A friend recommended The Frozen River a while back, so I suggested that my book club read it. We gravitate towards biographical fiction featuring strong female characters, and this novel by Ariel Lawhon fit the bill. Told in first person narrative, the story revolves around real life Martha Ballard and her duties as a midwife. Martha Ballard was a renowned 18th century midwife and, uncharacteristically for the time period, left behind her day book or diary filled not only with her life, but those of her neighbors. Her influence carried down throughout the decades. (Google her for fascinating history.) Lawhon fictionalizes a good bit of the story, per her Author’s Notes, but all is very plausible given the time and place in which she lived. The historical framework was well-researched and included a lot of things my group found intriguing. Characters are well-developed and believable — though there are some you are going to hate! There’s a mystery that begins at the beginning and culminates with justice that was unexpected. Again, it’s fictional, but we liked to think that what man was reluctant to mete out, a woman could and did. Please note that this is a general market offering. There’s a lot of adult stuff!
I liked The Frozen River very much. Read it first, then explore the rest of the story later.
Recommended.
Good for Book Clubs.
Audience: Adults.
(I purchased the ebook version from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town’s most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.
Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.
Clever, layered, and subversive, Ariel Lawhon’s newest offering introduces an unsung heroine who refused to accept anything less than justice at a time when women were considered best seen and not heard. The Frozen River is a thrilling, tense, and tender story about a remarkable woman who left an unparalleled legacy yet remains nearly forgotten to this day.
Ariel Lawhon is a critically acclaimed, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of historical fiction. Her books have been translated into numerous languages and have been Good Morning America, Library Reads, Indie Next, One Book One County, Amazon Spotlight, Costco, and Book of the Month Club selections. She lives in the rolling hills outside Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband and four sons. She splits her time between the grocery store and the baseball field.
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