The Frozen River
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
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⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 〰️
Synopsis
There was so much I liked about this book, however it was just a bit too drawn out to be considered five stars. I originally rated it 3.5 stars but after sitting on it for a week or so, I needed to up the rating. Taking place in 1700’s Maine, the Kennebec freezes over as it typically does. Unlike prior years, a locally hated man is found beneath the ice. Martha is a busy wife, mother, and midwife called to the scene to name the cause of death. She records her verdict safely in her diary, as she does with each day’s births, deaths, and happenings. Little does she know that her writing will be the key evidence in multiple trials - those of murder and rape. Tangled in a web of suspicions and lies, Martha is determined to bring justice to her friends and those wrongly abused by the corrupt men in charge.
“We are in the twilight years of a long love affair, and it has recently occurred to me that a day will come when one of us buries the other. But, I remind myself, that is the happy ending to a story like ours. It is a vow made and kept. Till death do us part. It is the only acceptable outcome to a long and happy marriage, and I am determined not to fear that day, whenever it arrives. I am equally determined to soak up all the days between.”
Favorites
This is one of the first books where I entirely agreed with and admired the main character; Martha is strong and independent, though she still relies on friends and family when in need. Every decision that she made and every snide remark was totally granted, in my opinion, and I commend her for her actions. Denying North’s wife the medicine is something I absolutely would have done, though I respect her for recognizing the mistake later and making it right. I also admire her for not belittling Rebecca Foster for resenting the baby that was forced upon her. Martha respected her wishes, leaned on a friend - Sarah White, and found a safe reasonable solution for all.
There are simply no words to describe Ephraim - he is truly one of a kind. His relationship with Martha is one of respect and admiration; he holds her on a pedestal and would do ANYTHING for her. My favorite moment of his was when he disagreed with Martha for refusing Lidia North her medicine. He chose not to disrespect Martha in front of company and waited for them to be alone to express his disappointment. A love like this is one-of-a-kind and I hope every woman gets to experience it. I just know that Cyrus would have provided this type of love as well, if he had found it in the novel. Though we didn’t get many moments with him, you could always feel his respect for his family.
Throughout the entire book, heavy topics were touched on and really put in to perspective how women were treated at the time. Martha’s education and position within their society was rare for the era - Ephraim had taught her to read and write, providing her opportunities without ever taking the credit or praise. Both he and Martha were ahead of their time in actively fighting for women’s rights and a fair judicial system.
“It’s an unimaginative accusation and one that I am frankly tired of hearing. Witchcraft. As though there is no other explanation for a woman who excels at her work.”
Icks
The one thing that prevented me from rating this book five stars was the prolonged drawn-out story. I feel the book was much lengthier than it needed to be and found it difficult to continue at times. (I also may have it out for this book because I read it in under three days for a book club that I was joining, only to be stood up by the entire group! Not one person showed up, nor cancelled on the Facebook page… so that sucked) Aside from that, I had a hard time initially telling each of the characters apart. Martha aided so many births and spoke with so many husbands, I could barely keep up. John, Jonathan, Joseph, Jacob… I really needed a family tree breakdown to keep my head on straight. The author did do a decent job of adding details of each character into every conversation, so I eventually caught up. I found this to be the most difficult part of getting through the book.
“Memory is a wicked thing that warps and twists. But paper and ink receive the truth without emotion, and they read it back without partiality. That, I believe, is why so few women are taught to read and write.”
Final Thoughts
All in all, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. This was the first historical fiction, other than the Bridgerton series, that I have read and I am intrigued to see what else is out there! I would probably pick up another book from Ariel Lawhon, though I would like to read it at a much slower pace when I’m not pushed for a deadline. I hope you enjoyed this review and consider giving this book a try - happy reading!
