The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon #Historical Fiction Inspired by Fact #MurderMystery #TuesdayBookBlog #BookTwitter
Author: Ariel Lawhon
Published by Swift Press Audio on Audible February 2025
Narrated by Jane Oppenheimer
Category: Historical, Murder Mystery, Inspired by Fact
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I love historical fiction, from an educational viewpoint as well as enjoyment of the actual story. Ariel Lawhon’s book, as she herself states in the author notes at the end of the book, was inspired by, as opposed to based on, Martha Ballard ‘a renowned 18th-century midwife who defied the legal system and wrote herself into history’ and is therefore not completely factual. Martha Ballard kept a comprehensive daily diary for several decades (it can be found online but looks very difficult to decipher.) The author also states that a Pulitzer Prize winning account of Martha Ballard’s life, taken from her diaries, is available entitled ‘A Midwife’s Tale.’ However, Ariel Lawhon’s storytelling is evocative and I was drawn into the story immediately.
The body floats downstream. But it is late November, and the Kennebec river is staring to freeze, large chunks of ice swirling and tumbling through the water, collecting in mounds while cold, clear fingers of ice stretch out from either bank, reaching into the current, grabbing hold of all that passes by. Already weighted down by soaked clothing and heavy leather boots, the dead man bobs in the ebbing current, unseeing eyes staring at the waning crescent moon.
The story begins as Martha is called to examine a body that was found in the icy river Kennebec. She is a well known midwife and healer in the vicinity and records each birth and death in the village of Hallowell, where she lives. The dead man is one of two well thought of locals who were accused of raping and assaulting the local minister’s wife earlier in the year. Martha determines Joshua Burgess, the man in the river, had been murdered. She has opposition in the form of Dr Benjamin Page. He undermines her decision regarding the cause of the man’s death and, further into the story, also calls into question her methods of midwifery. Because he was Harvard educated and Martha was a mere woman, he considered himself far superior, even though Martha had delivered hundreds of babies and had never lost a mother in childbirth.
Women in the 18th century were rarely, if ever, believed regarding allegations of rape and Martha was determined to advocate for Rebecca Foster. A trial date is set. Martha refused, as much as possible, to be constrained by the conditions of the time and stood strong in her beliefs.
Ariel Lawhon’s characters are fully and naturally realised, along with their experiences, whether it was the unrelenting winter or personal struggles hampered by the rulings and/or behaviour of men. The Frozen River is a fascinating, thought provoking and insightful read which can also be classed as a murder mystery. This is the first time I’ve listened to a book narrated by Jane Oppenheimer, I thought she did a great job, giving distinct voices to the cast of characters. It’s also my first book by this author, I’ll definitely be reading more of her books.
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 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.
