Customer Reviews

Midwife's Apprentice

5 star:		(62)
4 star:		(56)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This slim novel begins with a scrawny young girl sleeping in a dung heap. The heroine, who is nameless as well as homeless, uses the dung for heat, a decision that Jane Sharp, the town's midwife, recognizes as a clever one. Jane hires the girl and names her Beetle, for dung beetle.

Beetle is a smart, compassionate girl, but a timid one, too. She allows Jane Sharp to boss her around and the local boys to tease her mercilessly.

Karen Cushman chose the England of the Middle Ages as a setting for the book, and has researched the subject exhaustively. We learn about village life, medicine, feudal structure, and the place of women in that society. Most enjoyable to follow is Beetle's progress from a scared, meek little girl to a self-assured young woman who has chosen her own name: Alyce.

While not romanticizing Alyce's situation, Cushman makes it clear how much more is available to her than to upper class women of her time. At the end of the book, Alyce chooses her own future from several options. She selects the life that will allow her the most independence. With a name and a career of her own choosing, Alyce has come far indeed from the dung heap.

I was very taken with this story. This tale follows the trials and tribulations of a young girl (Beetle) in early medieval times. Finding herself apprenticed to the local midwife, the girl learns the tricks of the trade, even while gaining a little more wit and confidence in herself. The heroine is ignorant at the beginning and, quite realistically, does not suddenly end the book with a head full of knowledge and wisdom in everything she does. The arc of this book is especially remarkable. Following Beetle's successful delivering of a calf she also manages to deliver a baby to a poor woman that the official midwife left. Interestingly, this doesn't mean that Beetle is suddenly endowed with perfect midwifing abilities. Failing to deliver another child, she must rely on her mentor once again, crushing her burgeoning ego. The moral, that nothing is easy and that you must work at what you want, is a good one.

There were some slightly odd moments in the book. The midwife is described as being an envious/jealous type who cannot abide the notion of having a rival. Yet she is overheard later in the book, almost praising the girl's abilities. Still, this is a small quibble. I enjoyed reading about the girl's progress. It would be wonderfully paired with "Crispin: The Cross of Lead". Both stories follow ignorant orphans who learn a new profession and end their stories by going into the respective honest professions they desire. The time periods are not far off either. This book may or may not read aloud well. I don't know. There are some touchy moments (the near rape of Beetle by drunken boys, the midwife's affair with the baker, the well described births) that might make the squeamish (or their parents) uncomfortable. Nonetheless, I found this an important book and one worth remembering.

So often in modern fictional literature, the medieval age has been glamorized into a beautiful, romantic time. But this book is here to tell a grittier and more accurate story. Life was dirty, smelly, hard and short, especially if you weren't upper class. Those are the facts, there was happiness, sure, but it wasn't wrapped up in a tidy package.

Our heroine, (eventually self-named Alyce) is homeless and has only herself to depend on, until the midwife takes her in. It's not a gesture of kindess, but rather business sense. Jane the midwife can use Alyce for hard labor, and pay her with meager portions of food and a roof over her head. Alyce is a smart gal, even though she originally can't read or write, (very common if you were a peasant) and she learns the business, despite her 'boss' trying to keep her ignorant as to avoid eventual competion.

In the meantime, Alyce endears herself to the majority of the village, though it wasn't overnight, trust me. Her best friend is her cat purr, whom sticks with her through thick and thin. There is a village boy Jack who at first makes her life a living hell, but becomes a friend, and probably a potential love interest someday. (But that's just a guess, and the romantic in me talkng.)

I won't give any more away about the plot, and trust me, there's a lot more to it than that. It's a simple, human story, about a not so pretty once upon a time. I first read it when I was twelve, and it's been a favorite every since. It's about starting with nothing, and making a path for yourself. I wouldn't mind having half Alyce's pluck, myself.

While I believe that Karen Cushman's first book, Catherine, Called Birdy, is a better book, this novel has considerable merit. Cushman makes no effort to glamorize the Middle Ages, as many writers do. Her account is realistic and thought-provoking. In response to another viewer, who stated that this book should be avoided - "I think, in a time when our youth are struggling to find a healthy self-image and healthy relationships with others, this is a book that should be avoided" - I think this reviewer really doesn't see the larger picture. This is how life was, and I think teenagers do not want their literature to lie to them. Life isn't always pretty. Not all the people who lived in the Middle Ages had money, or even morals. That is true today as well. I think a young adult reader is capable of reaching a conclusion about a character's motives and morals without our help. More than anything else, this book will really teach readers about REAL history.

Unlike BIRDY, this book is not written in diary form or even the first person, but it is just as delightful, presenting us with a gutsy young girl in the harsh Middle Ages. Alhtough she's a social outcast, homeless, nameless Beetle makes her personal pilgrimage to a useful occupation and the discovery of her self worth.

This unlikely heroine from the muck of society acquires skills to survive, chooses a new name, and discovers her own personal value as she struggles against the callous villagers and a real midwife whose tongue is as sharp as her name. Despite her employer's brutal treatment, Alyce acquires the civilizing touch of humanity, as she is gradually accepted into the life of her new village. She shows compassion toward animals, helps a stray waif of a boy and ingeniously bests "the Devil" himself when he causes an uproar in the village.

What's in a name? Well, for Alyce, it is a new persona, to matter to other people, to Belong at last. This is a clever and well-written tale which will amuse readers of all ages. It's a shame that Alyce can never meet her literary cousin, who started life as CATHERINE, but was CALLED BIRDY.

Although I can't honestly say that it was as good as " Catherine, Called Birdy ", " The Midwife's Apprentice " was just as well written, and full of fascinating details. Karen Cushman creates an extremely realistic character, Alyce, who the reader can easily sympathise with. An orphan living in the 1400s, she struggles along, trying to find a place for herself in an unfriendly world. I hope you enjoy this novel as much as I do! ( If it matters to you, I'm 14, but first read " The Midwife's Apprentice " when I was 11).

I really liked the way this book portrayed the period that it was written in. From the filthy surroundings to the bad health care to the extreme superstition, not a detail was missed. This book also shows that with a small chance and a lot of courage, you can make anything out of yourself. Here's how the plot went:

Beetle was living on the street the night she decided to use the dung heap for a bed. The heap provided warmth, and, in the morning, a day's work and some food from the local midwife, Jane Sharp. Soon, that one day turns into months, as Beetle becomes the midwife's apprentice. Eventually, she gets a new name, Alys, and a new status. But all is not well, for failure comes knocking at Alys's door, and instead of facing it, she decides to run away. She goes to an inn, and here, with the help of her cat and a scribe, she learns that she is smart, she is pretty, and that maybe failure her failure wasn't so bad after all.

The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman is a splendid book that will transport you to the 14th century medieval England. Her vivid details and rich language will virtually place you right into the story. Through the eyes of Alyce you are taken on an amazing journey of self identity. Alyce, the main character starts off her journey nameless, and moves from being called Brat, to Beetle, to her most valued name Alyce. The beginning of the story portrays Alyce as a homeless, nameless, frail girl, searching for a full belly, a content heart, and a warm place to sleep. She wanders from village to village finding scraps of food and warmth inside dung heaps being teased and taunted. One day to her surprise she is found by Jane a midwife. This is where her true journey begins. Through the tough, stern, and greedy midwife, Alyce learns important midwifery skills, courage, and discovers her place in this world. Karen Cushman succeeds in creating a character who is coming of age that young people can relate to today. Although Alyce comes from a different era and time as young people today, Karen does a fabulous job of displaying the same difficulties and experiences that contemporary readers today are facing. Alyce is a heorine that you will fall in love with. Through her hardships and her courage, Alyce establishes a sense of identity. I would recommend this book for ages 12 and up. This age group can relate to the struggles of Alyce, as well as enjoy her qualities. The language and content is something I feel that 12 year olds can understand and have the appropriate background experiences to truly engage with Alyce. I loved the book and would recommend it to my 7th grade students as well as others.

This is a good book, posing harsh truth on fantasies of theglamour of medevil ledgends. It is about a girl who's smart and sassy,but hidden behind rags. Then she makes the world her clamshellweather it likes it or not. But she runs from failure, and bounces back with more vigor than before. Two thumbs up!

After reading Catherine Called Birdy by the same author I was looking forward to another humorous romp through the middle ages with The Midwife's Apprentice. The book, however, takes on a very serious tone on the first page when we are introduced to the main character, Beetle, a homeless girl who is the target of ridicule and scorn by everyone she encounters. She is discovered sleeping in a dung heap by a local midwife who leaves much to be desired in terms of kindness and patience. Beetle learns the trade bit by bit and wins over people in the town through her gentle spirit and strength.

I enjoyed this book and learned a great deal about childbirth and medicine during the middle ages. It is a story about a girl who triumphs despite her hardships and I felt satisfied and happy with its conclusion. The story is never predictable and makes you want to keep reading until the end.

I recommend The Midwife's Apprentice to anyone (especially girls) interested in learning more about what life was like for common people during the middle ages.