Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

20 reviews

ashleereadsbooks692's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Gore, Sexual assault, Medical content, Death, Cursing, Sexual violence, Rape, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Emotional abuse, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Violence, Sexual content, and Miscarriage

nataliebootlah's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Book club pick of the month! This one was definitely a slooooow burn, but in the end, it burned bright. 🔥

Martha Ballard is the town of Hallowell’s midwife and healer. In a place full of secrets, gossip, and drama, Martha knows everyone and knows a little bit about everyone too. She keeps her diary in meticulous order, noting births, deaths, and general happenings in the town. So when a body is found on the frozen river, Martha is called to examine it and provide the cause of death in court, and her diary is at the center of it all. 

I love a ‘based on true events’ story where the author takes some liberties here and there. Martha really was a renowned 1700s midwife whose diary was passed down for generations. As mentioned in the author’s note, Martha Ballard is the great-aunt of Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, and great-great-grandmother of Mary Hobart, one of the first female physicians in the United States. She is an outstanding woman in America’s history, but one we rarely, if ever, learn about. Will we ever know what really happened in the town of Hallowell? Probably not. But we do get to see Lawhon’s version. And it’s a damn good rendition. What a story.

“Memory is a wicked thing that warps and twists. But paper and ink receive the truth without emotion, and they read it back without partiality. That, I believe, is why so few women are taught to read and write.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Pregnancy

Moderate: Grief, Child death, Miscarriage, and Death

Minor: Murder, Sexual content, Blood, and Medical content

ashylibrarian's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A strong historical fiction that tells the lost story of Martha Ballard, a midwife who delivered over 1,000 babies in her small town. 

Maybe a more in-depth review to come?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Death, Medical content, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Murder, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Sexual content, Child death, Medical trauma, Pandemic/Epidemic, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: War and Fire/Fire injury

mysterymom40's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Blood, Pregnancy, Rape, and Violence

Moderate: Colonisation, Sexism, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Gore, Medical trauma, and Murder

Minor: Classism and Sexual content

silverhill's review

dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Blood, Misogyny, and Rape

Moderate: Child death, Murder, Gore, Sexism, and Sexual violence

Minor: Chronic illness, Ableism, Abortion, Animal death, Classism, Incest, Grief, Racism, Sexual content, Alcohol, and Bullying

celery's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, Religious bigotry, Body shaming, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Ableism, Classism, Death, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Abandonment, Medical content, Animal death, Fatphobia, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Racial slurs, Sexism, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Grief, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Police brutality, Blood, Body horror, Colonisation, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Vomit, Cursing, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Rape, War, Abortion, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Sexual content

juanat77's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Violence, Death, Murder, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Blood, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Vomit, Cursing, Grief, Sexism, Sexual content, Bullying, Medical content, Miscarriage, Rape, and Injury/Injury detail

novellearts's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Medical trauma, Blood, Sexual assault, Violence, Murder, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Rape, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Medical content, and Sexism

kateclancy's review against another edition

challenging inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I put it down a few times to finish other books because the early pacing was slow - I think the fact that I read it on audio helped propel me forward. Once I was in though I was IN. I found the author's note really helpful to contextualize her decisions around how she engaged with issues of race, colonialism, and the medical turn of birth.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Child death, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Murder, Animal cruelty, Rape, Vomit, Violence, Stalking, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Racism, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Medical trauma, and Grief

kimveach's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This year is getting off to a great start, as this is another five-star read!  This book had so many intriguing elements of life in 1790s Maine.  The story of the midwife, her family, her community, the early justice system, and the murder mystery that opens the book makes for a compelling book— I loved it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Emotional abuse, Grief, Sexual violence, Classism, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexism, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Miscarriage, Alcohol, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Colonisation, Animal death, Chronic illness, Gore, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Abortion, and Sexual assault