Historical Fiction Review: The Midwife's Apprentice

1.BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cushman, Karen. 1995. The midwife's apprentice. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN: 9780064406307

2. PLOT SUMMARY

In medieval England, a nameless, homeless and abused orphan girl called Brat and Dung Beetle who sleeps in dung heaps for warmth and eat whatever she can scavenge is taken in by a sharp-tempered midwife who finds potential of free labor and allows Beetle to work as her apprentice in exchange for food. In spite of obstacles and hardship, eventually gains the three things she most wants: a full belly, a contented heart, and a place in this world. While under the "employ" of the mean midwife, Beetle learns not only the art of midwifery, but also about herself, human nature, and the resilience of the human heart. Later on Birdy or Beetle is named Alyce.

Once Alyce faced an obstacle fearing she could not deliver the baby of the
Bailiff’s sister’s and ran away and found a job in a nearby inn. One day she over heard the midwife saying babies do not stop being born and a midwife cannot quit trying to help them into the world and went back begging the midwife to take her back as an apprentice. Though rejected, she persisted and vowed she would not quit again and was taken back by the midwife.

A small step at a time, Alyce knows she is not a bug but a person and works her way upward into being accepted and success.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The critical analysis would be presented base on characters, plot, setting, theme, as well as style.

Characters

Beetle is strong, young and courageous but does not have a confidence in herself. She is kind, gentle and persevering character. Later on she learns to believe in herself and becomes a successful midwife. Growing up unwanted most of her life has left a dent in her self-confidence. Learning to be persistent and never quit, Beetle, later on known as Alyce, finally finds success in life.

On the contrary, Jane, the midwife, is mean, sharp-tongued, and quick-tempered yet she is a hard working person who does not quit in her responsibility.

Plot

The plot is not presented by the overwhelming realistic events of the time period. The story just follows the story lines with the historical background of people, language and cultures in the settings. In the story, Cushman superbly depicts the midwifery in medieval England. The “Author’s Note” gives an accurate explanation on the occupation of the midwife at which time several women who practiced this used several potions, tricks, and even spells, as in the excerpt from the book below:
“In the afternoon Beetle left the village for the woods, where she gathered honey, trapped birds, and collected herbs, leeches, and spiders’ webs.”

As well, Cushman tells of the gritty ways that women experienced childbirth when dealing with a midwife like Jane Sharp,
“Then she slapped Emma’s great bulge of a belly, lifted her from behind her shoulders, and gave her a good shake.”

These little things help young readers to understand the real life pictures of those days quite well.

Setting

The story sets itself in the medieval England where it was dangerous, primitive and raucous. The advent of the midwifery also suits well in that era. The scenery, the inn and the way people and places are described yields the story as authentic.

Theme

The Midwife’s Apprentice is a children fantasy historical fiction. It is initially about a sad life young street urchin who does not have a name who is taken in by the local midwife to be trained as her midwifery apprentice. The theme of the story is Alyce’s journey of self discovery to develop her self confidence, which helps bring her to a better life. The book demonstrates the valuable lessons via Alyce’s life of never giving up. This is a timeless truth. Young readers can learn from Alyce’ example and try to endure to the end, so they can overcome obstacles and become successful as well.

Style

The writing style is fantasy with spare and straight-forwardness about the everyday vulgarities of life in the Middle Ages. Though it is a little dry and lacks the humor and spirit like some other stories, it is relevant to the theme of the writing. The language is fit for the era. For example, ‘… unless you be a priest..’ and ‘Good Miss, be you an angel or a saint?’

Additional Criteria

Though the book does not have any reference or footnote to authenticate the events, social or cultural settings, judging by the descriptions, the practices and the language use in the story, I believe the story as a fiction to be authentic.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Best Books for Young Adults, 1996
Children's Notable Books 1996
Newbery Medal Winners, 1996
Tayshas High School Reading List 1996-1997
Starred reviewed this book is a fascinating view of a far distant time.

5. CONNECTIONS

The first connection book is also a Newbery Honor Book from the same author. The historical fiction book described a 13th-century English girl’s perspective and experiences from an English nobleman family during medieval era around 1290.
Cushman, Karen. 1995. Catherine, called Birdy. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN: 0064405842

The other connection book is also a historical fiction based on the time before the Civil War. In 1859, twelve-year-old Clotee was a house slave; therefore she must hide that she could read and write. She was the main character to portray her experiences and concern freedom from her daily journal. I picked up this connection book because it portrays a lot of African American slavery history and some racism issue.
McKissack, Pat. 2002. A picture of freedom: the diary of Clotee, a slave girl. New York: Scholastic. ISBN: 0439381096