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The Book Of The Maidservant (2009)

by Rebecca Barnhouse(Favorite Author)

3.51 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0375958568 (ISBN13: 9780375958564)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Random House Books for Young Readers

review 1: Along the lines of The Midwife's Apprentice, this novel takes a look at the life a young maidservant at the beginning of the 15th century. Johanna is forced into servitude following her father's disappearance and her sister's marriage. It is clearly difficult though not always unpleasant. Then her mistress decides to make a pilgrimage to Rome. This involves brief boat rides and months of walking, including crossing the Alps as winter is closing in. Based on the first autobiography written in English, "The Book of Margery Kemp," Barnhouse creates an interesting juxtaposition of what the journey might have been like for a powerless female servant forced to go along.
review 2: SPOILER ALERT!"The Book of the Maidservant" is a coming of age story following the life... more and interactions of a fiery maidservant, Johanna, who is forced to to on crusade with her severely pious mistress, Dame Margery. Margery frequently has weeping fits, and believes the Lord speaks to her. (There has been some debate about this. Her preaching and weeping are frequently the topic of squirmishes throughout the pilgrimage members. Johanna, being a servant, is disliked, bossed around and looked down upon by their members of the pilgrimage. This book has important messages about perseverance, independence, and justice, all of which are represented through Johanna's character growth. This book is probably best suited for a pre-teen/teen audience, seeing as it has a complicated and sometimes intense plot. I liked how it was based off of real events, people, and characters, but from the ignored perspective of a servant. I liked hearing how it was different for her than the other characters, and thought it was a interesting point of view to hear what experiences she had and how she was treated too. less

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