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Call Nurse Millie
(Nurse Millie #1)
by
It's 1945 and, as the troops begin to return home, the inhabitants of London attempt to put their lives back together. For 25-year-old Millie, a qualified nurse and midwife, the jubilation at the end of the war is short-lived as she tends to the needs of the East End community around her. But while Millie witnesses tragedy and brutality in her job, she also finds strength
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Paperback, 424 pages
Published
March 1st 2013
by Orion Publishing Group
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Start your review of Call Nurse Millie (Nurse Millie #1)

I was lucky enough to be able to read a pre-published copy sent to me by Jean; 1945 and fresh out of the war torn years, we follow Millie a qualified District Nurse and mid wife while she takes her skills on to the streets of East End London, where rationing still exits, people pay for health care and friends and neighbours rally round when it really counts. If you love post war British history when everyone is recovering and getting themselves back on their feet and the way a community pulls to
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I really enjoyed this novel. It answered lots of questions about what life before the advent of the welfare state. We see the post war London through the sympathetic eyes of Queen’s Nurse, Millie - the squalor and disease that was part of everyday life for the slum dwellers. It is clear that the author has done her research, but this is no history lesson. She uses a light hand to skilfully weave historical fact/social history and a great story together in such a way that the reader is engaged an
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This novel begins just as WWII ends. It definitely is a book for fans of Call The Midwife. The novel really paints a picture of what health care was like in the 40s and it is pretty scary.
These nurses really did everything and they got little respect, and the rules and regulations they followed to have a job will make modern women shake their head.
Millie is an exceptionally good nurse who seems to have the weight of the world on her shoulders. From the very start of the book, bad things seem to ...more
These nurses really did everything and they got little respect, and the rules and regulations they followed to have a job will make modern women shake their head.
Millie is an exceptionally good nurse who seems to have the weight of the world on her shoulders. From the very start of the book, bad things seem to ...more

The author very kindly gave me the opportunity to read a pre-publication copy of this entertaining account of a Nurse's life in London immediately after the end of World War II. I hope the author will forgive me for having taken so long to read and review her novel but unfortunately life rather got in the way and I was unable to read it as soon as I had hoped. The follow up All Change for Nurse Millie is due for publication next February and I plan to read it as soon as it is released if I can.
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Right from the beginning, I found myself engrossed in this fascinating, well-written book. I am an incredible fan of historical fiction, and this was from a time period of which I knew very little--post WWII. It also takes place in England, and I was grateful for my knowledge of "English" phrases. I may have struggled to understand some of the terms otherwise.
I completely fell in love with Millie. I was very grateful that the author did not make this a fairy-tale story with everyone living happi ...more
I completely fell in love with Millie. I was very grateful that the author did not make this a fairy-tale story with everyone living happi ...more

This story begins in the East End of London, 1945 as peace is declared and just as Millie's father passes away.
Young district nurse Millie has to juggle the challenges of a district nurse in the East End of London and caring for her mother, whose mental health has deteriorated since the death of her father.
Millie meets the handsome Alex and romance blossoms. She then begins to wonder about who Alex really is. When all is revealed and Millie can relax, Alex proposes to her, but their romance does ...more
Young district nurse Millie has to juggle the challenges of a district nurse in the East End of London and caring for her mother, whose mental health has deteriorated since the death of her father.
Millie meets the handsome Alex and romance blossoms. She then begins to wonder about who Alex really is. When all is revealed and Millie can relax, Alex proposes to her, but their romance does ...more

Having read Jean Fullerton's Victorian East End novels, I was thrilled to be asked by the author to read the wartime-set 'Call Nurse Millie'. Not a natural follower of 'Call the Midwife' type books, but confident of Ms Fullerton's skill, I settled down to read it.
Completely immersed in the book's world, I was pedalling Millie's bicycle with her, hands freezing, and treading warily with her as she visited the miserable conditions people survived in. I admired her calm sense in dealing with all t ...more
Completely immersed in the book's world, I was pedalling Millie's bicycle with her, hands freezing, and treading warily with her as she visited the miserable conditions people survived in. I admired her calm sense in dealing with all t ...more

Jun 19, 2013
Julie Cohen
added it
Addictive and enjoyable, with a plucky heroine and totally convincing portrayal of district nursing in the post-war East End of London. Looking forward to the sequel.

Jean Fullerton paints a vivid picture of life in post-war London in her enchanting and engrossing saga, Call Nurse Millie.
Sister Millie Sullivan was looking forward to celebrating the end of the Second World War. However, her happiness was short-lived when her beloved father died suddenly on VE day. Juggling the demands of her challenging job as a district nurse in one of London’s poorest areas with caring for her grieving mother Doris is not easy, but Millie knows that she must not let her own ...more
Sister Millie Sullivan was looking forward to celebrating the end of the Second World War. However, her happiness was short-lived when her beloved father died suddenly on VE day. Juggling the demands of her challenging job as a district nurse in one of London’s poorest areas with caring for her grieving mother Doris is not easy, but Millie knows that she must not let her own ...more

It’s 1945, and the Second World War is over, but for 25 year old Millie Sullivan, her life as a qualified nurse and midwife in the East End of London is as busy as ever. Together with her nurse colleagues at Munroe House Nurse’s Home, Millie witnesses her share of tragedy and yet her determined spirit sees her though the harsh reality of living through some tough circumstances. The indomitable spirit of the people who inhabit the overcrowded streets and the bomb damaged buildings of the East End
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CALL NURSE MILLIE by Jean Fullerton is an interesting Post WW2/Historical Fiction set in 1945 England. Fast paced story of midwives during post WW2 in East London. Follow 25 year old nurse Millie and her friends on a journey of not only discovery but one of compassion,misery,tragedy, camaraderie,unbelievable kindness and love. If you enjoy learning more of nurses,the nursing career during the 1900′s, than “Call Nurse Millie” is the book for you. If you watch the TV series on PBS,”Call the Midwif
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This was a wonderful down to earth story. It is just after world war two. People are still suffering the aftermath of war. Rationing still rears its head, still having to pay for healthcare which is extremely difficult for many people who are poor and have no means of financial support. Enter Millie she is a nurse/midwife in the poorer side of town and the author Jean Fullerton takes you on a memorable and bumpy ride similar to the bike and travels Millie has in her job. Millie jumps on her bike
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Ms Fullerton did a wonderful job of capturing the language and setting of post-war London. The characters who populate the stories, and there are many of them in this book, are all well developed and interesting, whether they are people you sympathize with or not. Everyone is moving in a fast changing environment that they don’t understand and some cope better than others.
Anyone who thinks the United Kingdom today is as it has always been should read this book and get an up close and personal lo ...more
Anyone who thinks the United Kingdom today is as it has always been should read this book and get an up close and personal lo ...more

This is the first Jean Fullerton book I've read and it definitely won't be the last. I'm a big family saga fan because they're about ordinary people doing ordinary things. 'Call Nurse Millie' is a good example of this genre - working class girl strives against circumstances to reach her goals and aspirations. Set in the East End of London immediately after WWII, Millie is a midwife cum district nurse who must overcome all the limitations of pre-NHS Britain. I found the research behind the story
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I took Call Nurse Millie to read on the train to and from Oxford yesterday and finished it this morning. I have enjoyed all Jean Fullerton's Victorian books and was looking forward to this postwar nursing book. I wasn't disappointed. I loved it and can honestly say it brought tears to my eyes on more than once occasion.
The author's attention to historical and medical detail, wonderful characters and gripping story line make this a must read book.
If you enjoyed 'Call the Midwife' you'll love this ...more
The author's attention to historical and medical detail, wonderful characters and gripping story line make this a must read book.
If you enjoyed 'Call the Midwife' you'll love this ...more

May 24, 2013
Sarah
marked it as to-read
17th June 2013
Received a free copy today as part of a first reads giveaway I am still reading another giveaway book at the moment but will read and review as soon as possible.
Thank you for this giveaway.
Received a free copy today as part of a first reads giveaway I am still reading another giveaway book at the moment but will read and review as soon as possible.
Thank you for this giveaway.

good read. realistic characters. faithful to attitudes of the time, clinical details accurate. life in the "nurses home" reflected my experiences - albeit decades later. good read. fast read. lost love found love ethical challenges divided loyalties are all here
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A nice quick, light read. Ideal for fans of 'Call the Midwife'. Lovely period details.
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This is another wonderful book by Jean Fullerton. I really liked the feel of the book and the characters in the East End of London. Millie comes across as a loveable character who really cares for her patients and her Mum.
There is sadness in the book, when she calls off her wedding to look after her sick mum and you are left wondering if she will find true love by the end of the book. There is also joy when the local community help her by caring for her mum and fighting to help her keep her job. ...more
There is sadness in the book, when she calls off her wedding to look after her sick mum and you are left wondering if she will find true love by the end of the book. There is also joy when the local community help her by caring for her mum and fighting to help her keep her job. ...more

Will have to say, it's truly surprised me to have all the midwife books be my go to books ...
Thanks to an 88 year old neighbor ... who could never part with any ..... gifting me them by the bags full ....
not easy books to find.... some charity shops.... so truly grateful... ...more
Thanks to an 88 year old neighbor ... who could never part with any ..... gifting me them by the bags full ....
not easy books to find.... some charity shops.... so truly grateful... ...more
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I was born into a large, East End family and grew up in the overcrowded streets clustered around the Tower of London. I still live in East London, just five miles from where I was born. I feel that it is that my background that gives my historical East London stories their distinctive authenticity.
I first fell in love with history at school when I read Anya Seton’s book Katherine. Since then I hav ...more
I first fell in love with history at school when I read Anya Seton’s book Katherine. Since then I hav ...more
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