Reviews with content warning for Abortion - The Frozen River

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!

Content Warnings

heartfelthullabaloo's review against another edition

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emotional informative mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

It took me a while for the story to capture my attention. The last 20% of it was nail biting and made the book worth the read. I thought that Ephraim was a fantastic portrayal of an ideal husband. The book painted a good picture of life for a midwife in the late 1700’s. Kudos to the author for putting together a compelling story from those dry diary entries. The authors note says this:

“It bears repeating that this is a novel, a work of fiction, my version of what could have happened in this woman’s life. It is not a biography, nor do I claim to be an historian. I’m simply a storyteller, and I have felt, for fifteen years, that Martha’s story is worth telling. I want you to know her name. I want you tell your friends. I hope that you too are astonished by her life. I want the world to remember that small acts, done in love, matter every bit as much as the ones that make the newspaper and the history books.”

I think that she’s accomplished her goal from all the buzz I’ve heard about this book. One final quote that hit me: “Then I cry for every other woman who lives, suffers, and dies by the mercurial whims of men.”

Content Warnings

torturedreadersdept's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? No

5.0

Content Warnings

kjgould's review

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adventurous emotional informative mysterious fast-paced

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

4.5

Content Warnings

astifel21's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

"As I rise from the table it occurs to me, that part of what I feel, watching my grown children, is a sense of betrayal. I carried these children into the world, paid their entrance fee with dues rendered upon my own body and now they no longer need me."

I listened to this on audio and I adored the narrator. It felt like the main character was talking in your ear. The author wrote a stunning novel. Some of my favorite aspects of the book were the solid and loving marriage the author depicts between Martha and Ephraim Ballard. As a newlywed myself I’d say their marriage is relationship goals. I also loved how each chapter in the audiobook shows the headings of her diaries. The book is told partially in diary entries as that is what the real life Martha Ballard is known for. Without her diary the work she did would probably have gone unnoticed in history.

“But, I remind myself, that is the happy ending to a story like ours. It is a vow made & kept. Till death do us part. It is the only acceptable outcome to a long & happy marriage…”

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes the show “Call the Midwife” as this book depicts stories of Martha’s deliveries over one winter in Maine during the 1700s. The story starts in November 1789 as the river freezes and a man is found dead in that very river. The man was accused of rape several months prior along with another gentleman. The book follows Martha’s quest to uncover the cause of the man’s death, her evidence of her friends rape as the case moves to trial, and her interactions with the townspeople in her role as neighbor and midwife. It’s a beautifully written novel but I would recommend checking out the trigger warnings before reading.

"The fact of the matter is that I am lonely, and then I laugh. If anyone had told me two decades ago when I was buried in small children and endless chores that one day I would sit at my desk, in a warm quiet house while the snow fell outside, and complain of loneliness. I would have slapped them"

TW: rape, sexual assault, murder, abortion, miscarriage, child death

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