Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

28 reviews

kbookish's review

emotional informative mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Pregnancy

Moderate: Rape, Medical trauma, Child death, and Miscarriage

Minor: Murder

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

readandfindout's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

4.25

Style/writing: 3.5 stars
Themes: 5 stars
Characters: 4.5 stars
Plot: 4 stars

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Medical content, Blood, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Grief, Rape, Child death, Murder, Colonisation, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Pregnancy, Violence, Death, and Miscarriage

Minor: Abortion and War

dpou001's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexism, Rape, Murder, and Medical trauma

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

nimeneth's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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? Yes

4.0

I very much appreciated this tale of Martha Ballard and what was likely the way of things in late 18th century Maine. Interesting look at how the legal system looked, and also the beginning of the transition from trusting the midwives to trusting doctors to deliver babies even if it's only touched upon briefly in the book. As it's fiction, I appreciate the fact that most of the women presented are strong and independent in their own way, but I do have to take that with a grain of salt because it was probably very unusual during that time-frame for a woman to be the one to piece together a murder mystery...

Still, really enjoyed the plot overall and I was a little surprised by the culprit of the murder, Lawhon crafted that part of the tale very well and it's not outlandish within the scope of the story. Glad my book club picked this one and I was able to get my hands on a copy to read it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Sexual violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual harassment

knapier5's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, and Medical trauma

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

okapi_lover's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.75

I really, really wanted to love this one. It was fine. I enjoyed it overall, but it was slowww. I had a hard time getting into it, and there were so many characters to keep track of! I do appreciate the historical accuracy of the novel, and the ending--even though not historically accurate or very plausible, it was satisfying to see some justice.

Overall, I liked the book, but I found it forgettable. It isn't one that will stay with me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Medical content, Sexual violence, Murder, Sexual assault, and Rape

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Medical trauma, Misogyny, and Infertility

katymat18's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Medical trauma, Rape, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Death and Child death