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ReviewCall the midwife - a radfem jewel!
I have just discovered this long-running BBC series, but couldn't find anyone talking about it here?? Unless the search bar failed me.
Two (rather long and very intense) episodes in and I'm hooked. It's absolutely and delightfully radfem because it shows the historical truth of women's conditions and the of maternity before legal abortions or the pill. Fantastic actors and so many different great women (and some men I wanted to slap)!
It is based on the diaries of a midwife in a poor district of London in the late fifties, and it realistically covers many topics like
(Edit to add it's obviously very emotionally intense and could be triggering, even if no episode is purely negative)
The books are great, too . . .
Already ordered them and I plan to suggest it for our feminist book club!
I still can't believe I didn't hear about this masterpiece before becoming pregnant myself...
Yes, the series is great. My daughter decided to become a midwife after watching!
Everyone raved about this so I tried it, but found it utterly depressing , so I quit after the first episode. I also get tired of childbirth scenes.
Yes it is not easy to watch, that's for certain. Thank you for your feedback!
The show is really really great, yes. Well, I've only seen the first couple seasons, and those were just fantastic.
Also highly recommend the books.
I love this show. Whenever I've watched it, I can't help but think the women portrayed in it often have better maternal health care than women in the US today.
That's really sad but unfortunately true... I don't think you could get all that care, including C-sections, for free in the US today.
My mom and grandma have highly recommended it but I still haven't gotten around to watching it
It really is fabulous. Of course, the books are better but the show is really good. At least the first few seasons. I admit I got bored and stopped watching after Jenny left and the show wasn’t based on the memoirs anymore.
Ah, but there are some great characters that come in after Jenny that are worth watching. Nurse Crane is so worth sticking it out for! And Emerald Fennell is always great.
Oh I didn't know she left at some point, thanks for the heads up! I will be reading the books too given what y'all said 🤩
It’s great! Sister Monica Joan is my absolute favorite, and I want to be just like her when I’m old! But I love that it’s a show that is all about women taking care of women. They tackle historically accurate women’s health, misogyny, racism, classism, WLW in secret, etc. Of course there are asshole fathers, and the doctor is kind of annoying, but overall it’s a great show. Not overly religious for anyone worried about that.