Jennifer Worth came from a sheltered background when she became a midwife in the Docklands in the 1950s. The conditions in which many women gave birth just half a century ago were horrifying, not only because of their grimly impoverished surroundings, but also because of what they were expected to endure. But while Jennifer witnessed brutality and tragedy, she also met with amazing kindness and understanding, tempered by a great deal of Cockney humour. She also earned the confidences of some whose lives were truly stranger, more poignant and more terrifying than could ever be recounted in fiction. Attached to an order of nuns who had been working in the slums since the 1870s, Jennifer tells the story not only of the women she treated, but also of the community of nuns (including one who was accused of stealing jewels from Hatton Garden) and the camaraderie of the midwives with whom she trained. Funny, disturbing and incredibly moving, Jennifer's stories bring to life the colourful world of the East End in the 1950s.
Klappentext
Tie-in edition to the new BBC 6-part series, due to air on primetime Sunday evenings from February 2012, starring Jenny Agutter, Pam Ferris and Miranda Hart, with newcomer Jessica Raine playing young Jennifer. The series is scripted by Heide Thomas ("Cranford"), and produced by Sam Mendes's company, with at least 2 further series already planned.
Biografie
Jennifer Worth begann in den 50er Jahren in London als Krankenschwester und dann als Hebamme zu arbeiten. Einen Fachartikel über Hebammen, der feststellte, dass Hebammen in der Literatur eigentlich nicht existent sind, verstand sie als Herausforderung und begann das erste Buch über Ihre Erlebnisse zu schreiben, das ein großer Erfolg wurde. Drei weitere Teile folgten und wurden zu Bestsellern. Der Stoff ist zudem inzwischen in einer gleichnamigen BBC-Serie verarbeitet, die ebenfalls große Erfolge in den UK feiert.
