The Midwife's Apprentice

The Midwife’s Apprentice

Citation:

Cushman, Karen. The Midwife's Apprentice. New York: Clarion Books, 1995. ISBN: 9780395692295

Plot Summary:

                The Midwife’s Apprentice is the story of Alyce, formally Beetle, who is found by the town’s midwife, June. Beetle becomes the woman’s apprentice, but she is not allowed to take part of the practice and the midwife refuses to allow Alyce to accompany her to the birth. Alyce begins to watch from the windows of the house. The village boys tease Beetle, but she saves Will from drowning in the river and he respects her by using her name, Alyce. As Alyce becomes craftier she takes to hiding in the shadows during the births and learns which medicines to use. When Beetle renames herself Alyce she gains self esteem and respect for herself and begins to help the townsfolk with deliveries. As she becomes more knowledgeable the villagers begin asking for her rather than the June, but when a difficult birth arises Alyce does not know what to do and calls on the midwife. After the birth Alyce runs away in humiliation with Purr, her cat. Alyce asks to become the apprentice again after declining a job with a family she helped deliver a baby for.

Critical Analysis:

                The Midwife’s Apprentice is written in third person. This is an interesting take on a historical fiction novel because a lot of times the authors want you to understand the thoughts of the narrator. This novel painted an accurate portrait of Medieval England and the small towns where these midwives took up residence. The story handles bullying and children left alone, whether because they were abandoned or their parents died. The writing for the characters addresses pride and humbling experiences that give the characters light.

Reviews:

Publisher’s Weekly: “Cushman "has an almost unrivaled ability to build atmosphere, and her evocation of a medieval village, if not scholarly in its authenticity, is supremely colorful and pungent."

Connections:

·         History of medieval England

·         Newbery Medal winners

o   Holes by Louis Schafer

o   The Giver by Louis Lowry

·         Books by Karen Cushman

o   Catherine, called Birdy

o   Alchemy and Meggy Swann

All reviews courtesy of Amazon.com