historical fiction, mystery
Martha is a midwife in Maine in the late 18th century when a man who has been accused of rape is murdered. She is called to inspect the body after it is pulled from The Frozen River and finds herself and her family associated with the related court matters.
The historical setting of the novel was very well drawn by Ariel Lawhon. I
was able to clearly envision Martha’s life in the 1700s. Martha was an
endearing protagonist—gutsy, intelligent, stubborn, determined, and caring. I
couldn’t help but hope that things would work out for her, her family, and her
friends. The bad guy is definitely hateful. Town gossip and limited levels of
education played their parts in this historical drama based on the real Martha Ballard. The novel’s timeline covered the long winter season from the time the
river froze until the time it thawed, as well as flashbacks to prior periods of
Martha’s life.
The main mystery about who killed the rapist was central but
the more appealing mysteries to me were the smaller questions raised early in
the novel about Martha’s family. These curiosities made me want to keep reading
to find out how some of her children died, how one of them ended up mute, and
how someone who had once been a friend to her family became such a horrid
person. And of course, I had to know whether any sort of justice was served on
behalf of the women in this story.
While the novel was slow-paced, I enjoyed it. I believe this
was largely thanks to the excellent audiobook narration by Jane Oppenheimer.
Her voice acting was perfect for these characters. She had a repertoire of
voices and accents that fit the characters. I’ll give her an A!
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