BOOK REVIEW
Women sure have come a long way since the 1790s …
‘The Frozen River’ by Ariel Lawhorn
What better way to begin a “who dun it?” than with the discovery of a battered, bruised, and broken body with tell-tale rope burns around the neck, encased in a frozen river?
Add to that intrigue that the body – belonging to Joshua Burgess — is a man accused of assaulting and raping Rebecca Foster, “the young pretty local pastor’s wife.”
His alleged accomplice, Judge North, is, unfortunately, not only a court official but also a colonel from the Revolutionary War and am aggressive land agent in the area.
Spoiler Alert: He also quickly becomes an antagonist to main character and narrator, Martha Ballard, a healer and the midwife for the Hallowell, Maine, community and environs, all split from rumor and controversary once the body is found.
Clues abound, but only Martha can fit them together.
Set in 1789-1790, bracketing six months of “The Year of the Long Winter” in a village cut in two by the Kennebec River, ‘The Frozen River’ depicts the culture of a community, all of whom rely on the river in some form for their livelihoods, like Ephraim Ballard, Martha’s husband, a surveyor and miller; their six children; and other local people, ranging from a Harvard-educated doctor to the stable hand — a variety of characters, all connected to Burgess and Martha Ballard.
Tip: The reader should be willing to form character lists either mentally or on paper to keep the many characters in mind.
Most of the characters are, in fact, taken from Laurel Thatcher Ulrich’s ‘The Midwife’s Tale,’ a 1991 Pulitzer Prize winning biography of Martha Ballard. Lawhorn admits in her “Author’s Notes” that more than 75 percent of her book is based on the 1787-1812 diary entries of midwife Ballard.
Rather than historical fiction, Lawhorn coins the phrase “biographical fiction” as the genre for ‘The Frozen River.‘
The harsh winter, the harsh circumstances of the death, and the harshness of life in the backwoods nearly 250 years ago create a unique experience for the reader.
Spoiler Alert: The birthing and labor scenes that Martha attends remind the reader that modern medicine “ain’t so bad!”
Lawhorn uses various scenarios to illustrate the plight of women in early America: Women only had as much freedom as their husbands would allow.
Women who had babies without being married had to pay fines to live in their communities.
Women were not allowed in schools, so most could neither read nor write.
Women had no rights in courts.
However, Martha Ballard – both in real life and in this novel – is different.
Martha, as a midwife, was trusted to testify in court, rode horseback in a split skirt, was married to an understanding husband, and could read and write.
In fact, her journals became decisive evidence against Col. North and Burgess in their rape case. Martha is an anomaly for her time – assertive, independent, and inquisitive.
Yes, Martha solves the murder and uncovers several other crimes.
Spoiler Alert: The action within the last 50 pages is riveting!
Cue a horse, a silver fox, Martha, Col. North, a cur dog, and a miller’s cutting tool named “Revenge” in Ballard’s Mill! Don’t miss it.
For those of you who collect memorable quotations, pull out a new page in your journals; this book is full. For example,
“A man’s handwriting is a testament to his character.”
“The act of mothering is not limited to the bearing of children.”
“History is written by the men who live. Not the ones who die.”
According to her publisher, Ariel Lawhorn is an award-winning, critically acclaimed, New York Times bestselling author of historical fiction.
Her books have been translated into over thirty languages and have been Good Morning America, LibraryReads, and One Book One County selections.
She lives in the rolling hills outside of Nashville, with her husband and four sons, and splits her time between the grocery store and the baseball field. Author photo: © Kristee Mays
— Kay Bradshaw Holland is a retired English teacher and writes book reviews for the Concho Observer.
