Call the Midwife

A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times

By: Jennifer Worth

Narrated by: Nicola Barber

Length: 12 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Nominee, Solo Narration - Female, 2013

At the age of 22, Jennifer Worth left her comfortable home to move into a convent and become a midwife in postwar London’s East End slums. The colorful characters she met while delivering babies all over London - from the plucky, warm-hearted nuns with whom she lived to the woman with 24 children who couldn't speak English to the prostitutes and dockers of the city’s seedier side - illuminate a fascinating time in history. Beautifully written and utterly moving, Call the Midwife will touch the hearts of anyone who is, and everyone who has, a mother.

©2002 Jennifer Worth (P)2012 HighBridge Company

Critic reviews

"A charming tale of deliveries and deliverance." ( Kirkus Reviews)

Worth every minute!

Great story - so much history lost as the older generation passes away. Circumstances molded these people people - they were tough and resilient, kind and cruel.

Fabulous beyond words....

Back in 1961, FCC Chairman Newton Minnow called television a "vast wasteland" -- and he was right, back then. Today, television is in a magnificent resurgence, with exceptional programming like BBC's "The Street", PBS's "Sherlock", and best of all, BBC's
"Call the Midwife", which I first encountered via Netflix. Seeing that first episode, I was entranced -- and spent the next several evenings watching every episode available. Amazing, the acting, the stories, the history, the clear but soft presentation of moral issues -- no preaching -- not to mention the insights into life in London's East End in the 1950's -- not that long ago, in the scheme of things.

So it was with some trepidation that I bought the audio book -- which was the exact reverse of a situation for me. Normally I read the book, and then am reluctant to see the film because it's almost never as good. In this case, I'd seen several seasons of the astonishingly good television series, and found myself wondering if the actual book could be anywhere near as fine.

It was. And then some -- in fact, the TV series follows Jennifer Worth's written memoirs very carefully, at least in the situations and scenes presented. The TV producers added a little more love interest than was in the memoirs -- for several of the young women, not just Jenny -- but otherwise it's all there, the Sisters, with their various eccentricities, Jenny, with all her sincerity, Fred the handyman with all his schemes, and of course "Chummy" -- well, how would anyone describe Chummy? But the book character is very similar to that played by the enormously talented Miranda Hart. I find myself smiling whenever she appears -- whether in the book or in the films.

There are a few more historical details in the book than in the series, which I found fascinating. Again, 1950 wasn't all that long ago, but it continued to amaze me that so many medical advancements we take for granted now weren't available then.

The audio book is greatly enhanced by the perfect narration by Nicola Barber. Her very soft voice, perfect enunciation, is absolutely the right choice for this memoir. Well done!

All in all, highest recommendation possible for this audio book -- and for the BBC series!

Calming, wonderfully written and read

What made the experience of listening to Call the Midwife the most enjoyable?

Such a great listen! wish so bad they had the next books in the series. It is interesting to hear the historical parts, and heart wrenching to hear the sad parts, and all balanced with a spattering of really beautiful parts.

What does Nicola Barber bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Soothing voice that really reads well with the style of writing, and most notably, the appropriate accents.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

They already did! And its probably my favorite series ever filmed, which I don't say lightly.

Any additional comments?

Listen to it! Read it, watch it. Its absolutely lovely.

Call the Press! This memoir is amazing!

This memoir was a wonderful "read"! It captivated me from the very beginning and left me wanting more (I discovered it was a trilogy! Hip, hip, hooray!). I highly recommend this memoir to anyone who loves memoirs or is interested in social justice, the 1950s era, or nursing/midwifery.

I will agree with other reviewers that the narrator's voice was hard to hear. I had to keep the volume at the highest setting and even then sometimes her quiet whispering voice would say something softly and I would not be able to understand a word or phrase. Nonetheless, I rather enjoyed the narrator because she did seem to invoke this unassuming midwife down to a T!

Great stories of life in the 50's

Would you listen to Call the Midwife again? Why?

The charm of this book for me was the firsthand account of what life in London was like after WWII. The bombed buildings, living conditions, medical procedures, social life - they were all quite fascinating.I would happily READ Call the Midwife again but wouldn't listen to my talking book because the reader is forever dropping into a whisper which is hard to hear. I usually listen to books in my car and the road/tire noise does fill the background but I haven't had this issue with the many, many other books I've listened to. It was quite annoying.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Nicola Barber?

No.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. The stories sometimes run over a few chapters but are quite self-contained and it's easy to put it down and pick it up later for a different story.

More fun than I tought

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the character development and the comparison of medical care for women from the time of the book until current. The nuns were portrayed as regular people and the main character as all of the characters became very real to me.

Have you listened to any of Nicola Barber’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I have not listened to her before - but would not hesitate to again.

Any additional comments?

This was a book club choice and I groaned at the title but after reading it - a smile appeared

What a beautiful story!

I may listen to this again some time. A beautiful story of life in generations before me!

Enlightening and Enjoyable

Where does Call the Midwife rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I consider it time well spent when I can be entertained and learn something new at the same time. This was one of those reads. Educational and Entertaining. I am unable to give 5 stars because of the graphic sexual content during one part of the story. It went on for quite a bit and was not the least enjoyable to listen to. I can enjoy a love story with the next person but this was dealing with prostitution. Very graphic and sad.

What did you like best about this story?

The historical detail was excellent. She does a wonderful job describing the people and surroundings. The characters are well developed.

Have you listened to any of Nicola Barber’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I have not.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The prostitution of a 15 years girl made me a bit sick. It was very hard to hear. That aside there were very warm and funny parts.

Any additional comments?

If you are wanting to learn something while being entertained this is an excellent choice. The pornographic sexual behavior is confined to one area of the book. There are no other questionable parts.

Both charming and gritty

I was pleasantly surprised by the witty, funny and often sad stories. Sorry when it ended, wish there were more.

Better than the TV show!

This audiobook is truly phenomenal. I listened to it on a long international flight (both ways, I think) and simply could not stop. The story is fascinating, is told in an emotionally engaged manner, and the narrator's voice is very sweet. I was so hooked that I checked out the TV show online but discovered to my disappointment that the audiobook had allowed me to create more compelling characters than the TV producers did (though I do not mean by this to insult the actresses). The book is just so full of details that post-war Britain and its poor families come fully alive.