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The Frozen River

Ariel Lawhon

Start date: March 1, 2024

Finish date: March 31, 2024

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Nov-Dec 2025: My Name Is Emilia del Valle
By Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Jenn Ƹ̴… , Founding Retro Chick · 1 post · 9 views

last updated Oct 29, 2025 02:06PM

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What Members Thought

Feb 23, 2024 Maureen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

This book is inspired by the real diary of midwife Martha Ballard in the 18th century in Hallowell,Maine. She kept a diary of recorded births and deaths and daily activities.
In 1789 Martha as a trained midwife is summoned to examine a body and determine cause of death, of a body found in the frozen Kennebec River. She determines that the body was battered and bruised with broken bones and a mark around the neck. She proclaims that this body was murdered. As she is doing her examination she is di ...more

58 likes · Like · see review

Aug 22, 2024 Book Concierge rated it really liked it

Shelves: book-club, medicine, murder, historical-fiction, library, concierge, strong-women, maine, 18th-century

From the book jacket: 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 – ...more

26 likes · Like · see review

May 22, 2024 Celia rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction-read, vero-book-club, 2023-pub, kindle-library, ten-year-challenge, 2024-read, 2024-kindle-counted

From SuperSummary.com:

The Frozen River is a 2023 historical fiction thriller by Ariel Lawhon following Martha Ballard, an 18th-century midwife in Maine, as she leverages her standing as a medical professional to investigate two crimes: a murder and a rape.

Martha Moore Ballard (1735-1812) was a New England midwife, known best by historians for her diary recording daily life in 18th-century Maine. She was informally trained but never recorded a single maternal mortality in the 816 births she reco ...more

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Dec 18, 2024 Joanne rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction-read, thriller-read

A Historical Fiction story set in the 18th century, and based on the life of a real woman, Martha Ballard, a midwife. Martha kept a diary of her day-to-day life and it was passed down through the years and survived. Ariel Lawhon read about this woman in a book in her doctor's office. Thus the novel was born.

The meat of the story is about a murder (in Martha's judgment) of an accused rapist. However, there is so much more to this book. I loved Martha and her husband Ephraim. These two characters ...more

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Apr 25, 2024 Lory Sakay rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I really liked the embellished story of Martha Ballard, a midwife in the 1700's, and the insertion of a mystery factor in this historical novel. I did feel Martha's confidence and strength was a bit overdone for the time period but at the same time, she became a hero for the reader to cheer for. - "Go Martha. Go Martha." Her quick wit, noble mind, and sassy mouth made her jump off the page and into our hearts. The book reads from her first person perspective and I really liked that aspect as it ...more

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Dec 26, 2023 Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Jenn Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Schu rated it really liked it

Shelves: mysteries-of-all-kinds, historical-fiction, thriller, snow-queen

The Frozen River is a story about the life of Martha Ballard, an 18th-century midwife. During one particularly frigid winter in Maine, the body of a local man was found frozen in the Kennebec River. Martha was summoned to determine the cause of death, which resulted in a string of events to determine the killer and the crimes committed in the small community. Martha's diary of events becomes paramount in solving the case; her diary includes all the illnesses and births she's attended as the loca ...more

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May 13, 2024 Sarah Brown rated it it was amazing

Shelves: midwife

I'm so glad someone suggested I read this! It was such a nice break reading historical fiction that was in a completely different time period than I am used to, and no war. It was nice to have a mystery that I could not figure out, and I loved the silver fox. ...more

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Nov 09, 2025 Scarlett rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, future-library

A good story for these almost-winter days here in Tennessee. The mystery may have been a bit lacking, but the gossip and the midwifery aspects were more than enough to cover the distance. I loved this!

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