2025 Reading Challenge discussion
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The Frozen River
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The Frozen River
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I am very tempted to join you for this buddy read :) !
I just finished this book!
I read this a few months back, and it was so good!!! The book is based on a real life midwife’s life. The author did an incredibly amazing job of combining fiction with the history of this woman and her time. Hope you all love it as much as I did!
Hi! I will be reading this book by next week. I'll try to catch up with you guys if I'm not busy. Our class started this week, and I hope I can read as much as I can:>
I just started today, I find it quite interesting so far :)
I found this on my To Read list, so I will join you for this one :)
I have checked this book out of the library and would love to join in, please.
Great to have you both! I’ll be starting today.
I read part one. I like a book that jumps straight in with a shocking event so that you are immediately drawn into the story. Plenty of hints and questions to keep you hooked. Martha’s narrative voice is very strong and clear.
At the end of part 3 and really engaged with the story. I like the way the author intertwines the recreation of everyday life with the sense of mystery and the underlying feeling of menace. (view spoiler)
I don't think I will get to this until closer to the end of the month.
Finished. The second half of the book caught me up and swept me along, proving to be a very immersive and satisfying read. I look forward to reading your thoughts on the novel.
I was hooked from the start, mainly because of the main character features and personality (view spoiler), and the historical context unusual for me. Just one thing that I found a bit less good in this novel (view spoiler). What do you think?
Otherwise 4*/5 :)
Eagerly starting today!
Hahahaha! Just am at the part where Mrs. Hendricks is bossing around Dr Page with his wife about to give birth. Excellent!
Finished. There was so much frustrating and touching and moving in this story. I really enjoyed the characters (well, the good ones, anyway) and was particularly grieved over everything Rebecca Foster went through. I also enjoyed the chapters where we learned of Martha's and Ephraim's early adult lives, and how that came full circle at the end where she told her son to ask his father about Billy Crane and how that impacts her reaction to (view spoiler)This was the first April Lawhon I've read; I won't hesitate to read more!
I found some discussion questions online (https://www.readinggroupguides.com/re...) and decided to answer a couple here.
Much of the novel’s action focuses on the legal process surrounding Rebecca Forster’s assault and Martha’s testimony. Were you surprised at the way the 18th-century judicial process unfolded? Do you think Rebecca’s story would have been received differently in a contemporary courtroom?
I was not at all surprised by how Rebecca's case was handled and how everything unfolded for her in court. So much of the attitudes about women and extramarital sex described in the novel are still present today: since it's the woman who shows the result of such acts (pregnancy), it's the woman who is deemed sinful and unworthy. "Boys will be boys" vs "she's a slut" has always been the attitude of society. I doubt Rebecca would have received any different result in a modern court of law.
Did you read the author’s note? If so, did it change your evaluation of Martha’s life and the story of the “year of the long winter?”
I did! I was fascinated to learn that Martha Ballard is an actual historical figure. I won't say it changed my evaluation of her life, but I certainly respect her for everything she accomplished in her quiet, loving way.
BarbaraBrubru_gingertiger wrote: "I was hooked from the start, mainly because of the main character features and personality [spoilers removed], and the historical context unusual for me. Just one thing that I found a bit less goo..."
I do agree with the weaknesses you point out, Barbara! The good folks are just a wee bit too good, and the bad guys may as well be wearing top hats with curly mustaches that they twiddle between their fingers. (Anyone remember Snidely Whiplash?)
Beth wrote: "BarbaraBrubru_gingertiger wrote: "I was hooked from the start, mainly because of the main character features and personality [spoilers removed], and the historical context unusual for me. Just one..."
True ! Yes, I remember this character :)))
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This buddy read is featured on the homepage and is pinned to the top of the August Buddy Reads folder. Otherwise it works just like every other buddy read!
If you are new to Buddy Reads, check out the sign-up-thread for instructions and to sign up for future buddy reads!
You can join in the discussion even if your name isn't on the list!
This thread is to discuss The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon.
Pages: 432 pages
Length: 1 month (August)
Participants: Lorraine, Valerie, Patricia, Beth, Liana
Everyone reads at their own pace during a Buddy Read. Because participants can be at different parts of the book at different times, it is extremely important to mark spoilers so that the book is not ruined for someone who is not as far along as others!!!
Mark spoilers by placing {spoiler} before the text and {/spoiler} after the text but use the < and > instead of the { and }.