Reviews with content warning for Child death - The Frozen River

As someone who is not typically a historical fiction reader, I am absolutely FLOORED at how much I enjoyed this novel! I immediately added some books by Ariel Lawhon to my wishlist. What a wonderful tribute to a remarkable midwife, Martha Ballard.

Martha's character was wise, endearing, and no nonsense. I found her likable and honorable and I loved being in her head. As a loving mother and a smart business woman, Martha was incredibly hard working and intelligent. She was kind but firm and stuck up for herself and those who were on the fringes of society when necessary - the definition of a strong female main character.

I am absolutely fascinated by birth and the ways that women were cared for before the invention of modern medicine, and this book spared no details on the subject. It was so beautifully described and showed the grace and power of women bringing life into this world.

Last but not least, Ephraim Ballard - he has my heart. Such a gentleman and the epitome of a strong, protective, loyal husband. I love him.

So many TW's for this book, so please take care before reading it if you are a sensitive reader.

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celeste77's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

This was surprisingly great read. I had not heard much about this book, but saw it on Libby so decided to try it. I loved it. It was a simple, but emotional story that had me guessing and trying to figure out what happened. There was also some romantic and friendship relationships sprinkled into the overall story. I loved this book. It didn't take long at all to become invested in Martha Ballard and the other characters' stories. This was also a standalone which can be a plus.

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dkamada's review against another edition

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hopeful informative mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

Martha reminds me of Claire from the Outlander series

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starrfishandcoffee's review

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

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lbuck303's review

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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danielledtetreau's review

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adventurous hopeful informative mysterious tense fast-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

5.0

This book has mystery, midwifery, independent women in a time when that wasn’t acceptable. I was hooked and the story was both tense and tender. Lots of familiar names from my local area!

My only complaint about this historical fiction is the mention of a species of oak tree that doesn’t grow in Maine (nerdalert!)

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