The Frozen River: A GMA Book Club Pick: A Novel

I really enjoyed this story. The characters and setting were great, and I enjoyed the bit of mystery too. Maybe a tad slow at times, but overall, I liked the book.

I really loved this book. Thank you SHS Book club for this awesome recommendation!!

I love this book from the very first page. I loved feeling like I was with her each day and felt her struggles and joy.

Kelp me up half the night - couldn’t put it down. Worn out from all those babies delivered, plus, who did it?
Great audio! Many thanks.

This is the best book I have read this year. I love the main character, so strong, so smart. Very interesting plot. Excellent narration

I love historical fiction and have read many good novels in that genre, but this is by far the best. The strong protagonist Martha Ballard is such an interesting and badass character, especially for a woman in the late 1700’s.

The mystery was so well done, and kept me guessing until the end. I’m recommending this book to everyone I know. Read it!

From a fellow birth junkie (labor & delivery nurse) I loved this book SO MUCH! Not only for the delivery aspect but the storyline. Listening to the end by the author made it even better.

I thought choosing to set the events of this novel right in the middle of a particularly cold and frozen year in the life of Martha Ballard really contributed to the atmosphere of the story. Sexual assault is a grim fact of life in this story and it is discouraging to realize that things haven't changed much. I did like the fact that there was some justice in this story and I found the character of Martha (and her family) very compelling.

A wonderfully written story by this author. It’s the story of a midwife and the challenges she faces in dealing with her patients and the corruptions of the legal system when patients reveal facts of their situations are with to her. I highly recommend this book.

I have not read one of her books that I did not like. everyone should read this.

Amazing book. I loved the story of a midwife and what she was able to do in her community. I enjoyed the intriguing issues in the story. Set at the end of 1700 hundreds this is an interesting look at American history. I loved the information about the justice system.

Marsha Ballard an historical wideife who delivered 800 babies and lost no mothers inspired this historical fiction book. Marsha is portrayed as a modern woman-decisive, independent, smart. She had a living supportive husband, 9 children 6 of whom lived and a solid marriage. Real life Marsha kept a diary whose books were handed down through the generations and now safely stored in a museum. This book was a mystery-who killed Burgess- and a rape case that goes to court. There are many characters, well-drawn, and many complex topics for book clubs to discuss. It is beautifully written and engaging. I’ll be happy to read it again.

Well thought out recount with fictional fill ins of events of that time. I thought it could have been written with more precision. Maybe since it was written during the pandemic, the author felt no need to lessen the words and descriptions, etc.

I found this book to be one I couldn't put down. It's historical fiction at its best with a murder mystery, among many other things. The theme through the book, in various ways, is the frozen Kennebec River in what is now Maine. The main character, Martha Ballard, is a real historical figure, a midwife in 1790. The book is many-faceted and a complete joy to read.

The Frozen River is taken from events that really happened. But Lawhon says it "is inspired by real events as opposed to being based on them." Martha Ballard, a midwife and healer, was a real person, and she is the heroine of the story. Events that she recorded in her diary in real life have been taken and mixed and expanded on to create the story of The Frozen River.

The story takes place in Maine, 1789-90. It begins with a dead body found in the ice of the frozen Kennebec River. Martha is called to view the body. She believes that the man was murdered, but the newly arrived, young, Harvard-educated doctor declares the death accidental. The dead man had recently been accused of rape, along with one of the most respected members of the community. Martha had attended the rape victim and believes her story, while many others in the community do not.

The mystery of what really happened in both the rape and murder form the central core of the story. Martha pursues the evidence where it leads, even when one of her own family is accused. But this story is far more than a mystery. Lawhon recreates the world that Martha lives in, and the struggles and prejudices that women in that time faced. The characters feel real and fully drawn to me. I was immersed in a richly drawn world. Also, the writing was beautiful. I don't really know how to describe it or even why the writing appealed to me so much, but it flowed and drew me in. When I started my next read, the writing felt plain after finishing this book.

This is the best book I have read so far this year. Highly recommended.

Good sense of place, strong characters, and a solid plot -- my wife and I both enjoyed this book quite a bit (although she insists it's not a crime novel)

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 Halloween. 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 a 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 tone an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.

Martha Ballard was a real midwife in 1789 in Hallowell Maine. This is a fictional story of her life. The novel is part American milling family pioneers, part intrigue, and part mystery.
Martha Ballard is a devoted midwife who speaks her mind and fights for the women she cares for . She fights for their rights and for what is right dispute the male dominated world especially the male domination of women’s bodies.
I enjoyed this novel which is much hyped right now but it wasn’t as compelling as I expected.

1789: Midwife Martha Ballard is caught up in a mystery when the body of a man accused of rape is found in the rapidly freezing river.

This novel is based on the historical personage of Martha Ballard, a midwife who delivered hundreds of babies during her lifetime, and a rape case at which she gave evidence. It's extremely well-written and gripping, well deserving of its current popularity. I'll be seeking out more by this author.

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon is a 2023 Doubleday publication.

This is a fascinating novel about Martha Ballard. It is part historical fiction, part mystery, part legal thriller.

Martha Ballard was a midwife and healer in the 18th century whose personal diary provided insightful descriptions of life for women during this era.

The story begins with the discovery of a man’s body in the frozen Kennebec River. Martha must determine the cause of death and suspects foul play, though a local doctor later contradicts her findings.

Martha, because of her occupation, is often in court to testify of things revealed to her, mostly during childbirth, and she knows many details of what goes on behind closed doors in her community. Her first-hand knowledge of the rape of the pastor’s wife brings her to court for a different matter altogether and sets the stage for an intense courtroom drama.

The river is almost a character itself, helping to create a feeling of tense isolation when winter refuses to release its icy grip, which parallels the emotional isolation women felt in the community, adding a taut atmosphere to an already palpable feeling of foreboding.

Overall, the author did an amazing job capturing and putting actions to Martha’s thoughts, creating her story and preserving it at the same time. This is one of the few novels I’ve read this year that truly captured my attention, pulling me deeply into Martha’s narrative as though I was right there with her…

A very rare 5 stars

This was a fascinating read that I could hardly put down. In the small town of 1789 Hallowell, Maine, lives midwife and healer , Martha Ballard. When the Kennebec River freezes, a body is found in the ice. Martha is summoned to examine the body.It appears to her that the man was murdered, but a male physician , Dr. Page disagrees. Martha, also a mother and wife, is determined to bring the case to justice. Some months earlier, she documented the details of a rape , and this dead man is one of the alleged perpetrators.

Based on a the true to life diary of Martha Ballard, this is a book well worth reading. I'll be looking into her back catalogue.

A dedicated midwife, a body pulled form the frozen river, a horrific rape case, assorted pregnancies and pairings, more than a few courtroom scenes, a throughly lovable family, yup, a compelling novel about births and deaths and truth and justice.

The Frozen River is a work of historical fiction set in the late 1800s in a small community in Massachusetts. The main character is a competent and outspoken, middle-aged mid-wife with a family growing up. They are affected by a recent murder, which starts the story, but it becomes more complicated with revelations of rape, corruption and other scandals. Themes include judgement and justice.
I loved this book from the very start! The author did a great job at setting the tone of the times and place; she makes it real and believable. I listened to the audiobook and thought that the narrator was very effective; she really helped flesh out the characters. Though I thoroughly enjoyed it, I think I might have found it a little long if I had read it instead.

Arial Lawhon has taken an incident in the life of real-life midwife Martha Ballard in colonial Maine, and spun from it an intricate and compelling tale of a brutal crime that threatens to split apart her small community and endanger her family. Part mystery, part social commentary, part domestic drama, the novel moves forward with the inevitability of the ice forming in the Kennebec River.

It’s this ice that sets off the plot, as it reluctantly gives up the beaten body of a local man. Ballard, whose midwifery services occasionally pull her into other medical areas, is called to identify the man and to determine what caused his death. Her diagnosis, which she steadfastly refuses to alter even in the face of intense pressure, puts a whole new face on a pending court action, because the dead man is one of two who stands accused of the brutal rape of a young wife and mother in the community.

But this is not a courtroom drama, or even exclusively a murder mystery, though those plot threads drive the action. It’s a detailed and breathing portrait of a small, isolated community in late 18th century Maine, where social pressures and power plays rub elbows with religious strictures and racial prejudice. It's a minutely detailed portrait of the lives of ordinary women of the era and how they interacted separately from the male-dominated culture in which they lived. It’s also a beautifully-rendered look at one couple’s longstanding marriage and the forces which forged it into the strong and loving union that allows Martha to stand her ground as the full story of the assault and of the men accused slowly unfolds.

Five stars. No question.

This historical mystery based on real people (but not a real case) immediately draws the reader in and holds them until the very end in a tale of corruption in a biased legal system.

From the book jacket: 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.

My reactions:
This novel came to my attention because it was a selection for my F2F book club. It took me a while to really get into the story but once I did, I was completely captured by it.

The murder “mystery” is less important really than the characters in this book. I loved Martha Ballard. This is one strong, opinionated, intelligent, empathetic and courageous woman! I loved the way in which she stood up for herself and for others. I also really liked how Lawhon focused this story on a middle-aged woman in a strong and loving marriage.

I am glad, too, that I took the time to read the author’s note at the end. AND READERS … be sure to read it AFTER you have finished the novel, as there will be spoilers in it otherwise. Lawhon based this work of fiction on a real woman – Martha Ballard, who was a midwife in 18th century Maine, and who kept meticulous journals / diaries throughout her life. What a treasure-trove of information and insight those materials were for the author!

Excellent historical fiction and mystery that kept me listening until the very end. I will be looking for more books by this author.

A fictionalized account of the life of Martha Ballard, a midwife in colonial America. There is also a murder mystery with a twist.

Although The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon is not my typical type of book, I wanted to see why it was the most checked-out book of the year at my library. Based on the real-life, 18th-century midwife, Martha Ballard, who kept a detailed journal of her life, Lawhon fleshes out the events of winter 1790 in a small town on the Kennebec River in Maine. For me, the book dragged with too many details — like many books these days a good edit would have done wonders — but I see the general appeal for many readers of a strong female lead, solid plot line, and interesting historical facts.

An interesting historical novel, set in Maine (USA) and based on the diary of an 18th century midwife, Martha Ballard.
Great audiobook narration, too. Recommended.