Bianca’s review of The Frozen River > Likes and Comments

Bianca....I understand your reservations. Sorry this read did not work for you!😭😢

Onwards !

Bummer! Hope your next one is better!

Sorry it didn’t work for you Bianca!
Onward!

Jen CANADA wrote: "Bummer! Hope your next one is better!"

Angela M wrote: "Onwards !"

Fran wrote: "Bianca....I understand your reservations. Sorry this read did not work for you!😭😢"

Thanks, all. I should keep away from historical fiction, especially the kind set before the XX-th century.

What a shame but a wonderful review Bianca 💖

I identify with your comment about historical fiction that doesn’t much care about history. I’ve picked up a few of those lately and they also irk the crap out of me. They read more like “chick lit”. Thanks for the warning!

Margaret M - months of wrote: "What a shame but a wonderful review Bianca 💖"

I come across it relatively often, even though I don't read HF often.

Pat wrote: "I identify with your comment about historical fiction that doesn’t much care about history. I’ve picked up a few of those lately and they also irk the crap out of me. They read more like “chick lit..."

Perhaps bad chick lit, which was the case with this one.

I found your review by searching for the word "anachronism" because I knew there had to be someone else as annoyed with the historical inaccuracies as I was! I did manage to finish it, but I will be giving it away. The author lost me the moment she used "milquetoast," a word from a 1920s comic strip, in a novel set in the 1790s.

giralffe wrote: "I found your review by searching for the word "anachronism" because I knew there had to be someone else as annoyed with the historical inaccuracies as I was! I did manage to finish it, but I will b..."

Thank you for your comment. I don't recall coming across milquetoast, but I was half listening.

I'd surely be annoyed by these things too, Bianca. Thanks for saving me an add this evening! :D

Thanks for your review. I agree!

Candi wrote: "I'd surely be annoyed by these things too, Bianca. Thanks for saving me an add this evening! :D"

No problem. :-)

Diane wrote: "Thanks for your review. I agree!"

Thanks for letting me know.:-)

I'm happy to see your review! Everyone seems to love it but I gave up on it, couldn't finish.

I've grown weary of HF.

I agree! I usually really like historical fiction. I expected to be swept away by this story, but the main character and her husband did not ring true to me. Their relationship was written like a romance novel, and nothing about it felt authentic to the time period. I did finish the book but I was really disappointed.

JanB wrote: "I'm happy to see your review! Everyone seems to love it but I gave up on it, couldn't finish.

I've grown weary of HF."

I seem to be in the minority again, but I'm so fed up with these kinds of historical fiction novels.

Irene wrote: "I agree! I usually really like historical fiction. I expected to be swept away by this story, but the main character and her husband did not ring true to me. Their relationship was written like a r..."

Thanks for your comment. Nothing felt authentic to me, not that I was alive back then. :-)

Moving right along ... :)

Terence M - [Quot libros, quam breve tempus!] wrote: "Moving right along ... :)"

Frozen River? What Frozen River? :-)

Bianca wrote: "Terence M - [Quot libros, quam breve tempus!] wrote: "Moving right along ... :)"

Frozen River? What Frozen River? :-)"

Exactly! Written by a true Dnf'er✔✔

@Terence You're the master of DNF. :-)

Bianca wrote: "@Terence You're the master of DNF. :-)"

😆😆 Thank you Bianca!
I'm not really proud of it :))

Fantastic review! I wholly agree, especially about Martha’s husband! While I was reading I’d be rolling my eyes and side eyeing Lawhon’s portrayal of the husband. Way too good to be true and completely unbelievable 🙄😑 In any case, sorry it was a bust but thanks for your insightful and honest review.

Bianca agree 100%. I also wish reviews could have included “trigger” warnings. I do not understand the draw of this book. Waste of time.

We were listening to this on a long car ride, and I think it was the French kissing scene that made me pull the plug. I agree wholeheartedly with your review. The husband and Martha were too perfect. The dialogue didn’t seem authentic. And the mystery had seemingly been abandoned by the time I quit.

Eloise wrote: "We were listening to this on a long car ride, and I think it was the French kissing scene that made me pull the plug. I agree wholeheartedly with your review. The husband and Martha were too perfec..."

We seem to be in the minority, I am OK with it. :-)

The anachronisms drove me crazy too. In addition to the 1920s “milquetoast,” a scene from 1760 when someone is referred to as the best midwife in the STATE (yup they were colonies then), and Cyrus calling his father “dad” (19th century term). Don’t they have editors to pick up these things???

Lisa wrote: "The anachronisms drove me crazy too. In addition to the 1920s “milquetoast,” a scene from 1760 when someone is referred to as the best midwife in the STATE (yup they were colonies then), and Cyrus ..."

OMG, I didn't even pick the ones you mentioned, but I'm sure they contributed to my overall feel of not being right. Thanks for pointing those things out. We should skewer the publishers, this wasn't self-published, in theory, they have all sorts of people to check.

QuietlyKat wrote: "Fantastic review! I wholly agree, especially about Martha’s husband! While I was reading I’d be rolling my eyes and side eyeing Lawhon’s portrayal of the husband. Way too good to be true and comple..."

Sorry for the delay, I missed the notification. Some people don't care or notice these things, I'm not one of them, I won't apologise for it.

Yikes Bianca!!!!! You certainly did put a lot of time into this one, sometimes frustrations with a book only become apparent once one is well into it. So I can understand that happened to you here, shame though. Thanks for reminding me what vernix means, I did know - but had forgotten. Better luck with your next one Bianca! 🤗😬

Oh no- it’s a bookclub pick for next year. I appreciate your honest review- I’ll come back and tell you what I think after I read it.

Mark wrote: "Yikes Bianca!!!!! You certainly did put a lot of time into this one, sometimes frustrations with a book only become apparent once one is well into it. So I can understand that happened to you here,..."

I read this some time ago, somehow GR makes it come up again when you reply to comments. I'm fed up with historical fiction with main heroines who are mightier than thou and way ahead of their time, it implies that if women are not perfect in all ways they are not worth it etc. That's why I'm so ranty about all these popular novels, ie Lessons in Chemistry etc, they can be much more nuanced, most of us are not idiots.

Antoinette wrote: "Oh no- it’s a bookclub pick for next year. I appreciate your honest review- I’ll come back and tell you what I think after I read it."

As you can see from the extremely high ratings, I'm in the minority. I'll read your review when you get around to it. I'll be interesting to find out your book club's views.

I'm always a little leery of the books "everyone loves". I'm on the list at the library but may just let it go. The things you and Lisa mentioned would send me over the edge.

I started and then stopped at about the 10% mark. Martha was too perfect and modern and I saw a lot of conflict coming. Your review helped me flesh out why it wasn’t working for me. I may try it another day but I doubt it.

Diane wrote: "I'm always a little leery of the books "everyone loves". I'm on the list at the library but may just let it go. The things you and Lisa mentioned would send me over the edge."

I'll look forward to your views, Diane. As you can see in Lisa's comment, there are even more that I didn't pick up. It's one of the highest-rated recent novels on GR. I'm getting weary of historical fiction with strong female characters ... because they may be trendy but badly executed in my view.

Vicky wrote: "I started and then stopped at about the 10% mark. Martha was too perfect and modern and I saw a lot of conflict coming. Your review helped me flesh out why it wasn’t working for me. I may try it an..."

I pushed myself to listen to the hrs I did while grimacing and cussing :-)

I just found out my old bookclub is reading this in September. I left the group about a year ago because I was always in the minority on opinions about the quality of the writing. Other reasons as well, but that was the main thing. I'm quite sure they will all love this one, and equally sure I would not have.

Diane wrote: "I just found out my old bookclub is reading this in September. I left the group about a year ago because I was always in the minority on opinions about the quality of the writing. Other reasons as ..."

You have to have at least one person in a group with similar taste/views, otherwise you feel odd. I guess you can check in with them to ask what they thought of it. It wasn't just the anachronisms, but the writing was pretty average.

Just because you asked, people have been kissing with tongue for a long time—several centuries BCE.

Also, that vernix wasn’t printed in a medical text until 1846 doesn’t mean that the Latin term (which means varnish, and is a sensible term) wasn’t used before that by practitioners verbally—and, especially by practitioners who didn’t have the authority of official title. I saw that as an example of ideas that the women healers used, even though not yet adopted by medical texts (or degrees doctors).

And I’m not sure why you think that ideas about equality and challenging the status quo weren’t in people’s minds in late 18th century. I mean, the American Revolution (and other revolutions) were entirely based on breaking molds and thinking beyond the status quo, in order to create new ideas.

Also, even ancient wounds care involved disinfecting wounds. They used what we would now call natural remedies, as that was what remedies were at the time. But if you look at history, the idea of infection existed early, and ways to get rid of that infection have existed since wounds began. I’m not sure where the idea comes from that people didn’t understand observable science.

I noticed the use of “milquetoast” and it bothered me greatly. I was already on edge because much of Martha’s knowledge, personality, and even a bedroom scene, were copies of Claire from outlander.

I’m shocked at how annoyed I am by modern tone and attitude. It’s definitely more fiction than historical. This review helped me just let it go. I’m not investing more time in this when there are so many other books to read.

Elisa wrote: "Just because you asked, people have been kissing with tongue for a long time—several centuries BCE.

Also, that vernix wasn’t printed in a medical text until 1846 doesn’t mean that the Latin term ..."

Hi, thanks for the comment. I've only just noticed it, thanks to GR not doing its notifying job properly. Sure, tongue kissing was mentioned in Kamasutra BCE, but that was in India. How would the American know, even if she knew about it, I doubt it was customary and ordinary even in one's bedroom.

Anyway, despite the anachronisms, rightfully perceived or not, I didn't like the writing and the tone.

Jen wrote: "I noticed the use of “milquetoast” and it bothered me greatly. I was already on edge because much of Martha’s knowledge, personality, and even a bedroom scene, were copies of Claire from outlander."

I wouldn't be able to comment on the similarities to Claire from Outlander as I only watched the first series, and I might have been under the Scotsman's spell to notice other things ;-).

Jennifer wrote: "I’m shocked at how annoyed I am by modern tone and attitude. It’s definitely more fiction than historical. This review helped me just let it go. I’m not investing more time in this when there are s..."

Thanks for your comment. I had high expectations going into it, but 5 minutes into listening I was already annoyed. Too many books, not enough time ...

“Pissing contest” was mentioned at least twice referring to male characters attempting to one up the others in various activities. Really? Pissing contest? A quick Google search tells me this phrase came about in the 1940s!!

Coyotes weren't in Maine until the early 1900s. The gray wolves kept the 'prairie wolves' away until they were exterminated by the colonizers.

Oh, no! I just added this from other reviews. Well, I won’t hurry to read it now…