The Frozen River

"A gripping historical mystery based on the real-life diary entries of Martha Ballard, an 18th-century midwife who found herself at the center of a murder trial"-- Provided by publisher.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Excellent historical mystery set in 18th century Maine submitted by vickik on June 14, 2024, 9:10am This is a wonderful historical mystery and thrilling courtroom drama, inspired by actual events, about Martha Ballard, a midwife in 18th century Maine. When a dead body is found in a frozen river, Martha identifies the dead man as a prominent resident of the town, who was accused of rape. She defies the court system to find justice for the rape victim.

An account of life in 18th century Maine submitted by NCWyse on July 10, 2024, 12:41am The author has written a compelling account of a woman's life in the late 18th century as well as showing the rather primitive functioning of the young legal system. It is definitely a book worth reading.

Interesting Historical Mystery submitted by sdunav on July 19, 2024, 2:05pm Loosely based on the life of Martha Ballard, a late 18th c. midwife (check out her biography by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, which won a Pulitzer prize in 1991, but doesn't seem to be in AADL collection anymore - but there is a DVD and streaming video by PBS here: https://aadl.org/catalog/record/ib-100044085 ). Characters are all interesting, mystery was compelling, and it was well researched, if a little disjointed sometimes....but so was the diary and the history, so maybe that fits.

If you are a lover of historical fiction... submitted by JTreadwell on July 31, 2024, 10:06am You will enjoy this book. Set in America when the ink on the constitution was still wet, this book follows a local midwife through a winter filled with births, murder, family drama, and navigating a judicial system still in its infancy. You feel swept into the story every time you open the book. I had to wait a long time on the 'request' list before I got the chance to read this book, but it was worth the wait.