The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

October 2, 2025

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

Martha Ballard is a midwife who also acts as healer and coroner for the small community of Hallowell, Maine. When a body is pulled from the river, Martha is called to examine the corpse and determine the cause of death. She soon discovers that the man was murdered and then thrown in the river. But the case becomes more complicated when she learns that the dead man along with another of the town's prominent citizens had been accused of rape.

Based on the diary of a midwife in 18th century Maine. Martha's diary was at first discounted as not being of any historical importance since most of her entries record the daily life of an 18th century woman, which were wonderfully adapted by the author. But it also contains glimpses of the world around her, particularly where the law in concerned. She refers to her husband's friend Paul, who turns out to be Paul Revere (yes, that Paul Revere). Revere actually borrowed a horse from Martha's husband Ephraim to make his famous ride. I listened to the audiobook of this historical novel, and I can see that it might be a slog to read since story moves as slowly as a frozen river thawing. Possible triggers include descriptions of rape, misogyny, and injustice. Will appeal to readers who enjoy reading about strong yet little known female characters.

Sawmill circa 18th c.

The Break by Katherena Vermette

October 17, 2023

The Break by Katherena Vermette

In the middle of a snowy night, Stella McGregor witnesses a violent crime in the Break, an open field near her house. Stella is sure that a woman was being attacked by several people and calls the police. Although the police find a large quantity of blood in the snow, they doubt Stella's information, until two victims show up in the emergency room of the local hospital. While the family members want the police to find the perpetrators, they are reluctant to provide any information that might lead back to them.

This was one of my selections for Native American History month, something that I have been meaning to read for a while. Intense but extremely good. Violence against Native American women and girls often goes under-reported and unsolved. My only complaint with the story is that several of Stella's family members are critical of her because she didn't "do" anything to stop the crime or save the victim. Stella is a young mother home alone with two babies in the middle of the night - her husband is at work and there is deep snow outside. What was she supposed to do - leave her two children and run outside in her pajamas to confront the perpetrators? Other than that, it's great writing. Highly recommended for readers who enjoy serious literary fiction like Rene Denfeld's The Enchanted.