Ariel Lawhon has written a fabulous historical fiction novel – “The Frozen River.” There is murder, mystery, corruption and romance throughout the story and I put off my cleaning chores because I wanted to get to the conclusion! (But when I finished, I was sad that I couldn’t read more about these characters and this village.)
Martha Ballard is a 54 year-old wife, mother and midwife in the little town of Hallowell, Maine in the late 1700’s. She is well-trained, devoted to her patients and is used to being called out at all hours of the day and night. But as “The Frozen River” begins, Martha is called to town to identify and give her opinion on the cause of death of a man found dead in the river. It is clear that the man has been murdered, but by whom? During the same period of time, the local minister’s wife has accused a prominent and wealthy town leader of raping her. Martha Ballard is called to testify in court as she is the woman’s midwife. Will the guilty man be punished? What other corruption has been taking place in this seemingly quiet town? Times are very different from today in 18th century New England – and women are essentially second class citizens. But Martha takes a stand and speaks up for those who have been mistreated.
There are many many characters in this novel, but they aren’t difficult to keep straight once you get into the novel. I especially loved Ephraim, who is Martha’s husband. He is proud of his wife, loves her and supports her even when he disagrees with her actions. There is brutality in this novel, but also a great deal of friendship and love shown by the characters. Historical fiction lovers need to check out this terrific book!!!
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