LS 5603 Matilda Bone

Cushman, Karen. Matilda Bone. New York: Clarion Books, 2000.

ISBN: 0-395-88156-0

In medieval England, Matilda has been raised most of her young life by the priest, Father Leufredus, of a manor house outside of an unnamed village. When the priest must go to London, Matilda is taken to Blood and Bone Alley to help Red Peg the Bonesetter. Matilda is taught to “remember [her] Latin, and pray ceaselessly,” by the priest, things that are of no use in Blood and Bone Alley and at first she is considered useless by Peg. As she grows into her position and ventures out into the new place she meets, Grizzl the washerwoman, Leech the bloodletter-who talks in rhyme to his leeches and patients, and Walter the apothecary’s apprentice, among others. She is afraid that all the folk in the village are bound for hell because they are not as prayerful and pious Matilda was taught to be by Father Leufredus. She soon learns that the people of the village, and of Blood and Bone alley in particular, that being close to God can be different things to different people and being different in your faith does not make you a bad person.

Matilda Bone is an interesting and engaging read. I think the many characters that make up the novel are truly great representations of the time and attitudes in medieval England. They seem almost caricature-like in the extreme as they represent whatever part of life they are living. This is not to say that it is a bad thing; I feel this type of description is useful for the young person reading the book to imagine them, they are so vividly described and perfect for whatever place in the world they are in! I appreciated the fact that most of the characters were common and not royalty or well-to-do which can often be found in adult historicals; young people probably relate better to those that are "common." The Author’s Note at the end gives an excellent, brief explanation on medicine in medieval times.

The September 2000 issue of the School Library Journal calls Matilda Bone “A fascinating glimpse into the colorful life and times of the 14th century.” Readers may enjoy Karen Cushman’s other novels set in medieval times: Catherine, Called Birdy and The Midwife’s Apprentice. Donna Jo Napoli wrote about medieval times and the plague in Breath. If the readers are interested in the apprenticeship aspect of the story, they may want to try a book that takes place during the nineteenth century, The Apprenticeship of Lucas Whitaker by Cynthia DeFelice.