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Nurse Millie #2

All Change for Nurse Millie

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London, 1948 and the nurses of the East End are getting ready for an eventful time ahead...

Millie is settling into married life with her husband, MP Jim Smith, and is trying to balance her duties as a wife with her nursing duties to the people of the East End.

Swept up in the expectations that go hand in hand with Jim's blossoming political career, Millie begins to wonder how much longer she'll be able to continue in the job she loves. Her patients need a nurse and midwife, but who needs Millie more? And in the end, will the decision even be hers to make?

When a familiar face from the past makes an appearance, and shady secrets from her home life come to light, it's all change for Nurse Millie. But will she get the happy ending that she deserves?

'Charming and full of detail about the work of a nurse in 1940s London, you will ride emotional highs and lows with each new birth and death. Beautifully written with some sharp dialogue' The Lady

416 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 13, 2014

34 people are currently reading
89 people want to read

About the author

Jean Fullerton

30 books198 followers
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 have read everything I can about English history but I am particularly fascinated by the 18th and 19th century and my books are set in this period. I just love my native city and the East End in particular which is why I write stories to bring that vibrant area of London alive.

I am also passionate about historical accuracy and I enjoy researching the details almost as much as weaving the story. If one of my characters walks down a street you can be assured that that street actually existed. Take a look at Jean’s East End and see the actual location where my characters played out their stories.

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5 stars
317 (69%)
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100 (22%)
3 stars
29 (6%)
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
Profile Image for Yvonne Walton.
73 reviews
February 23, 2019
Dieselblackcat

A couple of days ago I looked to see what her next book was and bought the next two. I hope that tells you how good these books are. This one ended on a happy note and I’m glad as I think Millie needs some happier times.
Profile Image for Sam Still Reading.
1,638 reviews66 followers
July 13, 2014
I was really happy to see that there was a second Nurse Millie book after finishing Call Nurse Millie earlier this year. Millie had more than her fair share of scrapes in the first book, but it was still a fascinating look at London and nursing post World War II. I was hoping for more of the same in All Change for Nurse Millie, but was crossing my fingers that things would be a bit happier for poor Millie this time around. Not all of my wishes came true – it is an exciting time again at Munroe House as the nurses meet the challenge of the new National Health Service but Millie gets put through the wringer again in ways I’d never considered. It does make for action packed reading though!

The book opens as Millie and new husband Jim are both preparing for major changes in their lives – Jim plans to campaign for to be a MP for the Labour Party and Millie is hard at work preparing for the start of the NHS. Both are very busy, especially as Millie’s patients realise free health care is actually…free and Jim’s got a lot of people to wine and dine. They don’t see all that much of each other and a lot of Jim’s dinners end up in the rubbish. On the weekends, Millie supports her husband on the campaign trail, but then she begins to learn things about Jim that she really doesn’t like – a hotel tells Millie they’ve found her lost earring, but Millie was never there… Then Millie finds out she’s pregnant. Will she turn a blind eye or try to work through her problems?

If you know Millie, you know that she’s not afraid to meet things head on, whether it be her nursing superintendent or her husband. But this book sees Millie making decisions that are incredibly strong for a woman of her time, despite all and sundry telling her she’s mad. It reflects some of the attitudes of the time – it’s ‘okay’ to put up with a husband that hits you, as long as it’s not ‘too often’ (the definition of often is contrasted in two different cases of abuse), sexuality and infidelity. There are also plenty of light moments, mainly relating to Millie’s nursing – there’s a patient who insists on borrowing all of Munroe House’s equipment, just because it’s free (and rubber sheets are so useful for putting over holes in the roof). There are also some heartbreaking moments Millie sees at work, again reflecting the attitudes towards disability at the time and class divides.

Even though Millie experiences a lot of hardship in this novel, she meets it with a stiff upper lip and a determination not to let gossip get to her. There’s a particularly astonishing phone call she makes that seals her fate but she’s also rewarded by the return of a familiar character. Jean Fullerton has the ability to make positives out of the negatives, so Millie does get her happily ever after – I just hope it lasts longer than the one at the end of the first book!

My only quibble with this book was there were less nursing stories because of Millie’s pregnancy. But it’s a minor thing and opens up a whole new chapter of the expectations of women in the late 1940s/early 1950s. I hope there’s another adventure in Millie or three, this book is wonderfully nostalgic and perfect for those in Call the Midwife withdrawal.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
Profile Image for Xondra Day.
Author 46 books159 followers
January 10, 2018
*Book 2 in a series, but can easily be read on its own*

First, totally not what I expected in a good way!

What I was expecting was the typical British post war story that would be about life as a nurse and struggling a little to get through difficult times. Ah, no! What we have is a story about Millie who leads a complicated life and how she copes. Millie is a strong, determined woman. I liked her. I like this authors writing style. I will most likely pick up the first book in the series now that I have read the second.
11 reviews1 follower
May 22, 2021
Another good nurse Millie book

Following on from the first book this was another good read and I am looking forward to the next. The story lines are good and reflect the era accurately it is a shame that there are so many errors that no one has corrected which makes it annoying when reading.
Profile Image for Jacqueline Somers.
1 review
June 24, 2020
Very enjoyable book. It paints a good picture of life in the east end after the war years, and the way life was changing. I have also read the first book in the series and the next one is lined up. I can recommend this author to others who enjoy a good read
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
158 reviews
September 11, 2020
Excellent read.

Another first class read. Have enjoyed reading all three in this series and can’t wait to read the next series.
86 reviews2 followers
March 22, 2021
Nice easy read. Good bedtime story. A bit of a twist on the classic boy meets girl
Profile Image for Anne Harvey.
393 reviews18 followers
October 21, 2016
Having just read ‘Wedding Bells for Nurse Connie’ I thought it was time to catch up with Nurse Millie’s story. I should, of course, have read this one first, but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of it. Millie is settling down to married life with prospective MP, Jim Smith, and coping with the new National Health Service. On the face of it, everything seems wonderful but Millie soon finds out that Jim is not all that he seems. His unexplained absences, a fondness for drink, the ease with which he lies, all begin to take their toll, especially after their child, Patricia, is born. Added to which, her first love, Alex Nolan, is now back in England after a stint of working in Palestine. To resolve all her problems, Millie needs to be resolute in her determination to make a new life for herself and Patricia, despite widespread condemnation of her behaviour. There is no doubt that Jean Fullerton achieves this easily, her characterisation is spot-on (I hated Jim!). She captures the East End of London family life and the lives of her patients so well, I felt I came to know them. Occasionally, I found myself thinking I’ve read this before, then I realised that I’d read the same scenes but from Connie’s point of view. Very clever!
Profile Image for Carol W.
215 reviews125 followers
March 5, 2014
Nurse Millie is newly married to Jim who is running a campaign to become local MP in their London Constituancy. Starting a family is on hold, which does not worry Millie as she is dedicated to her nursing career.

As Jim's campaign gains momentum, he pushes Millie to give up her career as a nurse, but as Jim is not quite the doting husband, Millie has some big decisions to make.

The author, who has nursing experience, goes into some great detail about life as a district nurse in the East End of London just as big changes are happening with the introduction of the NHS. It was fascinating reading about the changes from the nursing point of view. A great insight into social history in England post WW2.

Oh my goodness, this is such a good read. Although the blurb says that this is a sequel, it can easily be read as a stand alone, or you could read this first and then Call Nurse Millie as the prequel. This will appeal to fans of Call the Midwife and historical romance fans.

5 star read!
review copy
330 reviews14 followers
January 19, 2016
I enjoyed this book, but it was hard going at times. I liked the stories of Millie' s district nurse patients and found it to be rather like call the midwife in that way. The main character, Millie, certainty goes through a lot of hard times and in the space of only a few years she has every problem possible thrown at her. The descriptions of the area are wonderful and make you feel as if you know it well, it is obviously well researched. What slightly spoils it for me is the fact that I spotted several errors that the editors missed and that the style of writing isn't really for me. After enjoying and getting into a portion of the story the next paragraph jumps to another time and place often a few days later, I found this very confusing and had to re-read sections to grasp what was happening.
Profile Image for LindyLouMac.
1,013 reviews79 followers
January 21, 2016
I first discovered this author in 2011 and have kept up with her writing since then. Her latest novels are an excellent well researched series about nursing in post WWII in London. As well as finding them interesting from a historical point of view, I have found them to contain characters that one is drawn to and a realistic picture of life in the years after the war. Changing times for the country generally and professionally for nurses and the women who worked in the profession. So much more than just a romance and I recommend this series to anyone that enjoys social history in general and nursing stories in particular. Fans of 'Call The Midwife' take note!

http://lindyloumacbookreviews.blogspo...
Profile Image for Janice .
691 reviews8 followers
February 2, 2017
I read this on the kindle

This is a great book it has you gripped all the way through so much I had to finish this so was reading until nearly 2am

This continues with Millie's story she has Married the Honourable James Smith who without spoiling it as you read you can guess what he like

Alex Norton comes back to the area, then you have the other people & nurses with bits of their story going along as well as Millie's family

I highly recomend this book it part of a series starting with Call Nurse Millie so it is best to read from the beginning

If you like Call the Midwife then you will enjoy this it set before that era & from the end of WW2 in book 1
89 reviews6 followers
April 6, 2015
I really enjoyed this book and was lovely reading more about Nurse Millie after reading and thoroughly enjoying Call Nurse Millie. A lovely story with some lovely characters and some heartwarming and sad moments. Was interesting learning about the start of the NHS and nursing/midwifery in the late 40's. Would definitely recommend this book to friends.
1 review
April 9, 2016
A book to remember..

I chose this book because I was a nurse before I retired and it brings back nice memories ,I enjoyed it very much ,I could not put it down I am looking forward to reading her next book.
Profile Image for J Willoughby.
17 reviews
July 15, 2016
A follow on from previous Nurse Millie boojs

This is a good gentle read especially good if you have an interest in early nursing and the setting up of the nhs.
The down side is that there a a number of grammatical errors where words have been mistyped.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews

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