Book Review: THE MIDWIFE'S APPRENTICE
*NOTE: This review was created for a class at TWU.
*Illustration by young artist from: www.dbrl.org/outreach/book-cover/03/

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Cushman, Karen. 1995. THE MIDWIFE'S APPRENTICE. New York, NY: Clarion Books. ISBN 0395692296.

2. PLOT SUMMARY:
The Newbery Award-winning novel A MIDWIFE'S APPRENTICE weaves the coming-of-age tale of a young orphan girl, cruelly nicknamed "Dung Beetle" and "Brat," who, through hard work and perseverance, becomes a capable young woman, Alyce. Wanting only "a full belly, a contented heart, and a place in this world," Alyce suffers ostracism, disappointments, and crisis of faith in herself before coming to realize that her place in the world is as a midwife's apprentice, and her family is what she makes it: a bitter midwife, a stray cat, and a village full of characters.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
The hallmarks of good historical fiction include that the history is accurate, it isn't sugar-coated, it is seen through the eyes of a young protagonist, it comes to life through the patterns of daily life, and it isn't revealed through too much historical detail. Karen Cushman's novel A MIDWIFE'S APPRENTICE contains all these hallmarks along with a wonderful girl's coming-of-age story.

There can be no doubt that history isn't sugar-coated when a novel starts with the line, "When animal droppings and garbage and spoiled straw are piled up in a great heap, the rotting and moiling give forth heat. Usually no one gets close enough to notice because of the stench." In fact, most of the settings in THE MIDWIFE'S APPRENTICE reveal that medieval life didn't really resemble the Hollywood "knight saves princess" tales we've all come to love. No, in this story, boys torment cats, husbands cheat on wives, making soap stinks up the whole yard, and our young protagonist, Alyce, doesn't take a bath until 3/4 of the way through the plot!

If life is less than rosy, it is even more so through the eyes of the orphan girl known as Brat, Dung Beetle, and finally Alyce. While she begins the story with only an empty belly and hard experiences, her keen curiosity and perseverance leads her to a happy existence as the midwife's apprentice and allows the reader to soak in all the details of village life. Through her eyes, we learn that "columbine seeds speed birth" and cobwebs are used for "stanching blood," we see "pennants flying...copper kettles, rubies and pearls, ivory tusks from mysterious animals," and "pies stuffed with pork and raisins," at the market in Gobnet-Under-Green, and we feel the "stiff vellum" used by Master Reese to write his great encyclopedia. Because Alyce is so inquisitive by nature, these historically correct descriptions never feel unnatural, but rather is a natural extension of the daily patterns she experiences.

Only one section of the novel seemed less than realistic to me, and that was the chapter entitled "The Devil." While I enjoyed the descriptions of medieval superstitions, I had difficulty believing that Alyce, working most of the day as the midwife's apprentice, and having no real skills as a woodworker (even though it does mention she likes to watch the woodworker at work), would be able to carve two blocks to look like animal prints. Even if she could do that, how would she be able to use them to create a trail that led to someone committing an evil deed without also leaving footprints and/or being detected. And what are the chances that the townspeople would catch the culprits in the act every time? It just seemed far-fetched to me.

Yet the rest of the novel is delightfully fast-paced, and keeps a nice balance of historical detail and action. Karen Cushman works wonders with characterization, describing Jane the midwife as "a woman neither old nor young but in between. Neither fat nor thin but in between. An important-looking woman, with a sharp nose and a sharp glance and a whimple starched into sharp pleats." Other, more minor characters are characterized with similar care. Joan, the bailiff's wife, "washed her linen each week and never let herself be seen even in summer," and Master Reese was "long and skinny as a heron, with black eyes in a face that looked sad, hungry, and cold."

Like many young adult novels, THE MIDWIFE'S APPRENTICE is a bildungsroman of self-discovery, but Cushman avoids a Disney-like ending by foregoing hugs and happy reunions which would ring false in the difficult times of fourteenth-century England, and opting for a simpler closure. When Alyce finally regains the courage to return to the midwife after disgrace and ask to be an apprentice again, she is initially rejected, but perseveres, refusing to leave the midwife's front step, setting up the final scene: "The door opened. Alyce went in. And the cat went with her." We are left to speculate whether Alyce would grow up, become an even better midwife due to her caring heart, and fall in love with the local red-haired boy.

Delightful characterization, fascinating details, and a charming protagonist, make THE MIDWIFE'S APPRENTICE an enjoyable story for those who love medieval times, Chaucerian foibles, and spunky protagonists.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS:

From School Library Journal: "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."

From Booklist: "The characters are drawn with zest and affection but no false reverence... Kids will like this short, fast-paced narrative about a hero who discovers that she's not ugly or stupid or alone."

5. CONNECTIONS
* Students could use THE MIDWIFE'S APPRENTICE as an introduction to a medieval unit in 6th grade social studies. After reading the novel, the class could split into groups, each taking a different village building (midwife's cottage, farm, woodworking shop, mill, tavern, manor) and research what it would look like an what it would contain. Then each group could create a three-dimensional model of the building, labeling important areas/items. After presentations, the buildings could be arranged to create an entire medieval village.
* Use in a girls' book club and compare to A DAUGHTER OF VENICE by Donna Jo Napoli (ISBN 0440229286) and TRUE CONFESSIONS OF CHARLOTTE DOYLE (ISBN 0380782550) by AVI. All three novels are historical, deal with a girl's coming of age, and the stereotypes and constraints put upon women during the time in which they lived. Discussions could center around the treatment of girls and women throughout cultures and history.