The Midwife's Apprentice

By: Karen Cushman

Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin

Length: 2 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

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

A good morality tale for young people

A short but good book with a good moral. Written for young people, but if you want your kid to read it, be sure he/she is fairly mature and knows a bit about "the birds and the bees." A fairly young child would not understand what is going on. That is not to say there is anything in it that would not be appropriate. I think it is very appropriate. Still, I would want to read this book with my child because it has the potential to open up a lot of questions for discussion.

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.

Wise in the end

If you are looking for adventure, romance or great historical detail, you will probably not find them here. There is not even that much dialogue. BUT--those are not the only attributes of a good story, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this in the end. What this story does very well is give an intimate view of the gritty side of life from the perspective of an underprivileged girl (well, homeless vagrant, really) who gets plucked from her warm dungpile and is thrust into the role of apprentice to a very stern, cold and critical midwife. I found myself pitying the situation of the apprentice, even while the character herself is grateful for this unexpected boon in her life--regular meals and a clean place to sleep. The crushing comments of the midwife seem purposely cruel, and the apprentice's self-esteem is just about non-existent. The events of the book seem almost depressing--until the very end, and then the wisdom of the midwife and her methods slaps you in the face, leaving you with a greater appreciation for the characters, and for the historical perspective through which this story is told.
If you liked stories like "The Girl With the Pearl Earring," you will probably enjoy this book.

not just for kids

What did you like best about The Midwife's Apprentice? What did you like least?

liked most -- the refreshing perspective of one that has had a rough life, but doesn't wallow in "poor me";it was worth price.

liked least -- almost fell over dead when the recording started, with the "audible kids"
screeching out - startling everyone in the room! didn't realize it was intended for kids.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

frankly, i don't remember the ending - now that's sad.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

it was ok, take it or leave it.

Was The Midwife's Apprentice worth the listening time?

yep, and the price was good too.

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.

Great book

I really enjoyed this book. I think it was read wonderfully. I read this book as part of a book club. I am a mama to three with one on the way and it is very interesting to read about old practices maybe even with some newer thinking. The book is great for many ages; especially young girls who might become mothers or who are interested in history and or midwifery.

Really amazing

This is a must listen to. Powerful narration, verbiage completely appropriate. A great book to listen to again and again!

Not sure a book for 12-13 year olds

It was a good book but my child struggled with the accents and I fell the theme isn’t for all kids at that age.

Resilience

Beautiful tale of resilience & fortitude & coming of age. Bonus is learning about day-to-day life in Middle Ages

First 4 chapters only

I was expecting this to be the entire book, but instead, it's only the first 4 chapters.