Reviews with content warning for Medical trauma - The Frozen River

This was a fun book for me as it's set in an area I'm very familiar with. Before this book was published, I hadn't heard of Martha Ballard, but now I want to learn more about her and her life. She seemed like a strong, brave, independent woman during a time when all three of those traits were looked down on by society.

The story follows a year of Martha Ballard's life as both a midwife and as a witness to a rape victim. Large parts of the story take place in court. Either in the tavern court which seemed like the equivalent to a district court, or in the county court. Parts of this story were very heavy. But it's very easy to get attached to the characters and want things to go well for them. And it's also very easy to hate the "bad guy" in this story as well. He is not a likable person.

I would classify this book as historical fiction/mystery/suspense. I got this book from the library at first because when I saw it on Book of the Month, it had a warning for graphic rape and discussion of death. I would say that both of those things are prevalent within the story, so if they are triggers, you might want to reconsider. I was able to get through it without having to fast-forward (listened to it on audio). I'm planning on purchasing to add to my collection

Content Warnings

readingonthefly's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

The Frozen River is everywhere right now, and rightfully so. I will admit I’m not generally one to read books with murder. I’m more of a romance girlie but the second I saw the main character being compared to Claire Fraser of Outlander, I knew I needed to read it.

Martha Ballard is a healer and midwife in 1700s Maine. She is strong willed, fierce, independent, outspoken, and confident. She has delivered hundreds of babies and knows what she’s doing. She keeps track of it in her journal, along with the weather and where she’s been each day. While helping the women of her town, she unfortunately has to deal with some “know it all” men and the unjust court system. You will find yourself rooting for the good people of Hallowell and hoping for justice.

This book doesn’t only focus on Martha Ballard and delivering babies, but also on her family, the town of Hallowell, and the frozen Kennebec River.

There are MANY trigger warnings to this book, feel free to message if you have any questions or concerns.

I absolutely LOVED this book. The writing is what stood out to me the most. I also loved the medical aspect of the book and following along with Martha and her patients. I was able to fly through this book, which was a problem because it ended too quickly. I could have read double what was written because it was so so good. This is the type of historical fiction I wish there was more of!

5 GLOWING ⭐️

Content Warnings

booksdanilikes's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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robinsons515's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

mels_reading_log's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

Martha Ballard is a badass midwife from the late 1700’s living in the newly settled USA. I am obsessed with her and how strong and opinionated she was for that time period, she was a smart and talented woman and when she spoke people listened. She also has such a loving husband and amazing kids. I didn’t know until I got to the end that she was a real person and this book was based loosely on the actual journals that she kept. I love a book about a strong matriarch.

Content Warnings

mamajeter's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

Great read. I look forward to reading other books by this author.

Content Warnings

dabutkus's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful tense 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? Yes

5.0

Martha Ballard is a midwife in Hook, on the edges of the Kennebec River in Maine. When a dead man is pulled from the river, Martha is called to examine the body, the same man that is accused of raping a local woman. A local physician is also called to examine the body and he has a different conclusion to death as an accident rather than the murder Martha believes. Martha is then forced to investigate the death on her own. At the center of it all is Martha’s journal that she faithfully writes in every single day, about every birth and death, crime and disturbance that occurs within the close-knit town. How does Martha navigate the turbulent times that are coming all while trying to figure out where her loyalties lie?

This book was a wild and very interesting ride. I absolutely loved it and loved reading about the time period, just after the American Revolution. I got really excited to see an off page appearance by one of my favorites, Paul Revere. This is the best of historical fiction - little bit of suspense, romance, and history all encased in a captivating story that pulls you in from page one. Reading about Martha and Ephraim’s family and story made me giggle, cry and awe at several parts. The last 100 pages are a wild ride - gear up for it then come scream with me about them. After you read, make sure you read the Author’s Notes, as Ariel goes into depth, like all of her books, to tell you what’s real and what she took author liberties with.

Favorite quotes - “I am in the business of mortality. Its beginning and its end.” And “Threw the whole thing in the fire, box and all, then sat in her chair and cried.”

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