The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you PRH Audio for the ALC and Doubleday #partner,  for the advanced copy of The Frozen River in exchange for my honest review.

Publisher: Doubleday / Random House Audio

Published: December 5, 2023

 

Summary:

From the New York Times bestselling author of I Was Anastasia and Code Name Hélène comes 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.

 

My thoughts:

I forgot just how much I love Ariel Lawhon’s books. This is the third one I’ve read and you better believe the others are moving up on my tbr! She just has such a way weaving fact and fiction into such a compelling, engaging read that once you start, you don’t want to stop…and that was definitely the case here. This was one of my most anticipated reads for December and it easily surpassed all my expectations!

I loved this story. It combines some of my favorite elements – engrossing historical fiction with a compelling mystery and even some legal drama. Inspired by the life and journals of Martha Ballard, an 18th century mid-wife, this is such an immersive read. It spans the course of six months, during the winter of 1789 that was particularly brutal for this small community along the Kennebec River in Maine in more ways than one, and is so atmospheric that you can feel the cold seep into your bones as you are reading it.

I loved all the emotions this story evoked. Martha Ballard is someone who I just know I won’t be forgetting anytime soon. She shows such strong devotion to her work and her family, and her bravery and intellect are on constant display in all she does. I will be forever grateful to Ariel Lawhon for making sure her story was told. The other characters we meet, all through Martha’s eyes, are all richly drawn and by the end of the book you really feel like these are people you know. I also loved learning about what day-to-day life was like during post-Revolutionary times, specifically for women. The challenges they faced really made my blood boil at times.

This story, told all from Martha’s point of view, is such a powerful, engaging story. The mystery kept me guessing all the way through and I loved that the author used some of the journal entries in the book.

I highly recommend picking this one up. And be sure to read the Author’s Note at the back once you’ve finished read the story. It gives such insight into the research that the author did and so much more! It is not to be missed.

 

Audio thoughts:

This book was amazing on audio. It was narrated by Jane Oppenheimer and she truly did a fantastic job bringing this story to life. She infused just the right amount of emotion and tension into her voice as needed and her pacing was spot on.