by Karen Cushman Published by Sandpiper ISBN: 978-0547722177 144 pages The Midwife's Apprentice is the story of girl, lonely and unloved, who only wants to find her place in the world. The novel is set in medieval England and opens with the girl Brat burrowing into a smelly dung heap for warmth. Soon the village midwife, whom Brat calls Jane Sharp for her sharp look and appearance, invites her to come work for her. This begins Brat's training as a midwife's apprentice, helping Jane go from home to home when called and delivering babies. Brat, called Beetle by the midwife because of the dung she was found in, focuses on meeting only the most basic needs of her existence. She is grateful for food and a place to sleep at night. She is awed by the midwife's skill and knowledge and never imagines she could learn to do the same. Gradually, she does learn and she begins to imagine a future that holds more than just survival. She renames herself Alyce and begins to feel that life holds many possibilities. After a failure, she runs away from the village and returns to a life of despair. Through the kind words and actions of several people, she begins to see that her only failure was in giving up. Confronted with choices for the first time, she returns to claim the life that gives her what she wants most, a full belly, a contented heart, and a place in the world. |
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