The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon is a compelling work of historical fiction featuring an 18th-century midwife.
This novel has been everywhere since publishing in November 2024. It is constantly on the New York Times Bestsellers list and interest grows each day. I heard great things and so I was quite eager to check it out.
I really enjoyed Ariel’s I Was Anastasia, a novel about the mystery of Anastasia Romanov and the famed imposter Anna Anderson. It features plenty of twists, and rich historical detail.
And it’s very similar with The Frozen River where a mystery moves the story forward, but the heartbeat of the novel is getting to know the real-life Martha Ballard, an American midwife.
What’s the Story About
The story is set in 1789 in Maine during wintertime, a very brutal winter that year. 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.
Background
The author Ariel Lawhorn is known for writing biographical fiction, meaning her stories tend to stay as close to the real-life person as possible. But she took a little different tactic with The Frozen River.
Martha was real. However, in the author’s note, Ariel wrote that “the book you hold in your hands is inspired by real life events as opposed to based on them.” She said about 75 percent of what happens on these pages closely follows the historical record. She took a different writing path for a number of reasons included condensing Martha’s diary entries but also, how little is known of the type of person Martha was.
While Martha did keep an extensive diary, it wasn’t recording her inner thoughts and emotions, but a rather bookkeeping way of keeping track of the pregnancies, daily life, and also court cases in the town. So Ariel put together a version of Martha that she says could be plausible.
It always helps to know where the author is coming from when composing the stories. For me, when I read historical fiction, I don’t expect it to be like a biography. I’m always fine with changes made, and adjusted to suit the story better.
In my opinion, historical fiction is an introduction to the real-life person, and then from there, I can do my own research (aka Googling their name) to find out more.
Time Period
While I enjoy historical fiction, the 1700s is not my ideal time period to read. I prefer the 1940s and onward, (even the ’90s are now considered historical fiction, which is a whole other story, ha). Maybe I just like when it feels closer to our time period, even though, clearly the 1940s were still a very long time ago.
That said, I thought Ariel did a wonderful job setting the tone, I did feel as if I was transported back to the 1700s. Although, I don’t think I would want to stay there as it was not so much an enjoyable time for many reasons, especially for women.
But I so respect the amount of research she conducted to be able to present such a vivid story from such a long time ago. And even though it takes place in the 1700s, it covers such heavy topics that are sadly still relevant today.
Verdict
I wouldn’t call it a five star read for me—it felt a little long and sometimes repetitive (mainly about their daily life). It also is quite heavy, covers several assaults, and that was hard to read at times. So there are trigger warnings on that.
But overall, I found The Frozen River to be quite engaging, and I was curious about the central mystery. Martha is a vivid and memorable protagonist as well. All in all, I see why this book is so successful. A four star read for sure.
For book clubs, check out my discussion questions here.
