In the Midst of Life by Jennifer Worth was such a good read for me.
This is not the same cover as my copy that my daughter gifted me,
but the story is the same.
The subtitle for the book is
"What makes a good death?"
Where to begin?
There's so much to share and yet I don't want to make this so long
that you give up halfway through.
But the book was so good, and I could go on and on about it.
I've read two other of Jennifer's books,
with one being Call the Midwife (which I didn't particularly care for because it was quite different in written form than the television version I was accustomed to.
The other one was In the Shadows of the Workhouse which I reviewed
In the Midst of Life has definitely been my favorite.
So, what is the book about?
In this book Jenny shares of the experiences of her nursing career in the 1950s in the U.K.
She shares how medicine has evolved over the years
and nursing in particular.
She speaks of how as medicine increased in knowledge and the science of things began to take precedence, that the bedside caring part of nursing became less and less important...especially when it came to those patients who were dying.
She also shares how laws came into being and how it affected the way hospital personnel were required to perform certain actions even after a patient had died.
The question you may be wondering is would I recommend this book?
I would, but with a bit of a caution.
If death is a subject that you find depressing,
I'd not recommend this book for you because she gives several instances throughout the book that occur before and after death of people she knew or patients that she had.
It isn't a morbid book or a morbid read,
but it does put the focus on death,
hence the subtitle of the book.
There's one more book in the series by Jennifer Worth titled
Letters to the Midwife that I still have in my TBR stack.
More than likely, there will be a review at some point in 2026.
I appreciate your well thought out and written reviews, Dianna. Happy Wednesday to you.
ReplyDeleteEllen, thank you so much for your encouragement when it comes to the written reviews of the books that I read. I hope your day was a good one.
DeleteI'm listening closely to your book reviews as I try to decide what two books I want to take on my trip to Ireland. Your reviews are very helpful Dianna... Thank you again for checking on me...You are such a precious friend..
ReplyDeleteShug, you are going to Ireland? That's wonderful! Will it be soon? I'm excited for you. The only place I ever wanted to go in the world was Switzerland and we've done that. My husband and I both would like to visit Scotland but at this stage in our lives, I doubt that will happen. There was a time when I loved to travel...not so much anymore though.
DeleteI'm glad that you find the book reviews that I do to be helpful. You are more than welcome for my checking on you. Thank you for your kind words. xx
I've read her other two books as well and hadn't heard of this one. I'm going to have to get this one.
ReplyDeleteMari, with all of your nursing background I know you would find this book to be very interesting. I just checked on Amazon and they do have it plus you earn points when you purchase it. I also checked Thrift Books, and they do not have it. There was a notation that not enough people show an interest in it. :)
DeleteAs a retired hospice nurse, it sounds like I would enjoy it. I can remember so many changes from the late 60s and early 70s to the present. Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteYou are most welcome for the review, my friend. I found it to be a very rewarding read. The early 50s when Jennifer was just beginning her nursing career things were what we today would call primitive. I found it interesting to hear how things were then, but also, I realized when reading it that there's so much that parallels the viewpoint of the medical field today.
DeleteMy husband and I were just talking last night about changes in medical care even in our lifetimes. This sounds interesting. I have been wary of reading her since the one "off" chapter in Call the Midwife.But it sounds like her other books are fine.
ReplyDeleteI can totally relate to your talk with your husband about how changes in the medical care world have changed even in our lifetime. My NP is one of the caring people in the medical field today. She still makes house calls to the elderly who have a hard time getting into the office, as well as patients who are terminally ill. I don't agree with everything that Jenny shares in her books, but these last two are definitely ones that I enjoyed more so than the first one. xx
DeleteIt sounds like a tough topic to write about. Nice review giving us an insight to the book. Enjoy the day.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how old Jenny was when she wrote this book, but she was born in 1935 and died in 2011. She shared so many memories in this book, so although it gave a lot of facts about how the field of medicine has changed, she also made it quite personal by sharing about people she knew...both as patients when she was nursing and others who were friends. Thanks for your kind words.
DeleteThank you for your review.
ReplyDeleteWhere would we be without caring nurses . . .
All the best Jan
I know, Jan. Caring nurses and caring physicians. My NP is one of the most caring that I know personally. She still makes house calls. That was a common practice when I was a child growing up, but not so much these days.
DeleteI've read Call the Midwife but not the others. That show is one we continue to watch.
ReplyDeleteI keep forgetting about the show until it's too late.
DeleteThis sounds like a book I would like too. I never read Call the Midwife but I did see a few episodes here and there and found it so intriguing! I hadn't expected I would like it as much as I did.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the episodes on television better than I did the actual book by that title. Our daughter is the one who had told me about the series and then she gifted me with the books by Jennifer Worth.
DeleteI believe Jennifer Worth's books are "worth" reading...I will try to find this one to add to my pile. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThere's so much to learn, isn't there? Even in the things that we find offensive there is much to learn. I'm fairly certain you can get it from Amazon. This book was SO good for me to read. I actually recommended it to my NP the last time I saw her and she was excited to read it.
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