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| Plot Summary of A Midwife's Tale: The life of Martha Ballard |
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"A Midwife's Tale is the biography of midwife Martha Ballard during the late 1700's. Ballard's journal is a primary source quoted in the text, however the author's own narrative is included throughout.
Martha Ballard's diary begins in August 1787. Ballard lived in Hollowell, Maine. Most of her journal entries are fewer than 5 lines, however she was a very consistent writer. She wrote nearly every day until her death in 1812 at age 77. She recorded assisting in 814 births from 1785 to 1812. None of these women died in her care during childbirth. Some of her other journal entries talked about daily activities and visitors, some described the weather, thers were grocery lists, and some discussed town gossip. The diary also includes a finance log detailing earnings and expenditures.
Martha Ballard was more than just a midwife, making house calls and helping deliver babies. She was a wife, mother, pioneer, a keeper of vital records, a chronicler of medical history, and a hero. Her profession as a midwife also meant she was a nurse, physician, mortician, and pharmacist. She writes about specific crops and seeds. At the end of the book is a list of local plants and “unusual” ingredients used for medicinal purposes.
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Jeanne Milligan, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of A Midwife's Tale: The life of Martha Ballard |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
job/profession:
- doctor/nurse
Job/profession/poverty story
Yes
Period of greatest activity?
- 1700's
Subject of Biography
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- doctor
Age:
- 40's-50's
Ethnicity
- White
Nationality
- American (!)
How sensitive is this person?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other people
Physique
- average physique
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 5 (an average amount)
United States
Yes
Century:
- 17th century
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
Book makes you feel?
- thoughtful
Writer's slant towards subject:
- favorable
Story of entire life, or part?
- story of set of events during life
Pictures/Illustrations?
- A few 1-5 B&W
How much dialogue in bio?
- little dialog
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Click here for more information about this book
Laura Thatcher Ulrich Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 Jeanne Milligan
SCHOLARS:
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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