The Frozen River – Book Review

A gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who defied the legal system and wrote herself into American history.

Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town’s most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.

Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.

Clever, layered, and subversive, Ariel Lawhon’s newest offering introduces an unsung heroine who refused to accept anything less than justice at a time when women were considered best seen and not heard. The Frozen River is a thrilling, tense, and tender story about a remarkable woman who left an unparalleled legacy yet remains nearly forgotten to this day.

Normally, I like reading historical fiction based on Holocaust and WWII. But this historical fiction was set in 1790’s in Maine and I have to say, I actually enjoyed reading this book.

Not to mention that despite the book being labeled as a fiction, this book is entirely based on the real-life story of one of the first midwives’ in the US and the only one who kept a diary, recounting the life back in 1790’s–Martha Ballard.

The story starts with Martha asking to come to the tavern to do a small autopsy on the body. The body belongs to Joshua Burgess one of the men who raped the Pastor’s wife Rebecca Foster. His body was found deep in the ice and through the investigation, Martha realizes that Joshua was in fact murdered. There were many suspects involved in Burgess’s murder. Also Martha wanted justice in Rebecca Foster’s rape case.

This was engaging and thrilling. I learned so much about what life was really like living in the 1700’s in America when America got independence from Britain. Not to mention the wars that followed soon after. I also admire Martha’s courage, bravery as she wanted to help the women in the town and how she would try to bring justice. The writing was great and the author did a good job of getting the reader into the story. This is a highly recommended book and worth five stars.