Jennifer Worth

a memoir of birth, joy, and hard times

The midwife

Terri Coates

Jennifer Worth came from a sheltered background when she became a midwife in the Docklands in the 1950s. The conditions in which many women gave birth just half a century ago were horrifying, not only because of their grimly impoverished surroundings, but also because of what they were expected to endure. But while Jennifer witnessed brutality and tragedy, she also met with amazing kindness and understanding, tempered by a great deal of Cockney humour. She also earned the confidences of some whose lives were truly stranger, more poignant and more terrifying than could ever be recounted in fiction. Attached to an order of nuns who had been working in the slums since the 1870s, Jennifer tells the story not only of the women she treated, but also of the community of nuns (including one who was accused of stealing jewels from Hatton Garden) and the camaraderie of the midwives with whom she trained. Funny, disturbing and incredibly moving, Jennifer's stories bring to life the colourful world of the East End in the 1950s.

A True Story of the East End in the 1950s

Call the Midwife

Farewell to the East End

Originally published: Twickenham: Merton, 2005.

Shadows of the Workhouse

Shadows of the workhouse

Just as Jennifer was present at the beginning of life in her midwife books, here she documents her experiences as a nurse and ward sister treating patients who were nearing the end of their lives. Interpersed with these stories from Jennifer's post-midwife career are the histories of her patients, discussions on the circumstances in which we die, and a stripping-back of the myths and taboos surrounding death. We also find out more about Jennifer, as she develops her interest in music and grows into married and family life.

In the Midst of Life

When the books in the CALL THE MIDWIFE series became bestsellers Jennifer Worth received mountains of letters - not only praising her books, but also from people who remembered the world her books described; life in the East End of London during the late 1940s and early 1950s. Often her books touched her readers and they felt moved to write, or they wanted to share their own memories. A prolific letter writer herself, Jennifer always corresponded and this book includes some fascinating letters she received, including letters about becoming a missionary and the curious list of things she would need! There are also letters and drawings from one of the nuns featured in the CALL THE MIDWIFE books and other such gems. LETTERS TO THE MIDWIFE includes a moving introduction by Jennifer's family about the Jennifer Worth they knew and loved. Read by Patience Tomlinson and Clive Mantle

Letters to the Midwife

Tweede deel van de memoires van een Engelse vroedvrouw die in de jaren vijftig van de 20e eeuw werkte in de Londense Docklands sloppenwijken. Vervolg op 'Haal de vroedvrouw!'.

De kinderen van het armenhuis / druk 1

Call the Midwife, Shadows of the Workhouse, Farewell to the East End

Call the Midwife Boxed Set

The East-End stories that inspired the BBC TV series, CALL THE MIDWIFE, in a gorgeous gift box. London's East End in the 1950s was a tough place: the struggles of post-war life - bombsites, overcrowded tenements, crime, brothels - bred a culture of tight-knit family communities, larger-than-life characters and a lively social scene. It was into this world that Jennifer Worth entered as a trainee midwife. But docklands life was tough, and babies were often born in slum conditions. In funny, disturbing and heartbreaking stories, Jennifer Worth recounts her time among nuns, prostitutes, abortionists, bigamists, gangsters and expectant mothers, portraying East Enders' amazing resilience - and their warmth and humour in the face of hardship. Written with affection and nostalgia, her midwife stories chronicle the lives, traditions and tales of a bygone era.

True Stories of the East End in the 1950s

The Complete Call the Midwife Stories

London's East End in the 1950s was a tough place: the struggles of post-war life - bombsites, overcrowded tenements, crime, brothels - bred a culture of tight-knit family communities, larger-than-life characters and a lively social scene. It was into this world that Jennifer Worth entered as a trainee midwife. But docklands life was tough, and babies were often born in slum conditions. In funny, disturbing and heartbreaking stories, Jennifer Worth recounts her time among nuns, prostitutes, abortionists, bigamists, gangsters and expectant mothers, portraying East Enders' amazing resilience - and their warmth and humour in the face of hardship. Written with affection and nostalgia, her midwife stories chronicle the lives, traditions and tales of a bygone era.

Memoires van een Engelse vroedvrouw die in de jaren vijftig van de 20e eeuw werkte in de Londense Docklands sloppenwijken.

Haal de vroedvrouw!

Jennifer Worth was a nurse, midwife, ward sister and night sister from 1953 until 1973, working mainly in London. Her first passion was - and still is - music, and she is a Fellow of the London College of Music. She taught piano and singing for about twenty-five years and still More...sings in choirs all over England and Europe. She plays her piano (a 1904) Bluthner) daily, and is at present studying the entire keyboard works of J.S. Bach. She has been married for forty-five years and has two daughters and three grandchildren.

Life in London's East End in the 1950s was tough. The brothels of Cable Street, the Kray brothers and gang warfare, the meths drinkers in the bombsites - this was the world Jennifer Worth entered when she became a midwife at the age of twenty-two.

подлинная иатория Ист-Энда 1950-х годов

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en sann berättelse från 1950-talets London

Barnmorskan i East End

Un bestseller, una serie televisiva della BBC, la storia di una donna che fa nascere i bambini nella Londra povera e malfamata degli anni Cinquanta. Il primo romanzo di una trilogia nota in tutto il mondo. È un ritratto esplicito e senza inibizioni di un mondo e di una vita durissimi, uno sguardo radicalmente femminile sulla società e le sue regole, un commentario brutale sull’ingiustizia e la sofferenza quotidiana. E nello stesso tempo una raffigurazione fedele di un ambiente in cui l’umanità e la ferocia, la miseria delle condizioni e la generosità d’animo, l’eroismo e la spregevolezza si alternano come in un romanzo vittoriano.

Chiamate la levatrice

London's East End in the 1950s was a unique place: the struggles of post-war life - bombsites, overcrowded tenements, crime, brothels - bred a culture of tight-knit family communities, larger-than-life characters, and a lively social scene. It was into this world that Jennifer Worth entered as a trainee midwife. But docklands' life was tough, and babies were often born in slum conditions.In funny, disturbing and heartbreaking stories, Jennifer Worth recounts her time among nuns, prostitutes, abortionists, bigamists, gangsters and expectant mothers, portraying East Enders' amazing resilience - and their warmth and humour in the face of hardship. Written with affection and nostalgia, TALES FROM A MIDWIFE chronicles the lives, traditions and tales of a bygone era.

Tales from a Midwife

Afscheid van de vroedvrouwen

Anne Reid

The third and final installment of the work that chronicles the author's life as a midwife in London's East End in the 1950s and 60s. It offers portraits of how the city's poorest citizens were able to thrive in their tightly knit community.

Jennifer Worth

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