• Call the Midwife

  • A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times
  • By: Jennifer Worth
  • Narrated by: Nicola Barber
  • Length: 12 hrs and 1 min
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (9,312 ratings)

Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.
Call the Midwife  By  cover art

Call the Midwife

By: Jennifer Worth
Narrated by: Nicola Barber
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $24.05

Buy for $24.05

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

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)

Featured Article: Dream Big—Meet the All-Star Cast of The Sandman: Act II


Immerse yourself in the world of The Sandman right now with an unforgettable audio experience. The star power alone is worth the price of admission—the cumulative amount of awards that have been won by the cast over the course of their careers is simply staggering. The cast features some of the most talented and esteemed actors working today. So let's dive right into the who's who of The Sandman: Act II.

What listeners say about Call the Midwife

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    6,184
  • 4 Stars
    2,202
  • 3 Stars
    639
  • 2 Stars
    168
  • 1 Stars
    119
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    6,151
  • 4 Stars
    1,579
  • 3 Stars
    434
  • 2 Stars
    116
  • 1 Stars
    105
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    5,661
  • 4 Stars
    1,890
  • 3 Stars
    583
  • 2 Stars
    133
  • 1 Stars
    92

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Better than the excellent BBC series

Better even than the excellent BBC series. The television series is based on this book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing Performance by Nicola Barber

Call the Midwife is a collection of memories and stories of Jennifer Worth's experience as a midwife in 1950's London. The characters are delightful and approachable. The author does an amazing job of capturing the essence of the docks and the characters that inhabited them.

Nicola Barber is perhaps the most talented narrator I have heard on an audio book. Her voices and accents are spot on ranging from high English to Cockney to Irish to Spanish and more. This book was delightful to listen to and gave great insight into the history of midwifery and the way that London used to be.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful Read

Oh, how I loved this book! The stories were so interesting. I loved every single dilevery story! The only down side is the accents. It was pure torture! However, the accents/speech is just representing the time. This story made those accents worth it though. It's a book I was sad to finish. I could listen to a million sequels!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting Listen

I really enjoyed the narrator, she does an excellent job. The story bounces around a lot and sometimes you want to know just a little more of them, but it was really fun to listen to!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Well written and well read, wonderful!

I thoroughly enjoyed both the words of the author and the readers voice. Clear and concisely worded with the right amount of adjectives to put you in the moment but not leave you lost in over-description. The reader changed her voice according to the speaker and mastered tone so you could almost see their facial expressions. The story was quite intriguing and lengthy but was broken into short sub stories so listening was easily done over many sessions.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Wonderful Companion to the TV Series

Any additional comments?

I was initially annoyed by the soft voice of the narrator. Her narration seemed to ebb and flow, speeding up and slowing down, and it was aggravating in the beginning. Given that this book is a reflection on and contemplation of Jenny's life, I soon found the narration to be appropriate. I am a fan of the BBC tv series and found that the book gave me further insights into the creation of the show. I am also a nurse and felt a sisterly connection to Jenny. The stories she recounts are heartwarming and entertaining but also a window into the sadness, poverty, and desolation of post-war London.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Just Marvelous

I loved this book, I'm sure I'll listen to it again. The narrator was fantastic, she really brought the characters to live, and transformed me to a time not too long ago.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Beware if you have a weak stomach!

the story about Mary, the little Irish girl, was a little too explicit for my taste. I skipped over those chapters. If there was a warning about it, I must have missed it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful story, poor performance.

I have listened to the book twice now. The narrator of the book has a beautiful voice, but the sound is sometimes so soft, that I have to turn up the volume quite a bit.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • CL
  • 08-29-19

amazing 😍

have watched the series on PBS and have wanted to get into the book. kept me engaged thru the whole book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!