Shadows of the Workhouse

Shadows of the Workhouse

The Drama of Life in Postwar London

4.1 (10 ratings from Audible, Apple)
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Read by: Juliet Stevenson

Language: English

Length: 11 hours and 4 minutes

Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson

Release date: 2020-07-16

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.

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