Book Review of THE MIDWIFE'S APPRENTICE

Bibliography:

Cushman, Karen. 1995. The midwife’s apprentice. New York: HarperTrophy.
ISBN 006440630X


Plot Summary:

The Midwife’s Apprentice is the story of a young girl who has no family, no home, and no name. After seeking shelter in a dung heap, the girl is discovered and taken in by the midwife Jane who calls the girl Beetle and gives her work in exchange for food and shelter. Over the months, Beetle makes a place for herself; adopts a cat; discovers she has some midwife skills; and names herself Alyce. Alyce helps to deliver the Miller’s baby and is proud of her accomplishment; however, when faced with a difficult delivery, the girl fails and runs away. She starts a new life as an “inn girl” whose only responsibilities are to sweep and to do other chores around the inn. One day she helps a guest deliver a baby. This action provides her with options for her future - remain at the inn, become a companion for an old woman, or become a nanny for the baby she delivered. As she ponders her choices, Alyce discovers that she wants to be a midwife, so she returns to Jane to be her apprentice.


Critical Analysis:

As stated on the back cover of The Midwife’s Apprentice, Karen Cushman “grew up hearing about kings, princes, generals, and presidents. (She) wanted to know what life was like for ordinary young people in other times”. Through her novel, The Midwife’s Apprentice, Cushman has taken her own desire and created a work of historical fiction that allows her readers to do just that. This Newbery Award winning book transports readers back to medieval England to discover the story of Alyce. In the process, they are able to glimpse what it would have been like to live in England long ago. The introduction of a young protagonist, the theme of self discovery, and the intertwining of historical information with a tale of growing up all draw readers in to the story of The Midwife’s Apprentice and allow them to “experience” medieval life for themselves.

Karen Cushman’s selection of a young girl protagonist who is a poor, nameless, homeless orphan presents a side of medieval England that is not often depicted in historical fiction - the brutal, struggle for survival faced by the poorest members of society. Cushman allows her readers to learn that not everyone’s life was surrounded by knights, fair maidens, and feasts. Instead, people struggled to meet basic needs of shelter and food. This basic struggle is evident from the first page when the reader is introduced to the main character “burrowed deep into the warm, rotting muck” of the dung heap in order to stay warm through the night (page 1). The reader can picture (and smell) the scene and sympathy forms for this girl. Cushman continues to include such details throughout the story. For example, when Beetle/Alyce goes to the fair for Jane, she admires a comb at the merchant’s booth. The merchant gives it to her, and “Beetle stood breathless for fear someone would snatch it back. Never had she owned anything except for her raggedy clothes and occasional turnips . . .” (page 30). Most children today have more toys then they know what to do with it; however, Cushman so vividly relays how Beetle feels as she receives her first gift that readers can empathize with the character. By including small details such as these, the author makes the main character very lifelike and likeable. Even though Alyce’s experiences vary dramatically from their own, children will be able to relate to her and root for her as she struggles to find her way in a difficult world.

In addition to creating a believable, likeable main character, Cushman has woven a tale that talks about the timeless theme of self-discovery. It doesn’t matter when in history a person lives. All individuals must grow up and discover who they are. The author allows the reader to be a part of Beetle’s self discovery as she moves from a nameless girl who “dreamed of nothing, for she hoped for nothing and expected nothing” (page 2) to the more confident young lady who, on the last page, tells the midwife, “It is I, Alyce, your apprentice. . . I can do what you tell me and take what you give me, and I know how to try and risk and fail and try again and not give up.” (117). All teenagers must make this transition, and Alyce’s discovery of herself as a person worthy of a name and capable of being a midwife encourages young readers that they, too, can find their way in the world. By revealing Alyce’s changing view of herself, the author touches the part of each person who has undergone or is undergoing the process of self-discovery that is a part of growing up.

Although The Midwife’s Apprentice is a short book, Karen Cushman intertwines the story and the historical information in such a way that the story casts a spell on its readers. The historical information is not artificially inserted; rather, it is an integral part of the story. For instance when telling about one of Alyce’s first midwife visits with Jane, the author describes the basket Beetle carried “with the clean linen, ragwort and columbine to seeds to speed the birth, cobwebs for stanching blood, bryony and wooly nightshade to cleanse and comfort the mother . . .” (page 13). Readers are captivated by the unusual items and their use. As they continue to read, they learn more about medieval midwifery and of how differently childbirth and medical practices were viewed, but Cushman has so expertly integrated this information in the story that the reader is not aware of all the information that he is learning. Instead, the reader is enjoying the writing itself.

Karen Cushman’s accurate depiction of a young girl’s struggle to survive and grow up in medieval England is so captivating that it is no wonder this book received the 1996 Newbery Medal. By writing about Alyce’s difficult life, Cushman provides a glimpse in to a world that is very unlike our own. However, she so vividly describes this world that we feel as if we are experiencing it along with Alyce. This ability to draw readers in to another time enables today’s children to learn about different historical periods in an entertaining manner and will prompt them to read other historical fiction in the future.


Review Excerpts:

1996 Newbery Award winner
ALA’s Notable Children’s Book, 1996
ALA’s Best Book for Young Adults, 1996
Young Reader’s Choice Award winner, 1998

School Library Journal (May 1995) - “With simplicity, wit, and humor, Cushman presents another tale of medieval England. Here readers follow the satisfying, literal and figurative journey of a homeless, nameless child called Brat, who might be 12 or 13 - no one really knows. . . Characters are sketched briefly but with telling, witty detail, and the very scents and sounds of the land and people's occupations fill each page as Alyce comes of age and heart. Earthy humor, the foibles of humans both high and low, and a fascinating mix of superstition and genuinely helpful herbal remedies attached to childbirth make this a truly delightful introduction to a world seldom seen in children's literature.”

Booklist (March 1995) - “Like Cushman's 1994 Newbery Honor Book, Catherine, Called Birdy, this novel is about a strong, young woman in medieval England who finds her own way home. Of course, it's a feminist story for the 1990s, but there's no anachronism. This is a world, like Chaucer's, that's neither sweet nor fair; it's rough, dangerous, primitive, and raucous. Cushman writes with a sharp simplicity and a pulsing beat. From the first page you're caught by the spirit of the homeless, nameless waif, somewhere around 12 years old. . . Kids will like this short, fast-paced narrative about a hero who discovers that she's not ugly or stupid or alone.”


Connections:

Discuss the point in the story in which Alyce runs away from the midwife’s house after her failure to deliver a baby (page 67-71). What other options did Alyce have? What would you have done? How would the story have changed if Alyce had remained with the midwife?


Read CATHERINE, CALLED BIRDY by Karen Cushman (ISBN 0060739428) and compare the two female protagonists. How are the two characters different and similar?


Read two books about boys who lived in medieval England. Compare the male protagonists. What conflicts are they facing? How are they alike and different? How are these protagonists different from Alyce? Were boys and girls treated differently? If so, in what ways?

Avi. CRISPIN: THE CROSS OF LEAD. ISBN 9780786816583

De Angeli, Marguerite. DOOR IN THE WALL. ISBN 9780440227793


Talk about superstitions and the role they played in the Middle Ages. Have students identify superstitions included in the book. Discuss superstitions that people have today. Read:

Huges, Mary. POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. ISBN 0791051722

Lord, Suzanne. SUPERSTITIONS. ISBN 0896865126


Read EYEWITNESS GUIDE: MEDIEVAL LIFE by Andrew Langley (ISBN 0751347477) to learn more about life in England during the Middle Ages.