Millions have fallen in love with Jennifer Worth and her experiences in the East End as chronicled in Call the Midwife but little is known about her life outside this period. Now, in this moving and evocative memoir, Jennifer’s sister, Christine, takes us from their early idyllic years to the cruelty and neglect they suffered after their parents divorced, from Jennifer being forced to leave home at fourteen to their training as nurses.
After leaving nursing Jennifer took up a career in music, her first love, and Christine became a sculptor, but through marriages and children, joy and heartbreak, their lives remained intertwined. Absorbing and emotional, The Midwife’s Sister by Christine Lee is testimony to an enduring bond between two extraordinary women.
oh no, I have another negative book review.
ok. This was a difficult read. A very hard read.
The title is correct, the description of the book misleading.
The two sisters did not get on. Their childhood was fucking tough after the divorce of their parents. This isn’t Jenny’s story. She isn’t portrayed as the saint she was in The Call the Midwife books. God knows, we’re all flawed and given her background. She was thrown out at 15 and was in a secret relationship with an older man. The book lacks warmth. The copy I read needed editing. I didn’t enjoy the writing. It’s a long book. It is revealing. If you like Call the Midwife, this book may spoil it for you. I wondered at times what I was reading and why. I went into reading this not having looked at the blurb or the reviews and certainly didn’t expect what I read. The Midwife’s Sister was interesting.
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Poetic Insights 