2.5 starsThis wasn't as interesting as Worth's earlier books, I was quite bored for the most part. There were only a few sections that I found truly engrossing.-What's what: Jenny's memoirs as a nurse in the fifties/sixties. Focused mainly around her observations on patients, family, illness, and death.-The writing was a bit too preachy and religious at times. -There were a few too many chapters filled with uninteresting info dumps, it felt like I was reading a textbook rather than a memoir.-Pre...

I had two reasons for choosing to read a book about death so close to Christmas and the start of a new year. The first is because my family has been hit hard in the past year and a half by death. Last October we lost my grandmother, the following month my mother passed away, both were sudden and rather unexpected deaths, and then this past October my grandfather died two months after suffering a serious stroke. So it hasn't been an easy year and I had hopes I might get some comfort by reading th...

Memories of a nurse who worked with dying patients. Also a brief, but thoughtful history of the hospice movement. A small bio on Elizabeth Kubler-Ross who wrote 'On Death and Dying' which was one of the most influential books of my youth. I must revisit it!Jennifer Worth is the author of the beloved 'Call the Midwife" trilogy and this book is just as fascinating. I have not had a literal cry while reading a book in many years. The beautiful little story on page 80 did me in.This is by far the mo...

I'm getting closer to knowing my mind about an Advanced Directive. Not often does a book change my mind, but this one did. End of life issues aren't the most popular dinner party topic, but I'd love to talk this through with more friends. We began such a discussion recently. I said, with a bit of tease in my voice, "Curt (my husband) doesn't want *any* measures taken at *any* time." A wit looked at Curt replied, "Oh, so if you are choking on a cherry pit, we'll not take any measures." A few days...

Jennifer Worth was one bloody hell of a good writer and storyteller. It's hard to say enough good things about this and her other books. So I'll be brief: just read them!

I cried my eyes out while reading this book! It discusses one of the most important issues that we will all face - death. How do you want to die? Do we have a choice? What is the role of modern medicine? Have societal views of death and people who dying changed because of modern medicine? While taking me through various case studies, the book challenged my views of 'dying with dignity', euthanasia, resuscitation...It asks many provocative questions. For example, is it ethical to save a life of a...

Not a novel, more a series of essays on dying. Some are recollections, some more Jennifer's thoughts on the process of dying. Her main point is that in the 'good old days' you were allowed to die quietly at home in bed, death was understood to be what happened at the end of life & professionals had more wriggle room to think about the quality of life of those who were near death & take that into account in their treatment. She contrasts this with current practice which is more about avoiding bei...

I loved this book, it’s made me look at life and death in a different way - definitely well worth a read

“In The Midst Of Life” is every bit as thought-provoking as Worth’s three “Call The Midwife” books. On the whole I thought it darker and more chilling because though we almost invariably welcome birth, our present day society still largely manages to maintain a taboo on discussing death and exploring the issues that we may anticipate surrounding our own death. Might this be in part due to society’s loss of the reassurance and rituals instilled by a well-rooted and informed religious faith; and/o...

A wonderful, beautifully written , and in my opinion, life-enhancing book on the subject of how we treat the dying, and attitudes towards death, by the author of the Call the Midwife books. Jennifer Worth herself died of cancer in the year following publication of this book, and as the Guardian obituary said: 'She met her last illness with courage. Jennifer was determined to put into practice the ideas that she wrote about in her last book, In the Midst of Life (2010) – namely, the absolute dign...

I'm reading two Jennifer Worth books right now. This book, unlike the other one is brilliantly written. Worth was clever with words. Simple ones, no witty turns of phrase or unique synonyms, but unusually perceptive writing of a very ordinary kind. In other words, very easy reading but not lacking depth.However, it's awfully depressing. It's all about people who have decided to die and medical science won't let them. People who do die and not necessarily peacefully. Hospices, drugs and more peop...

3,5 stars

This book is a thought provoking and heart rending look at how we deal with death and dying in England. We are so afraid of death (which many spiritual seekers see as a gateway into the next 'chapter' of our eternal existence)that we hold on to so-called life beyond any quality or self-determination. Jennifer Worth has exposed our cultural spiritual poverty and how we seek to avoid the inevitable via legislation and technology. I am totally opposed to euthanasia in any form but there has to be c...

What an eye-opener!!! It is more than simply a collection of stories about people dying, but it raises much debate on our attitudes towards death - that as a society we have come to reject the idea that death is a natural order of life. There are so many cases of people being kept alive, who under normal circumstances would 'slip away peacefully'. There are some pretty harrowing cases too - of people literally being pulled back from the brink of death who then go on to suffer a slow and painful

A year of illness, a near-miss with cancer, and major surgery prompted me to question what I believed about death, dying, and the after-life. I had noticed references to this book by Jennifer Worth, and I was already impressed with her compassion, faith, and sensible approach to suffering. At this point, the book is out of print, but I was able to obtain a copy from a used book site. Worth's lesser known book is not as evenly written as her nursing memoirs. Some passages soar and others drag. Sh...

A well written and thoughtful book about a subject that is still a taboo in our society - death and dying. Makes the very valid and true point that so much of medicine these days is defensive medicine - i.e. Treatment given not because it's in the best interest of the patient but so that they don't get sued later down the track for not having done everything possible to keep someone alive, even if that means the patient dying in pain in hospital rather than in peace at home, or living in pain an...

HAVE YOU MADE A LIVING WILL/ADVANCE DIRECTIVE?HAVE YOU TOLD ALL THOSE CLOSE TO YOU WHAT YOUR WISHES ARE IN THE FACE OF A MEDICAL EMERGENCY?That is the essential message of this book, that and raising awareness of the discussion our society needs to have about our current obsession with prolonging life at all costs.The author was a nurse for many years, and the book contains some gruesome descriptions of old people whose lives have been prolonged through medical intervention - people who have spe...

This is an interesting book about death, full of anecdotes and discussions of the issues about death. If you are familiar with Jennifer Worth's "Call the Midwife" series, then you will know what to expect.However, the author blew it for me at the end when she briefly tried to summarize and defeat the views of atheists about death. Maybe she didn't know any atheists, or didn't talk to any, so she didn't know that atheists may have different views about death. Certainly what she put in her book di...

My, oh my, what a beautiful book. 2015 has been a wonderful year reading-wise, since I’ve had the joy of reading all of Jennifer Worth’s books (well, most of them anyway – other than one on eczema and food allergies). This was yet another fantastic book by her and unfortunately her final one. It was about death and dying and very thought-provoking. I just realized that I’ve been reading quite a few books on death as well, not that I mind at all. Most people don’t like to talk about death, yet we...

Jennifer Worth, of Call the Midwife fame, moves from her nursing experiences at the beginning of life to working with dying patients. Through the very poignant personal stories, she examines what makes for a good death and what impedes it, while adding some wonderfully luminous insights of her own. Clearly on a mission, she constantly asks how valid is medical intervention, especially with patients who are already terminal. This takes on a much more personal turn at the end of the book as she di...