t have access to basic things. Medicine has made great progress but there is still a long ways to go. Medical⬇️ 9mo
JenniferEgnor racism, transphobia, homophobia, and misogyny continue to thrive in this space. We can and we must do better. These stories are a reminder that the only way to create real change is through the lens of Reproductive Justice. Link on the real midwives and nurses of Poplar: https://poplarlondon.co.uk/call-the-midwife-real-stories/ (edited) 9mo
lazydaizee I love Call the Midwife , have watched all the episodes so far and read the original book. 9mo
JenniferEgnor @lazydaizee I love it too! I haven‘t finished watching the last season yet though. Sister Monica Joan and Trixie are my favorites! 9mo
14 likes5 comments
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Becky.Dare
Pickpick

I love watching Call the Midwife and so I thought I would give this book a go to see how it differed. I was so shocked at how much of the book had been put into the show and I was even more shocked that parts of the show were real. Parts were hard to read, because knowing that it is her account of life as a Midwife in the East End it made the hardship they were going through more awful than it would have been had it been fiction.

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HrJust
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I‘m really enjoying this so far. I have watched a bit of the show and was surprised how many stories were directly from this book.

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esurient
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Pickpick

The TV series is critically acclaimed, but I'm not a big fan of TV and picked up the book instead. I think the series fictionalized a bunch to flesh out the storytelling; even so, I found the bones of the book fascinating. The coda on the Cockney language was particularly interesting.

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noseinabookagain
Pickpick

Having 4 children myself, 2 of whom were home-births, I knew this book would be of interest. However, I didn‘t expect to be so touched by the stories. Delightful and touching book on East End life in the 50s - I had no idea that such poverty existed in this era. I was almost brought to tears reading of Mrs Jenkins and the workhouse. Captivating read, well told by Jennifer Worth.

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wideeyedreader
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Pickpick

Decided to borrow this one from @AmyK1 since I love the show so much! It‘s a really fascinating read, and I feel like I‘ve learned a lot ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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AmyK1
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This was so good! True stories of the work of a midwife in the East End of London in the 1950s. Descriptions of life in the tenements, an area overrun by prostitution and life in a workhouse-along with history of the area. Women have come a long way and the midwives of that time were definitely trailblazers. #bookspin for June @TheAromaofBooks

marleed I loved this too. I‘ve read books one and two and looking forward to book 3 making my Bookspin list at some point! 3y
AmyK1 @marleed I‘ve got to get books 2 and 3. Might look to see if Thriftbooks has them 😁 3y
marleed @AmyK1 We are the opposite! I found books 2&3, mint condition, in an LFL. So my search was on for a copy of the first! I gave books 1 & 2 to a visiting sister and told her the story of how I ascertained them. So now she wants to read then donate to an LFL in her town, WI, far from where the original LFL in Kansas City! 3y
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AmyK1 @marleed Awesome how that worked out! 3y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3y
SilversReviews Adorable cover!! 3y
43 likes6 comments
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AmyK1
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*not book related except that these are the reasons I haven‘t read anything in a week 😂 My son and DIL closed on their house last Wednesday & I spent 3 days helping paint the kitchen. Monday my last baby graduated from HS. Somewhere in there I got Stamped from the Beginning from the library but I dont have the mental ability to tackle that chunkster right now so I‘m gonna start my #bookspin, which is the tagged.

BookishMarginalia Congrats! 🎉 3y
BethM 🎉 3y
marleed Good times! 3y
Gissy Congratulations! 🎉 3y
36 likes1 stack add4 comments
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AmyK1
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My June #bookspin and #doublespin books! Looking forward to both of these.

@TheAromaofBooks

Bookworm54 I love call the midwife! Such a great book :) 3y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3y
35 likes2 comments
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kissmehardy
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Pickpick

I love how well Jennifer Worth combines her own journey in the East End and the social history of the area and its institutions. Every time someone tries to call this series (either the books or the show) cozy, I deserve $5 in recompense. #memoir

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AmyK1
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#bookmail is the best mail 😁

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melissajayne
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Call the Midwife Christmas special +26pts #readnosedreindeers #wintergames2020

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WellReadCatLady
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Book club for work pick for September

marleed I read this one this summer and now can‘t wait to read the series! I‘ve yet to watch the series. 4y
WellReadCatLady @marleed I plan to start the show once I am finished with the book! 4y
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marleed
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Pickpick

Neither the books nor the TV series were on my radar until I walked by a LFL and saw books 2&3 there for me to discover. After awaiting a library hold on book 1, I‘m excited to continue this series. It‘s so interesting and really makes me appreciate the progress of women. There really were some trailblazing nuns in an era when women had to marry for any sense of security.

CaramelLunacy I have just started watching the show, but am enjoying it! 4y
marleed @CaramelLunacy I really want to watch it too! 4y
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Mandigolightly
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Pickpick

Forgot to post this! Book #56 of 2020, 4/5⭐️

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j.rye
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I really liked the tagged, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I‘m looking for stuff like that 😊 help a gal out.

Kappadeemom Anything by Fiona Davis (edited) 4y
Jgotham Try All the Light We Cannot See or Memoirs of a Geisha 4y
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j.rye @Tanisha_A I do really like Kristin Hannah. Good recommendation! 4y
j.rye @Kappadeemom @thekidupstairs @JHgotham @LeafingThroughLife @inthegreensandblues

Every single one of these is on a long hold at my library. Story of my life! I did put a hold on them all though 😅
(edited) 4y
29 likes8 comments
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ItsAnotherJen
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Pickpick

Oh my gosh! This was so interesting and so much better than I would of thought. Thanks to #bookspinbingo this was my # 15 #doublebookspin pick - I was finally "forced" to read this! Lol I'm SO very glad. This is a true book about the life of a young midwife in London in the 1950s. The stories of poverty and resiliency of the women during this time in unreal. Amazing.
Apparently this book is now a BBC TV series as well!
#recommendread
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Smarkies This is on my TBR as well. I picked up the books after watching a couple of seasons of the BBC series. 4y
Deblovestoread The books are and I love the series. 4y
marleed I recently picked up books 2 & 3 of this series from a LFL so now I need to get and read the first! 4y
87 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Maria514626
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#joyfuljune 16
I‘ve been looking for a new, light audiobook to listen alongside Just Mercy. I‘m looking forward to this one.

I didn‘t watch this series. I‘m hoping the audiobook will live up to the rave reviews of the miniseries!

annahenke Oh, I love the first few seasons of the series. Haven‘t kept up with it though 4y
20 likes1 comment
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em.erb24
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'Why did I ever start? Do I regret it? Never, never, never. I wouldn't swap my job for anything on earth'

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j.rye
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I have a deep love for Sister Monica Joan. She is amazing in both the show and the book. 😇

runswithscissors007 Sister Monica Joan! I was just talking about her this morning. such a cheeky, thoughtful, intelligent, empathic, cake loving wordsmith.
5y
27 likes1 comment
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j.rye
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I can‘t decide if my new bookmark is cute or creepy. 😂

HeathHof 😻 I think its cute!! 5y
j.rye @Mynameisacolour I think it‘s the eyes. Haha. Maybe I‘ll color them in. 5y
37 likes2 comments
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j.rye
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1. My sons‘ schools are closed until March 31 at the earliest. AND my library is taking about closing 😭

2. Oh yeah. My kids fly through it so I always buy it in bulk.

3. Nope. Pittsburgh has cancelled the parade and discourages gatherings.

4. Tagged

5. Getting Grace. I bawled. It was just so good and sad and beautiful and funny.

#randosurvey @laurenslibrary

TheLibrarian I‘m in Pittsburgh too! 5y
j.rye @TheLibrarian you‘re the third person I‘ve met recently from the area!! 5y
TheDaysGoBy Fellow Pittsburgher here! Just went grocery shopping and it was a nightmare. What is wrong with people? Buy what you need, don‘t stockpile lol 5y
j.rye @TheDaysGoBy agree! My local Sams was out of meat and seafood... fresh and frozen. Like what in the actual f?! I just need to regular grocery shop and couldn‘t. 😠 I did snag the last case of Coke Zero, so at least mama will be caffeinated when she‘s trapped with these crazy kids. Hahahahaha 5y
32 likes4 comments
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LittleMummyMe
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Pickpick

Pretty good book but I didn't love it. I skim read a bit towards the last few chapters.

j.rye I didn‘t know it was a book first! 🤦🏻‍♀️ I love the show so much. 5y
LittleMummyMe @j.rye I have never seen the show! 😁 I think there Are three books I total. 5y
j.rye I just put the first one on hold at the library. Haha. I can‘t wait to see how it compares. I‘m a sucker for the show. I‘m usually crying at the end of every episode. 5y
LittleMummyMe @j.rye I hope you enjoy the book. 💜 5y
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JenlovesJT47
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Welp, I just watched the last two Christmas episodes of Call The Midwife! No more until the new one comes out on Christmas Day. 🎄

#WinterGames
#TMSkellington
#HolidayEpisode

coffees 11pts!! 12-19 5y
34 likes1 comment
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JenlovesJT47
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Time for the next Christmas special of Call The Midwife! I think I‘m going to have to do a complete rewatch after Christmas!

#WinterGames
#TMSkellington
#HolidayEpisode

lynneamch Oooh. Thanks for the reminder. Love this show. 5y
coffees 6pts!! 12-17 5y
44 likes2 comments
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JenlovesJT47
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I just watched two Christmas episodes of Call The Midwife. These are some of my favorite episodes, when they all go to South Africa to work at a mission hospital. Not gonna lie, I teared up more than once! 😭

#WinterGames
#TMSkellington
#HolidayEpisode

coffees 11pts 12-16 5y
33 likes1 comment
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JenlovesJT47
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I watched two Christmas specials of Call The Midwife.

(I‘m posting these together so as to annoy people as little as possible. I must be annoying some people with all of my #WinterGames posts because I‘ve lost 4 followers this week. Oops! 😬)

#TMSkellington
#HolidayEpisode

Chrissyreadit You can‘t please everyone so just please yourself!! 5y
JenlovesJT47 @Chrissyreadit so true!!! ❤️😘🤗 5y
coffees 11pts!! 12-14 that sucks but if you're having fun 👌👌 5y
32 likes3 comments
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JenlovesJT47
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Time for the next Call the Midwife Christmas Special from 2014. This is one of my favorite episodes, where Chummy works at the unwed mother‘s home. This show is so good!

#WinterGames
#TMSkellington
#HolidayEpisode

coffees 6pts!! 12-14 5y
26 likes1 comment
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Godmotherx5
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I really need to read the rest of this series. They would be cozy for #DearDecember #SettingInEurope @Eggs

Eggs I do so want to read this!! 5y
Godmotherx5 @Eggs Worth it if you like the TV series. 5y
44 likes2 comments
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thewallflower0707
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Pickpick

Finished with a whooping ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!
I have loved the series for YEARS (Netflix has removed it- disgraceful- and I am seriously contemplating of just buying all the 7 seasons DVDs to catch up) and I really enjoyed this book. Worth is a wonderful narrator and each chapter is a glimpse into her world. Fascinating insight into the East End & the development of society and medicine.

#read #review #callthemidwife #nonfiction

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thewallflower0707
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I love the show, so I bought this and an interesting looking book about the Tube at the Museum of London, a place I recommend for every hobby historican.

#callthemidwife #london #holiday

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InnerSavvy
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Pickpick

I did not finish. Due so returned. Hope to finish these midwife stories in the future.

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Court7
Mehso-so

This might be one of the few times I enjoyed the screen version more than the book version. Will still probably get around to reading the next one at somepoint.

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Mitch
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I love this programme - warm hearted, feel good Sunday night viewing. But a board game?? How?? #bookishproblems

Birdsong28 😍😍😍😍😍📚📖 6y
LeahBergen 😆😆 6y
twohectobooks Lolwut 6y
65 likes3 comments
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Violetta
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Pickpick

This book is a great memoir about life and work of 1950th British midwife. Obviously, Worth isn't a professional writer, so the book has quite simple manner, but, at the same time, it's really heartful, curious and sometimes shocking. Looking forward to other books in the series, I certainly want to know more about favorite characters 😊 #Booked2019 #RelatedtoaPodcast @Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage

Violetta I don't listen to podcasts though, so I just found one about the book I've been planning to read 😋 6y
Reecaspieces One of my favs. And the tv show was super 6y
Violetta @Reecaspieces I'm planning to watch the show soon 6y
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Cinfhen Is that Russian?? Or am I completely off.. 6y
Violetta @Cinfhen It's Russian edition, you are right. We have the TV-show cover, but the font is huge! The book is 600 pages long compared to 350 in English! 😲 6y
BarbaraTheBibliophage I have this one on my TBR shelf. Thanks for the review! And good job on finishing the prompt. 😎 6y
Violetta @BarbaraTheBibliophage Thanks! ☺️ I still have 3 books for winter though, so the schedule is a bit pressing 😁 6y
Cinfhen No rush!! You can still read the prompts throughout the year!!! And it still counts towards the drawing!! 6y
Violetta @Cinfhen I love that challenge for being so not pressing 😊, but I want to manage all the themes, so I'll try to manage. It helps that I like all the books so far 6y
74 likes9 comments
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BookNerd9906
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Only a quick 20 minute walk this morning. Still too much ice and snow for this little guy. I had to carry him part of the way home because his little paws were cold. 🥶🐶 I‘ll try to hit the gym this afternoon to get my steps in!
#litsywalkers @kaye

Kaye Good job 👍🏼. I‘m halfway done. Got my gym time in. Still need a walk. 6y
Wife 🌹 6y
49 likes2 comments
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BookNerd9906
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Snow and freezing rain all day here, but I made it to the gym for my #audiowalk and did some #audiocooking too. Really enjoying this one so far. #litsywalkers @kaye

Kaye Great job ! Good book ! 6y
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KirstieE
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Pickpick

Was hoping for more of a background on the nurses themselves and a conclusion to their ends. That being said, I really enjoyed this book 🙌🏻

4 🌟 #nonfiction

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KirstieE
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#currentlyreading and flying through this! After watching a few seasons of the Netflix show, I decided to pick up the book and it's so so good 👩🏻‍⚕️

Patchshank My mom loves that show. I had no idea it was a book. I wonder if she knows. 6y
KirstieE @Patchshank you must tell her! Although I wanted it be a lot more about the nurses themselves, it was still a really enjoyable book ☺️ 6y
52 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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emilyhaldi
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I made it through the top 3 in this stack for #24in48 but only managed about 11 hours total. Not bad considering the other obligations I had this weekend. AND both novellas were an easy 5 stars 🤗⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Birdsong28 Are you watching Call the Midwife? It's so good! 😘📚📖 6y
Kalalalatja Yay you! 6y
emilyhaldi No I haven't seen it!! @Birdsong28 but I've heard good things. Thanks for verifying the same!! 6y
Reviewsbylola I hope you‘re liking Midwife! 6y
Mdargusch Nice little stack. 6y
113 likes5 comments
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emilyhaldi
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Had to take a break from my reading to research this statement. It seems that in fact Austen did write a conversation between Edmund and his father in chapter 20 of Mansfield Park. Considering Austen had 5 brothers it would seem that she would know something about male dialogue from that alone 🤔

saresmoore Pfft. Good catch! 6y
saresmoore Besides, it‘s not as if Austen never had the chance to spy on such conversations. I mean, really, she was a writer. 6y
LeahBergen Nice bit of research there! 👏🏻👏🏻 6y
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emilyhaldi It was quite a small bit of research if I‘m being honest 😉... google makes everything easy!! @saresmoore @LeahBergen 6y
llwheeler Psh. That's like the intro of my copy of Silas Marner that was all "it's amazing that she could write such realistic tavern scenes since she was a woman and could never have been there!" So stupid. On so many levels. 6y
Reviewsbylola Lol I love that a blurb like that probably sent you off on an hour long tangent. 😂 6y
batsy Yikes! I find that passage annoying enough to be giving the book a side-eye for a little while after 😂 6y
90 likes8 comments
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Blueroseis

I've just watched the Christmas episode of Call the Midwife on TV. It captured all that is good in people at this time of year.

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Jennick2004
Pickpick

I decided to read this book after watching the show and wasn‘t disappointed. Though in the show you learn much more about the other midwives, in the book you hear about the women and their families. I really enjoyed learning about Mrs Jenkins, whom I only recall briefly meeting in the show!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Jennick2004
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Hoping to get some reading done during my son‘s 2 hour archery practice! #practicereading #archerymom

AlaMich That‘s so cool! Is that a school thing? 6y
Jennick2004 @AlaMich nope this is our county youth team! 6y
AlaMich @Jennick2004 I‘ve never heard of youth archery leagues around me, not that I necessarily would. I‘m sure he has a blast! 6y
Jennick2004 @AlaMich he isn‘t interested in any traditional sports; he‘s a hunter and fisherman, so it‘s nice to be able to put it in a team setting! 6y
28 likes4 comments
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Jennick2004
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Really enjoying this one, though I will admit the Cockney is a bit difficult to decipher lol!
#goodread

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Jennick2004
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💜💙 I‘m gonna love this one!

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Deborah42
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Pickpick

An utterly fascinating memoir written by a midwife about her experiences as an idealistic young trainee in a poor neighborhood in 1950s London. She tells her patients‘ stories and describes the lessons she learns without sugarcoating.

It‘s frightening to see the dangers women face when they aren‘t able to control their reproductive lives.

Beatlefan129 Have you watched the series? It was on public television a while back and I thought it was really well done 6y
Deborah42 Beatlefan129 I haven‘t watched the show, but I do plan to check it out once I finish the books. 6y
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MeganAnn
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Pickpick

After falling in love with this tv show on Netflix, I knew I needed to read the book. I rarely read nonfiction, but I loved the book just as much as the show. ❤️ Jennifer Worth tells about her time as a midwife in London‘s East End in a heartwarming, wholly engaging voice while pointing out many of the differences between living in the 1950s vs. now as well as the injustices the poor of that area suffered. #makemereadit book 10

whatrebeccasread I've recently started the TV show, definitely going to give this a read! 💜 6y
MeganAnn @whatrebeccasread you definitely should!! You‘ll recognize many of the stories in the book from the show. Enjoy 😊❤️ 6y
CGKOENS I read all three books in this series before the show was on TV. Excellent, thought provoking sobering, and fascinating. I highly recommend the series of three! 6y
59 likes3 stack adds3 comments
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CampbellTaraL
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Pickpick

How soon we forget the horrific conditions for women pre 1960s medicine. Some of the stories were hard to read, realizing how much suffering was involved, but they were wisely interspersed with humorous, and often wild, stories that kept the pages turning.

This is one of the rare instances where I think the television show is better than the book. The protagonist/author was grating, and the show is a better representation of the characters.