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A review by kpthebookworm
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Wow. I almost have no words for how much I loved this book. But because it deserves many more words than I could ever muster, I’m going to try.
I had no background of what this book was going into it. It was offered as an ALC on Libro.fm and I decided to give it a go after seeing it a few times on bookstagram. That being said, I’m so glad I decided to listen because this is the kind of story that sticks with you for a long time.
This masterful work of historical fiction takes place in Maine 1789 and follows Martha Ballard, a midwife. It gave me major Outlander vibes (in a good way) as well as Call the Midwife vibes (also in a good way) but with a mysterious death and invitation thrown into the mix. I don’t mean it copies those stories, but rather that if you like those two shows/books, I think you’d like this book as well. Historically it is pretty darn accurate, although technically this story is fiction, as the author states. But you can tell listening to or reading this book that a painstaking level of detail and research went into the historical accuracy aspects, and it doesn’t go unnoticed.
The main character, Martha, is so well written and developed that I feel even now as if I know her personally. All of the characters are incredible. The plot is well developed and flows smoothly without any confusion or hiccups. The story has the perfect, and I do mean perfect, balance of action, dialogue and reflection. There are parts of this story that are gut wrenching to read/listen to, parts that will make you laugh, and parts that make your pulse quicken in anticipation. It really does have a bit of everything.
The author’s note at the end practically moved to tears. I had no idea Martha Ballard was a real person and I suspect many people do not know of this amazing woman and the legacy she leaves behind.
I’d recommend it for lovers of historical fiction, but even if you don’t typically read that genre, I still think you’d enjoy this one because it gripped me from the very first sentence. I cannot name a single thing I didn’t like about this book, not a one.
Major trigger warnings need to be given for rape, as it is a huge factor in this story, as well as child loss.
I had no background of what this book was going into it. It was offered as an ALC on Libro.fm and I decided to give it a go after seeing it a few times on bookstagram. That being said, I’m so glad I decided to listen because this is the kind of story that sticks with you for a long time.
This masterful work of historical fiction takes place in Maine 1789 and follows Martha Ballard, a midwife. It gave me major Outlander vibes (in a good way) as well as Call the Midwife vibes (also in a good way) but with a mysterious death and invitation thrown into the mix. I don’t mean it copies those stories, but rather that if you like those two shows/books, I think you’d like this book as well. Historically it is pretty darn accurate, although technically this story is fiction, as the author states. But you can tell listening to or reading this book that a painstaking level of detail and research went into the historical accuracy aspects, and it doesn’t go unnoticed.
The main character, Martha, is so well written and developed that I feel even now as if I know her personally. All of the characters are incredible. The plot is well developed and flows smoothly without any confusion or hiccups. The story has the perfect, and I do mean perfect, balance of action, dialogue and reflection. There are parts of this story that are gut wrenching to read/listen to, parts that will make you laugh, and parts that make your pulse quicken in anticipation. It really does have a bit of everything.
The author’s note at the end practically moved to tears. I had no idea Martha Ballard was a real person and I suspect many people do not know of this amazing woman and the legacy she leaves behind.
I’d recommend it for lovers of historical fiction, but even if you don’t typically read that genre, I still think you’d enjoy this one because it gripped me from the very first sentence. I cannot name a single thing I didn’t like about this book, not a one.
Major trigger warnings need to be given for rape, as it is a huge factor in this story, as well as child loss.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Child death