Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

39 reviews

heartfelthullabaloo's review against another edition

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.” 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Death, Rape, Violence, Sexual assault, Murder, Misogyny, Medical content, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and Child death

Moderate: Alcohol

Minor: Abortion and Animal cruelty

brandi761's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

4.5

Great read! It's fiction but strongly based on a real person and primary sources. I appreciate the attention detail that the author gave to her historical research when writing the book. The book drew me in and I became really attached to Martha and her story. There are a few parts of the story that I wish had been wrapped up more like Cyrus and Sarah's story lines. I would have loved an epilogue with the Ballard family.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Misogyny, and Sexual assault

torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Classism, Death, Miscarriage, Murder, Racism, Child death, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Medical trauma, Bullying, Chronic illness, Misogyny, Blood, Medical content, Sexual violence, Violence, Sexual assault, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Rape, and Sexism

Minor: Sexual content, Grief, Excrement, Infidelity, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, Sexual harassment, Ableism, Abortion, Confinement, Cursing, and War

kerrygetsliterary's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Blood, Medical content, Alcohol, Child death, Animal death, Sexual assault, Cursing, Death, Grief, Gaslighting, Sexism, Murder, Rape, Pregnancy, and Racism

mdavis26's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Murder, Medical content, Incest, Grief, Sexual violence, Bullying, Chronic illness, Physical abuse, Blood, Miscarriage, War, and Medical trauma

glitteringeyes418's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Child death, Rape, and Body horror

shelbydm's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Blood, Medical content, Pregnancy, Child death, and Death

rosemaryandrue's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective slow-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

4.5

When midwife Martha Ballard is called to inspect the body of a man found frozen in the Kennebec River, the last person she expects it to be is the accused rapist of one of her patients - and when she determines that he has been murdered, the situation only becomes more complex.

I first heard about Martha Ballard a few months ago, when I picked up the Pulitzer Prize-winning book based on her life (A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812 by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich). While I have not read it yet, Ballard's name was fresh on my mind when I came across The Frozen River, and that on top of the intriguing premise persuaded me to move it up my TBR list.

This is an oddly tough book to explain, because I really don't want to spoil the story. The blurb mentions the mystery of who killed Joshua Burgess, but there's rather more focus in the story on the case of Rebecca Foster, as well as Martha's daily life in a community split on the veracity of Rebecca's story.  The characters are complex and vividly drawn, the writing picturesque without becoming overblown, which made me feel like I was really getting an insight into daily life in post-Revolutionary New England.

However, I had a couple of small complaints that, gathered together, lowered my rating of the book. I wasn't fully sure that the flashbacks into Martha's past were completely needed, as it interrupted the flow of the story for me - and much of the information is relayed in the main storyline anyway. Also, while I enjoyed reading about the loving relationship between Martha and her husband Ephraim, I thought a couple of those scenes could have been cut, as they slowed down the pace in an already lengthy book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Misogyny, and Rape

Moderate: Medical content and Pregnancy

Minor: Child death and Miscarriage

machenn's review against another edition

emotional mysterious medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy and Rape

Moderate: Sexual violence, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Child death, Death, Alcohol, Murder, and Blood

deltadam's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Medical content, Rape, and Misogyny