Book Review: The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
As a woman with two sweet girls and someone who has used midwives before, I seriously adored The Frozen River. Packed full of mystery, drama, and family, check out my full review of The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon below!
Book Information
Martha has more experience in childbirth than most women can begin to imagine. In 1789 in frozen Maine, Martha delivers babies and keeps their mothers alive. But she also chronicles each childbirth, each moment in her small town, and many different crimes in her journals. What this brings about is her hearing the testimony of a woman who has been raped, and being called in front of the justice system to testify with her written words. She may be this woman’s only hope at justice.
Review | Heidi Dischler
Wow. I did not expect that much from this book, but to say I am pleasantly surprised is an understatement. I don’t typically like books from time periods that aren’t the future or present, but I really enjoyed this book.
The setting is basically Maine before everything in America was fully colonized. It’s the winter so everything is legit frozen. Women are still having babies and it’s a perilous journey at times for the midwives to get to them. Martha is one of the best midwives in the area and has never let a woman die under her care.
In The Frozen River, Martha not only does autopsies (like basic cause of death, not all the cutting and everything), but she also writes about every death and birth in her community. So, her journal becomes somewhat of a living documentation of what happens when it happens, which is how she becomes the sole “witness” to a rape.
What I loved the most about this novel is how deeply portrayed everything is. You get vivid settings, fully developed characters, and a story so riveting, you’re pulled in from the beginning. I have personally used midwives before, so the idea of natural birth is familiar to me, and I loved seeing it portrayed in a semi-historical aspect (Martha is a real person, and the story is largely based on fact, but has a little bit of fiction to it as well). I highly recommend listening to the author’s note at the end if you do enjoy this novel.
Something I do want to mention is that there are definitely some triggers in this novel. Rape being one, descriptions of dead bodies, trauma, and so much more. So keep that in mind if you decide to read, but honestly? This was easily a five star read for me and so so worth it.
Overall, not only do you get a mystery in this novel, but you get a huge community story with love, family, and so much more. It’s deeply compelling in its descriptions of childbirth and death without being too overly grotesque. Definitely one of my top reads for this year and something I will remember for a long time.
Source: Audiobook from Libby Public Library
(P.S. You can read tons of books—including ones written by me—by trying a free trial of Kindle Unlimited!)
