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jhbandcats 's review for:
The Frozen River
by Ariel Lawhon
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’m lucky to have read two incredibly good books back to back, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow plus this fabulous historical mystery about a late 18th C midwife in Maine. The titular frozen river itself is so prominent as to be a character in its own right. Animals, both wild and domestic, are integral.
As historical fiction, this is really top notch, set on the foundation of extensive research. As a mystery, it’s equally fine. To have both in one volume is a multitude of riches. It feels like a book with the depth and intensity of 600+ pages. (It doesn’t feel like a long book - it’s such a page-turner that it feels relatively short.) The main characters are intricately drawn; the lesser characters are essential to crafting the plot.
I had thought I wouldn’t be especially interested in a midwife’s story but I was hooked from the very beginning. Be warned that there’s the gore of birth itself, plus the explicit violence of rape and murder. This is also a courtroom drama, dramatic partly because the fledgling justice system is unfamiliar to modern readers.
I can’t recommend this highly enough. I was riveted.
As historical fiction, this is really top notch, set on the foundation of extensive research. As a mystery, it’s equally fine. To have both in one volume is a multitude of riches. It feels like a book with the depth and intensity of 600+ pages. (It doesn’t feel like a long book - it’s such a page-turner that it feels relatively short.) The main characters are intricately drawn; the lesser characters are essential to crafting the plot.
I had thought I wouldn’t be especially interested in a midwife’s story but I was hooked from the very beginning. Be warned that there’s the gore of birth itself, plus the explicit violence of rape and murder. This is also a courtroom drama, dramatic partly because the fledgling justice system is unfamiliar to modern readers.
I can’t recommend this highly enough. I was riveted.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Drug use, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Classism