Karen Cushman's "The Midwife's Apprentice"

Karen Cushman’s The Midwife’s Apprentice was on my classroom shelf for quite a time. Other books attracted my attention until I saw The Midwife’s Apprentice listed as a historical fiction in Pam Cole’s textbook. The book cover illustration of a young woman and a cat didn’t work well to pique my curiosity but I urged myself to consider its merit as a Newberry Medal literary work.

The young female character begins her life as a filthy, dirt-poor orphan in medieval England. An experienced midwife exploits her as an apprentice, rewarded only with meager meals and dismal accommodations. Someone mistakes her as Alyce and she adopts this name so she can overcome anonymity and build a reputation as a midwife. When she fails to deliver a baby, she runs away. However, she doesn’t want to relegate into a mere existence of a homeless beggar. She has an unexpected opportunity to deliver a baby at a local tavern and she triumphantly returns to work as a successful midwife.

At first, the plot seems simple, not as exciting as other novels. I think Karen intends her novel as a character study of a commoner. Typically, a medieval story features a prince charming, and commoners are just static characters that create a historical backdrop. The Midwife's Apprentice takes a reader into a different direction. Alyce is featured as a plain commoner, but with a human heart. Following Alyce through the novel becomes a journey into a past to appreciate a plain commoner as a human being seeking avenues for better living conditions. The reading ends with some respect for such a gentle character that represents an unsung heroine in the medieval world.

-RJ