The Frozen River

Reviews

‘With exquisite prose and gripping immediacy, Ariel Lawhon recreates the extraordinary story of Martha Ballard, a real-life yet little-known midwife and healer in Maine who kept a diary in the years after the American Revolution. The Frozen River is so vivid, so textured and multi-layered that I felt I’d opened a door and entered post-revolutionary America, walking beside Lawhon’s compelling characters in a time and place riven by hardship, disease, and misogyny, but also intense love and searing natural beauty. This novel was unlike anything I’d read before, and it left me awe-struck.’ ‘Lawhon creates a stirring portrait of a real-life heroine … A vivid, exciting page-turner from one of our most interesting authors of historical fiction.’ ‘Lawhon (Code Name Hélène) draws from the diary of an 18th-century midwife for the stirring story of one woman’s quest for justice … Lawhon combines modern prose with the immediacy of her source material, making for an accessible and textured narrative. This accomplished historical powerfully speaks to centuries-old inequities that remain in the present day.’ ‘What could be better than a well-researched historical murder mystery, with a strong and feisty woman at its centre … Remarkable.’ ‘Ariel Lawhon always knows how to tell a complex, fascinating historical tale about real women from history who had no idea they were heroes, but whose lives were extraordinary. Love, birth, murder, family and women’s daily travails all come together seamlessly in a book whose characters you won't want to part from after the final chapter.’ ‘A riveting story of small-town justice and a fitting tribute to a quiet, determined heroine.’ ‘Once again, Lawhon works storytelling magic with a real-life heroine.’ 'Fans of Outlander’s Claire Fraser will enjoy Lawhon’s Martha, who is brave and outspoken when it comes to protecting the innocent … Impressive.' ‘[A] richly woven historical mystery … This gripping tale satisfies with every twist and turn.’ ‘I can’t say enough good things about The Frozen River, which swept me away over a couple of wintery nights while tucked up in bed … The novel is so many things: a gripping mystery, a touching love story, and a fascinating account of the life and times of women and their roles in a remote early American community. It’s brilliantly atmospheric, with characters who leap off the page, a beautifully rendered landscape and an icy tension that pulls you through each chapter. If you love to read books by Diane Setterfield or Eowyn Ivey, you’re sure to adore this.’ Expand reviews