Farewell To The East End: The Last Days of the East End Midwives (Call The Midwife Book 3)

Buy Farewell To The East End: The Last Days of the East End Midwives (Call The Midwife) 1st Phoenix Edition by Book 3 of 3 in the Midwife Trilogy Series.
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Ugh, the perverted paedo. I had mixed feelings about Hilda's unwanted pregnancy — she already had loads of kids and the flat her family were living in was a dump, she and her husband couldn't cope with another baby. But what they did to the baby once it was born was awful. They were cruel to just let it drown in a chamber pot full of blood and afterbirth. Why couldn't they have left it at a church or the workhouse?

Why did they have to let the baby die in such a horrific way? It was unforgivable what they did, no matter what their circumstances were. I felt so sorry for Julie, she lost all her siblings, wasn't really loved by her parents, and then lost her own beloved child. She didn't deserve all that loss and suffering, at least she still had her pub at the end, which was probably some comfort to her.

It was great how Chummy managed to follow through with her missionary dreams, I was expecting her to end up being a stay at home mum… But she actually got to live out her dreams and do her missionary and midwife work in Sierra Leone. All in all, a wonderful conclusion to Jenny's time as an East End midwife.

View all 9 comments. This book was definitely weaker than the first two, but that's to be expected, as it's an autobiography and I'm sure she already used all the best stories in the first two books. It didn't matter, however, I still found it fascinating. Jan 31, Christi rated it really liked it Shelves: I mistakenly read this one before Shadows of the Workhouse!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which is obviously in the same vein as Call the Midwife. People who love the BBC series should know, however, that not all the stories in the memoir end up as resolved and happy as depicted in the series which I love. Even some of the disturbing stories are more disturbing when you read them! However, though the essays on the "ship's woman" and back-street abortion are emotionally trying to read, I feel I mistakenly read this one before Shadows of the Workhouse!

However, though the essays on the "ship's woman" and back-street abortion are emotionally trying to read, I feel like a smarter, more empathetic person, knowing what other women have gone through and continue to go through. An entertaining and valuable book. La trilogia rappresenta una testimonianza importante e reale, si tratta infatti della diretta esperienza dell'autrice e che sceglie di raccontarcela come se fosse una confidenza, un'amica che racconta avventure e disavventure capitate a lei e alle proprie colleghe levatrici durante gli anni passati presso il convento Nonnatus House.

La trilogia sulle levatrice rappresenta una testimonianza storica e sociale importante, diverte il lettore con tanti aneddoti simpatici come dimenticare sorella Monica Joan e Chummy ma non tralascia gli aspetti importanti di un'epoca che sembra ormai dimenticata. View all 3 comments.


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Nov 16, Donna rated it really liked it Shelves: Even though this is nonfiction, it reads like fiction These midwives working, helping, enduring. This covered so many major issues, like poverty, birth control, abortion, unwanted babies, adoption and more. Life as a woman was hard and they were desperate at times. It was so sad, but this was also surprising and heartwarming. There is always need for service, just because times change, there will always be needs to be met.

As with the first book, The Midwife: I have a very different view of some of the issues brought up, and cannot agree with this: Knowing that I had been a midwife I was sometimes asked if I approved of it or not.

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My reply was that I did not regard it as a moral issue, but as a medical issue. A minority of women will always want an abortion. Therefore it must be done properly As with the first book, The Midwife: Therefore it must be done properly. The guillotine comes to mind, a "humane" method of killing Ich kann diese Reihe nur empfehlen! Jan 10, Kim A rated it really liked it. My favorite of the three in the series as it was darker and not as sugary.

Heart wrenching to read at times especially the ship's daughter and also the botched abortion but it made me better appreciate the fact I was born female in the late 60s. However, I think the author, who died a few years ago, largely accomplished her stated goal: The television show is well worth watching and is fairly close to the books, although it tends to give the stories happier endings.

Aug 24, Negin rated it it was amazing Shelves: I would recommend this series all around.

Farewell to the East End: The Last Days of the East End Midwives

I love them and hate that they have come to an end. Apr 24, Kandice rated it it was amazing Shelves: Such an amazing series. I'm so sad to say good-bye to Nonnatus House and its lovely midwives. Another entertaining and insightful book by Worth. Sociological issues are explored, babies are born and some die, and the nuns and midwives persevere. As a whole this was a wonderful series. I really got a feel for the East end of London in the forties and fifties, the poverty, the sickness and the strength of the sisters and the midwives.

This series was such a perf Another entertaining and insightful book by Worth. This series was such a perfect blending of humor, sadness, the issues of the time and the conditions of the people who lived in the East End and the docks. I am so glad that at the end of the series, Worth takes the time to update the readers on the lives of the characters and the sisters. So sad this trilogy is done.

Jul 04, Gilraens rated it it was amazing Shelves: Gone are the happy baby stories, gone are the bitesize glimpses into a past full of amazing titbits that are so fun to read. The first two books focus on the joy of babies being born with some tears but mostly laughs and fun of Nonatus house The writing style changes, the outlook changes the length of the stories changes This book is filled with essays about the East End.

Essays about how devastating tuberculosis really is in an wonderful intergenerational story. It has Gone are the happy baby stories, gone are the bitesize glimpses into a past full of amazing titbits that are so fun to read. It has a focus on the tragic impact of poverty. The truth about the horrid horrid back alley, illegal abortion and shear desperation of women falling pregnant.

It also shows the decline of mental health and how, despite written in a fun way, it devastates and causes a lot of issues. It describes the end of an era with melancholy, wistful remembering but at the same time the author underlines the need for change, the improvements and what we have gained since then. Yet through all these stories Jennifer Worth shows an ability for compassion and a huge sense of humour.

Within two paragraphs the mood can change from wanting to laugh to wanting to cry with the author. This book is a bittersweet farewell not only to a recent part of history, but also a way of living and her own young self. Personally I think this is the best of the three books and some the stories impacted me on many levels and that is why I gave it 5 stars So much history, so sad to see it end. Jennifer Worth has such a talent and appreciation for the people of the East End, and the midwives and the nuns and it shows in her writing.

I still want to know if she takes liberty in adding to all the inner thoughts of the people but even if she does it still rings true. I might be an awful person but I get so frustrated with Sister Monica Joan. I mean, I get that we find out something that redeems her but she's still so self centered and irritating with So much history, so sad to see it end.

I mean, I get that we find out something that redeems her but she's still so self centered and irritating with her demands and yet it was hard to hear when she passed away. This concludes the events of the midwives and nuns of Nonnatus House. A bit more graphic than the two previous books in the series, but I enjoyed listening to this book.

Feb 04, Margaret rated it really liked it Shelves: Excellent memoir of being a midwife in London's East End in the 20th Century. Well known to all fans of "Call the Midwife", but if you didn't watch, as I didn't, don't let it put you off. It's an interesting, well written, and, at times, shocking book. Mar 08, Tatyana Naumova rated it really liked it Shelves: Some of the stories on the series are from the books, so I felt as if I had a little more background information. This third volume was weaker than the first two.

This is a review of all three books in her memoir series. These stories are incredible! I wish I'd read the books before watching the series, but I was still blown away! It is absolutely amazing and awful and beautiful the kinds of conditions these women who were giving birth lived in. The midwives are incredible as well, but I read some of these stories and just felt almost embarrassed at how much I have and how whiny I can be about it.

A wonderful look at a specific time and pl This is a review of all three books in her memoir series. A wonderful look at a specific time and place and the women who played such a vital role. The first book was the most interesting to me, being more of a general collection of stories from Worth's experiences. The second and third were more general and had fewer stories of midwifery and the interesting people she met. Still, all of them were worth every minute reading.

Can't recommend it enough and I adore the series as well though not as much with Nurse Lee gone from the scene. Things I Didn't Like: It's been quite some time since I read these, and I don't remember anything in particular I disliked. It is pretty frank about sex and childbirth, so not exactly light reading.

Also, abuse and other awful circumstances. Full review at One Librarian's Book Reviews. In the Call the Midwife series it was hard to finish the 3rd and final book in the trilogy. I wanted to turn the page and still be able to read the next story. Each chapter was a mini-story; I easily wanted more. But the 3rd book will bring back the crazy, unexpected births that you read about in the first book. From an utterly poor woman, with no clothes, or bed to her name, giving births In the Call the Midwife series it was hard to finish the 3rd and final book in the trilogy.

From an utterly poor woman, with no clothes, or bed to her name, giving births to triplets, an older woman who is surprised to give birth to twins and has the most complicated, bloody birth I don't know if C-sections were not all that common, but this baby was surprisingly not delivered that way!! And the awkward midwife, Chummy, will have a very happy ending. The author did a great job of wrapping the story up. With the midwives-in-training moving on to other jobs, and the nuns that they lived with in the convent living out their days.

I was still very surprised about the conditions they were living in still by the s. And after birth control became accessible in the s, births went down from a month to 4 or 5 a month, greatly changing the need of nuns to be midwifes. How interesting the effects of human life on the needs of jobs. From a last chapter in the book, said by the author, Jennifer Lee: It is a question I have often asked myself.

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Sister Julienne turned the question the other way, and said, 'God loves greatly those whom he requires to suffer greatly. Mar 12, Jess rated it it was amazing. Wow what a fantastic way to end the trilogy. One thing grab tissues if you watch the PBS show then tissues are a must. I fell in love with the show and was running to my kindle when I found out it was a book. I read it in a two day span devouring every page. I gave it as a gift to everyone I love and reads like me. Book two was ok not great dragged a bit but now I get why.

It paved the way for the final installment. Each page made me either laugh, cry, laugh some more or it just w I'm in love!!! Each page made me either laugh, cry, laugh some more or it just wanted me to not sleep and keep reading. There are books out there that are good but this book was more than good it was phenomenal I have two kindles I read like crazy but very rarely will I say a must read run out grab all three books just like I did with the hunger games.

With this trilogy I urge you to fall in love grab tissues and watch the PBS version of it because this amazing author transported me back to a time that I could picture it all in my head.

The ending well if u watched the show you will bawl if you haven't but have read all the books you will still bawl I wonder how many books out there can still manage to be filled with simplicity and make a mom like me want to give birth with a nun and a nurse during the s with no drugs???

Not many but this is a must read and as for the show a must watch Jul 19, Rachel rated it it was ok.

Farewell to the East End: The Last Days of the East End Midwives by Jennifer Worth

The third and final book in the series by Jennifer Worth which takes you into London's East End in the s when Jennifer worked there as a young midwife. I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books; Call The Midwife and Shadows of the Workhouse and was eager to complete the series with this book.

Unfortunately I found this book not nearly as good as the first two. This book seemed to be simply an amalgamation of all the little stories that didn't make it into the first two books, resulting in it j The third and final book in the series by Jennifer Worth which takes you into London's East End in the s when Jennifer worked there as a young midwife.

This book seemed to be simply an amalgamation of all the little stories that didn't make it into the first two books, resulting in it jumping around a lot and many of the stories seemed out of place. There was only one story that really stuck with me out of this book and to be honest I wish she had simply included that story in one of the first books along with the summary of what happened to all the other midwives and nuns later in life and kept it to two books that were a bit longer in content.

If you haven't read the first two yet than I highly recommend you do, they are brilliant. If you have read the first two you may decide to read this one anyway just for a bit of closure but you won't miss much if you decide not to. Jan 14, Gigi rated it it was amazing Shelves: As always Worth's book does nothing but excel. I loved it, as I loved the previous 2 books. It had all of the characteristic charm and fun, while still having the stories that were sad and touching.

I particularly loved the story about the "ships woman" as it led to Chummy meeting her future husband, while also revealing the dirty secrets of some ships. I also loved Meg and Mave and their constant raving about "crossed tubes" and other such crazy illnesses.

It was tied up quite well, giving a br As always Worth's book does nothing but excel. It was tied up quite well, giving a brief but touching story about how the lives of each entertaining character ended. Overall it was a wonderful book that gave tribute to the books that came before it.

This was another great read. Farewell To The East End. Will be clean, not soiled or stained. First Edition List Price: Acceptable - Very well read. May have a few minor defects. It was into this unsettled and hard world that Jennifer, a young midwife entered. Here is her story.

This final book in Jennifer Worth's memories of her time as a midwife in London's East end brings her story full circle. As always there are heartbreaking stories such as the family devastated by tuberculosis and a ship's woman who 'serviced' the entire crew, as well as plenty of humour and warmth, such as the tale of two women who shared the same husband!

Other stories cover backstreet abortions, the changing life of the docklands, infanticide, as well as the lives of the inhabitants of Nonnatus House.