The Midwife's Apprentice

By: Karen Cushman

Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin

Lyrical yet unsentimental, The Midwife's Apprentice won the coveted 1996 Newbery Medal. Filled with striking characters, it paints unforgettable pictures of village life in the Middle Ages, the midwife's craft, and a very remarkable girl's growing independence and pride.

Brat has no name, no home, and no shelter against the 14th-century English winter except the foul warmth of a dung heap. So when Jane the Midwife wakes her with a kick and takes the half-starved creature to her cottage, a curious relationship begins. Jane teaches Brat to gather herbs and make the poultices used to ease the pain of childbirth for the village women.

The skinny young girl quickly learns to obey the sharp-tongued midwife, and secretly watches Jane practice her art whenever she can. But Jane is also teaching Brat unspoken lessons that will take longer - maybe a lifetime - to master.

©1995 Karen Cushman (P)1996 Recorded Books

short but enjoyable

Any additional comments?

Short but it was just what I wanted on this hot day. Period piece.

Wish there was more!

Story ended too soon. We wanted to know what happened with all the rest of the characters! Jenny Sterlin, of course, is wonderful to listen to.

Alyce inspired and inspiring

Any additional comments?

Take the time for this little treasure. Alyce will inspire you and any girl or woman in your life. I wish there were a sequel! And I love this narrator's beautiful voice.

Unique

An imagined glimpse at ordinary life in medieval Europe—a bold endeavor in itself. The story of a girl's struggle for survival and socialization in a society which is largely indifferent, and sometimes harsh, although there are pockets of human warmth and hope.

Midwife’s Apprentice

I truly enjoyed. This is the year 2018. It wakes you up as to how hard and tough you had to be to have lived back then, way back. I don’t think there is anyone today that could survived. The girl that survived learned with out confidence. But learned she did even though it was so very hard.