Reviews with content warning for War - The Frozen River

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon is a beautifully told historical novel that transports readers to 18th-century Massachusetts through the eyes of a midwife.

The story offers a rich glimpse into the lives of women, mothers, families, and even criminals, while also exploring the fragile and often unjust justice system of the time.

The nature writing is stunning, with a deep connection to the land and animals woven into every page.

One side character experiences frequent migraines—though the condition had no name back then, and relief was limited to basic pain medication. It highlights just how isolating and misunderstood chronic illness could be in those times.

If you love historical fiction with layered storytelling, atmospheric writing, and a focus on women’s lives, this is a must-read.

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caroline__kg's review

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challenging funny inspiring medium-paced

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

4.0

I couldn’t put this one down. I was so immersed in the historical setting and adored getting to know the fictional Martha Ballard, who I found to be wise but humble, funny, vulnerable, yet hardy and strong.

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nataliecoyne's review

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adventurous informative mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This was initially a bit hard to get into for me, maybe just because the Revolutionary War era isn't one of the historical topics that I'm most interested in. But once things picked up, I found myself really encapsulated into this story and wanting to know what was coming next. It was also really great to learn about an extraordinary woman whose accomplishments have largely been forgotten/not taught about in history. I probably enjoyed reading the Author's Note just as much as I enjoyed the book itself lol.

In total, 4 stars. I definitely recommend it, but it just lost a star because I found it initially a bit hard to get into.

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madisonrose1519's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring sad tense medium-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

4.5

Set a reminder in your phone to start this book over Thanksgiving weekend. If you’re looking for something that has cozy vibes and has a beautiful, vividly descriptive winter setting, this book is for you!!! That is, if you don’t mind also reading extremely detailed accounts of murder and rape…

The storyline kept me wanting more, yet the charm made me want it to never end. I was sucked into the story so much so that I thought about reading it while I was at work! But I put off finishing it because I was so enjoying being immersed in a Hallowell winter!

I will say that the clues dropped throughout the novel were fairly obvious and didn’t leave me guessing, which was a bit of a bummer. There were no shocking twists for me at the end. And one tiny but obvious part of the storyline didn’t get resolved, which is really bugging me. Otherwise, this may have been a 4.5 rather than 4 star-read for me.

I absolutely adore how Lawhon wrote the heroine Martha Ballard’s personality. Loving Martha is what made me want to keep my nose in this book forever. A brilliant, thoughtful, talented midwife, mother, wife, homemaker, healer, feminist, WOMAN—it’s been a long time since I’ve read a character I wished I could meet in real life. If you want to read a character you can respect in a novel that will put you in the “F*** the patriarchy!” kind of mood, this inspiring tale will get you there! And for it to be inspired by a real person?! Oh my goodness. What a treat to know Martha Ballard really existed.

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