The Frozen River: A GMA Book Club Pick: A Novel

So I remember now why I was always a history buff and why I love a great mystery. I absolutely loved this book inspired by such an inspirational real life woman, Martha Ballard. This story will, no doubt, stay with me forever for its rich characters and incredible events. So wonderfully written Ms. Lawhon. Thank you for bringing these people into my life, and for reminding me of my love of history! And thank you for your beautifully written Author’s Note and Acknowledgement statements…Love love love ♥️♥️♥️

THE FROZEN RIVER by Ariel Lawhon a historical fiction with murder mystery elements that invokes strong emotional responses to the treatment of women in post-revolutionary America featuring a protagonist inspired by the diary of a renowned midwife in 1789 Maine.Midwife Martha Ballard not only delivers babies in the small town of Hallowell, Maine, but is also called upon for doctoring in the community. She delivers testimony when the local court is in session regarding deaths, newborn infants’ paternity, and illegitimacy for which fines may be levied. She is faithful in documenting everything daily in her personal journal.When Martha’s friend, and wife of the local pastor is raped, she documents her injuries and her accusations against two local men. Before the court comes to session, Martha is called to the local tavern to determine the cause of death of a man cut out of the frozen river. She recognizes the man as one of the accused rapists. He was beaten and then hanged.Martha is doubtful the courts will look for the truth, when the other accused rapist is a rich and powerful man in Hallowell, but she is determined to find the truth. The answers she seeks leaves a powerful man cornered and willing to destroy anyone who attempts to bring him to justice and thwart his plans.This book thoroughly immerses the reader in post-revolutionary Maine and the life of both Martha and her family. Martha is strong, independent, and outspoken for the period, but her empathy and skills make her admired and sought after by many. This story is told in first person narrative by Martha which adds an intimacy to the character and her interactions. The murder mystery elements come together slowly but deliver a satisfying conclusion. I felt where this story shined was the integrated information regarding women’s health issues, their legal rights, and the legal stigmas and penalties of the period.I recommend this historical fiction for an intriguing look into this post-revolutionary time period featuring a strong woman’s point of view.

I just finished “The Frozen River” by Ariel Lawhon and it was fantastic! I will say that I started this book with much trepidation since I’d heard that parts of it were slow, but I must say I was immediately immersed in this story! It is historical fiction at its finest!It’s a story about a midwife, Martha Ballard, in the late 1700’s and her recording of all the births and deaths of her town. The story centers around the discovery of a body in the frozen river and Mistress Ballard is called upon to examine the body and determine the cause of death. She determines the body was murdered but a new doctor in town takes over the examination of the body and comes to a different conclusion. She is dismissed as an old illiterate country woman which couldn’t be further from the truth.The rich character development and the beautiful writing was so engrossing! I kept smelling that frozen river in my thoughts since the author depicted the scenery so well! I really enjoyed the time period as well! No cellphones or social media in this story. HahaMy only criticism is that there were a lot of characters to keep track of, so I definitely recommend reading this book when you can devote a lot of time and not stretch it out for a month. It was 440 pages and I think it took me 4 days to read it which made it easier to keep track of the multitude of characters.Be sure and read the author’s notes the end. Five stars from me! Just an excellent read! Go grab this book!