One
frosty evening, a girl who knows no home, no parents, and no name but Brat
finds shelter and warmth in a farmer’s dung heap. There Jane the village midwife finds
her. So it is that Brat, now called
Beetle by her new mistress – begins her career as a midwife’s apprentice.
It’s
not a soft life. Jane is a hard woman
with a sharp glance and a sharper temper.
Still, Beetle makes a place for herself, adopting a cat and befriending
one of the village boys. By secretly
watching Jane work, she learns some of the skills the midwife greedily tries to
hid. Beetle even gives herself a real
name at last: Alyce.
Then
one day she fails at an important assignment. Alyce runs away, believing she is
too stupid to be of use to anyone. Is she truly Brat, a know-nothing who
belongs nowhere? Or is she Alyce, the midwife’s apprentice, a person with a
name and a place in the world.
The
Midwife’s Apprentice is an award winning book and a rather odd but enjoyable
read. It’s a glimpse into Medieval life and some of the fascinating beliefs
around childbirth but it’s also much more than that for such a short read. There are plenty of quirky characters and
interesting events but it’s also a universal story of overcoming adversity and developing
self-belief and confidence.
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