The Frozen River

• Book: Fiction
• Genre: Historical Fiction
• Author: Ariel Lawhon
• Published: 2023
• My rating: 5 stars

This book drew me in from the very first page. Set in Maine in the late 1700’s, it is the story of Martha Ballard, a midwife. The character is based on a real person who delivered many babies and kept a detailed record of names, dates and places in her diary. She was depended on by the women in her village for many years.

The story begins in winter with a man found in a frozen river. Martha is called to confirm his death but soon suspects that it was not accidental as the local doctor claims. As she discreetly investigates, she begins to think that this man was not only murdered but that his death is also connected to a rape he is accused of.

Martha is one of those characters that you can easily understand. She speaks her mind, swears in a time when it was thought crude, and describes the aches of aging as part of daily life. She hates her horse but also depends on him, even though he bucks and bites. She loves her family and talks in detail about the passion she still feels for her husband.

When I was reading this book, I was there, in the story, experiencing the same things the characters were. I felt happiness when a baby was born, sadness when one was lost, the pain of the woman who was raped and experienced an unwanted pregnancy, and vindication when the bad guy who was making Martha’s life difficult received just punishment.

This book was an experience, and I will read it again.