Letters To A Midwife

Before she died in 2011, Jennifer Worth, the author of novel-turned-BBC TV series, Call The Midwife, was swamped with letters from readers, fans praising her insight into life in the East End of London in the late 1940s, and sharing their own experiences of life, death and childbirth.

Now these letters — some hilarious and some sad — have been published in Letters To The Midwife. From former midwives and lorry drivers, to the mothers for whom Jennifer was midwife, the letters are stuffed with nostalgic accounts of the heart-warming sense of community that Jennifer brilliantly captures in her books.

Jennifer replied to most of her fan mail and her responses have also been published, alongside beautifully-written passages from her time in Paris. There are also revealing extracts from her journal, and a moving introduction from Jennifer’s family, who show her not just as nurse, but as a musician, a cyclist, an adventurer and a woman of unwavering faith.

The raw emotion in these letters, and the glimpse we get into a fast-vanishing world, are testament to the huge affection Jennifer stirred through her writing.

A remarkable book.