Book Review: THE MIDWIFE'S APPRENTICE by Karen Cushman

Image Source:

Books in Print (via TWU Databases). Accessed November 04, 2013. http://ezproxy.twu.edu:2125/DetailedView.aspx?hreciid=|1220566|1038994&mc=USA

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

Winner of the Newbery Medal (1996) The Midwife’s Apprentice by Karen Cushman is a gripping tale of an oppressed orphan who struggles to maintain alive in a brutal environment. The girl does not even know her own name, is given pejorative nicknames such as “Brat” and “Beetle,” as she slept in dung as would a dung beetle. Later, someone mistakes her for a child named “Alyce” and she embraces this as her own, real name.

The novel does not directly give the time and place of the setting. It is implied through the mention of locations where different activities are going to occur. Alyce becomes the apprentice of a harsh, yet capable midwife. The language used to describe the suffering in this story is intense and often disturbing.

 There are no direct source notes or specific references to exact dates in time. There are hints that suggest another time and place in the past. Reference to Halloween as “All Hallows’ Eve” and the frequent mention of witches and other vocabulary might imply Medieval England. However, prior to reading the author’s source notes, the reader would need a background in history to be able to place the novel in that era. Midwives are used even in current times, all over the world. 

The one specific reference to the setting in time is the acknowledgement that the king is indeed “King Edward.” It is not clarified whether this is King Edward III or his father. This is also not provided in the author’s notes. Although a moving and touching story, it does not appear an example of sharing specific historical detail with young readers. As Hazel Rochman notes in her Booklist review, “…it is a fast-paced narrative about a hero who discovers she’s not stupid, ugly or alone” (Booklist 1995).

 The theme includes the universal need for love, acceptance and identity. Alyce is orphaned and terribly lonely. This crosses all boundaries of time and place. The story may be used to describe the lifestyle in areas where midwives are prevalent, and how a village might become dependent upon someone with these talents. Young readers are often unaware that midwives are, and always have been, an integral part of childbirth all over the globe. 

The author’s notes contains an emphasis on midwifery and how it was seen as an element of superstition and witchcraft because it was practiced by women. There are no recommendations listed within the book for further reading on any of the topics addressed.

References:

Books in Print (via TWU Databases). Accessed November 04, 2013. http://ezproxy.twu.edu:2125/DetailedView.aspx?hreciid=|1220566|1038994&mc=USA

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