I loved this book. Listened to it on Audible while we were traveling in Australia. It was well written and well narrated. Though a work of fiction, Lawhon has well researched the story of real life 18th century midwife Martha Ballard and woven a remarkable tale of mystery, family, love and perseverance. Here is my book review The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon.

Maine

For most of us I think Martha Ballard contribution to midwifery has lived under the radar. Lawhon brings this amazing women to life in The Frozen Women. We are introduced to Martha in winter 1789. It’s a hard scrabble life for Maine’s residents during the long, cold winters. The frozen Kennebec that runs through the village of Hallowell Maine will be the center of this story.

Healer

Martha Ballard is a healer, midwife, and pursuer of justice. Over her decades of service she has become something of a legend in our village, called open for births, deaths, and tragedies of all kinds. On a cold winter night she is summoned when a man is found dead and frozen in the river. This death is on the heals of a recent brutal rape, allegedly by two of the towns most wealthy and important men. Now one of those men is dead.

Female

Martha is, of course, female. And the local male doctor believes he is more skilled at both determining the cause of death and saving mothers in childbirth. Martha’s talents and practices are questioned at every turn, by men of wealth and power including the powerful local judge.

Martha is undeterred, despite the worry her husband has for her safety. She pursues justice for the woman who was raped and safe health care for all the women of the village. All while dealing with her own family members and their various own pregnancies and medical needs. She is nothing but astonishing in her commitment to others during a time when women are expected to stay quiet and submissive.

Diary

In her real life Martha kept a daily diary of all the goings on in the village, every birth she attended. Every ailment and death as well as much of the activities and gossip of Hallowell. This diary becomes both a tool for writing about Martha centuries later, and a key piece of evidence against the corrupt judge.

Book Review The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

I loved this book, and I am sure I would have loved it just as much reading it as I did listening to it. It has a compelling story line, excellent character development, beautiful descriptive narrative and a fabulous female protagonist. Martha Ballard is an unsung hero worth knowing more about.

Thank you for reading my book review The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. Be sure to see last week’s book review Saving Ellen by Maura Casey.

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