Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

60 reviews

jenhfultz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious 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? No

4.25

It starts slowly but the pace picks up! LOTS of characters to keep track of; she should have a cast list in the front.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexual violence, Death, Violence, Sexual assault, Sexism, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Rape, Pregnancy, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Gaslighting, Medical content, and Child death

Minor: Colonisation, Miscarriage, Murder, and Sexual harassment

jazzsonnet's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring mysterious reflective 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Misogyny, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, and Child death

Moderate: Infidelity, Cursing, Ableism, Sexism, Animal death, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Child death, Gaslighting, and Death

Minor: Incest, Alcohol, and Abortion

kimveach's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative 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? Yes

5.0

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!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Emotional abuse, Grief, Sexual violence, Classism, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexism, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Miscarriage, Alcohol, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Colonisation, Animal death, Chronic illness, Gore, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Abortion, and Sexual assault

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

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

msennflinn's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Medical content, Rape, Sexual assault, Murder, Violence, Death, and Sexual violence

thankstomylocallibrary's review against another edition

informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Murder, Medical content, Pregnancy, Rape, and Child death

soobooksalot's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

The Frozen River has gone straight to my list of most memorable reads.
 I don't read a ton of historical fiction, but the ones I do inevitably leave an impression.
 Author Ariel Lawhon describes her novel as "biographical fiction" - midwife and healer Martha Ballard and other residents of Halowell, Maine in the late 1700s are based on actual people and events.
 Despite the time difference from then to present, so many of society's harshest issues are unchanged.
 The Frozen River isn't always an easy read, but I absolutely recommend it.
 ⚠️ TW: rape, pregnancy and childbirth, infant and child death, murder, capital punishment.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Death, Medical content, Murder, Pregnancy, Rape, and Child death

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