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)

Wonderful!!

Such a delightful and endearing book!!
Loved listening to the many stories within this memoir.

A Great Book and a Great Narrator!

What did you love best about Call the Midwife?

How the book flowed, the content, and the great job the narrator did reading it.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Call the Midwife?

The delivery of the premature baby and how it was cared for by the mother rather than in hospital.

Which character – as performed by Nicola Barber – was your favorite?

This is a difficult question to answer as I loved all the characters of the book.

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

Yes, it was. I found myself quite happy when I ended up in traffic jams as it meant I could listen to more of this book.

Any additional comments?

I liked the television series, and as I spend 3 hours a work day commuting I bought this audio book to add to my collection.
Being a guy I was not sure if I would enjoy this book, but how wrong were my concerns! I laughed at times almost cried at times.
This book does cover subjects that may concern some readers but these subjects are true to life and needed to be in the book.
I will certainly being listening to this book again.

WOW!

If you could sum up Call the Midwife in three words, what would they be?

Addictive, eye-opening, recommendable.

Any additional comments?

It is rare that I find a book that when finished, I want to go right back to the first page. This has easily become one of my favorite books, I have been telling everyone to read (or listen) to it. Nicola Barber's narration is fantastic, and she nailed both the cockney and Irish accents she uses at different times for the book.

Difficult to hear

I enjoyed the story very much. Understanding the narrator, however, was something I struggled with all the way to the end. At times she seemed to almost whisper. I was constantly fiddling with the volume. I would not choose this narrator, again.

Lovely and Compelling

I'm a huge fan of the series and it's clear that the source material is just as strong. A caveat that there are some opinions that are in-PC (or at least have progressed since the biographer wrote the book) but still a great listen. Wonderful narration.

Highly recommend this most enjoyable book!

I listened to this book on Audible and absolutely loved it! Each chapter brings a new adventure in the author's midwifery career of giving antenatal care to the poorest of the poor. Hearing about the living conditions of the women, the family life, and the babies being delivered, all during 1950's London, was quite fascinating. Even though most chapters could stand alone as independent essays, I found the flow of them together to work beautifully and I was always happy when I'd have time to listen to a new one. Another thing I enjoyed was the voice of the lady reading the story, she did an excellent job and I felt a part of what was going on in listening. Since I've finished "reading" this book, I can't wait to now see the people come to life in the television version I have saved on my DVR. I'd highly recommend listening to this book, it's funny, sad at times, interesting, but most of all, enjoyable!

Better than the tv series

I really liked this more than the tv series. I loved the medical history behind all I only wish Their were more books in the trilogy.

Excellent!

This is a beautifully written memoir that captures all kinds of details about her time at Nonatus, from her own personal and spiritual growth, to the interpersonal dynamics of Poplar, to the medical and clinical work of midwifery in the ‘50s. The reader is great and brings the people alive with accents and different voices. Loved it!

Quiet but amazing.

I love this book. I had seen an episode of the television show, so I was a little surprised when there was a lot more grimy detail and also medical detail. It made it better I think, it really helped put everything into real perspective. Also learning about the struggles of people that really aren't but a few generations separated from me is really eye opening.
The woman reading is very soft spoken though and I like to listen in my car. It is great when I am at home. But as soon as there is any sort of background noise I am having to blow the speakers to try to hear what is happening. It was beautifully read though. Very well done on the variations of characters, and a great job bringing the story to life.

Amazing.

Call the Midwife, the series, was recommended to me by several friends and is still sitting in my Netflix list unwatched - lack of time - but I did have time to listen to an audiobook while doing other things. I listened to this without bringing any baggage from watching the series first. It's a lovely book, beautifully written, full of characters and details of a life almost unimaginable from the 21st century. A 22 year old girl riding a bike through a bad neighborhood down by the docks in the dead of night to deliver a baby in a tiny, sometimes squalid flat with only cold running water? How did those nurses do it, and how did anyone survive? And the sisters in the convent - so tough, strong, and fearless, and with fascinating histories of their own, all described with such skill and humor, I wished I'd known them. It's a wonderful listen, rich with characters and detail, and a fabulous reader.