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Title details for The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon - Wait list

The Frozen River

by Ariel Lawhon
Jane Oppenheimer
Audiobook
0 of 129 copies available
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0 of 129 copies available
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • GMA BOOK CLUB PICK • AN NPR BOOK OF THE YEAR • From the New York Times bestselling author of I Was Anastasia and Code Name Hélène comes a gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who defied the legal system and wrote herself into American history.
"Fans of Outlander’s Claire Fraser will enjoy Lawhon’s Martha, who is brave and outspoken when it comes to protecting the innocent. . . impressive."—The Washington Post
"Once again, Lawhon works storytelling magic with a real-life heroine." —People Magazine
Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town’s most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.
Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.
Clever, layered, and subversive, Ariel Lawhon’s newest offering introduces an unsung heroine who refused to accept anything less than justice at a time when women were considered best seen and not heard. The Frozen River is a thrilling, tense, and tender story about a remarkable woman who left an unparalleled legacy yet remains nearly forgotten to this day.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    December 5, 2023

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780593748992
      • File size: 434813 KB
      • Duration: 15:05:51

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      September 18, 2023
      Lawhon (Code Name Hélène) draws from the diary of an 18th-century midwife for the stirring story of one woman’s quest for justice. In 1789 Maine, 54-year-old midwife Martha Ballard is asked to help determine the cause of death for Joshua Burgess, an accused rapist whose body was found frozen in the river. Martha is convinced that Burgess was beaten and hanged before he was thrown into the water. Several months earlier, she treated a woman named Rebecca Foster for injuries sustained from rape, and Rebecca told her the assailants were Burgess and Joseph North, a judge. After a court determines there’s not enough evidence against North for a rape charge, despite Martha’s testimony about Rebecca’s injuries, a trial is arranged on different charges, but North disappears. Martha attempts to prove Burgess was murdered, hoping to bring scrutiny to North as a suspect in the killing, whose motive may have been to keep Burgess from testifying against him about the rape. 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. Agent: Elisabeth Weed, The Book Group.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Listeners will be launched back to the eighteenth century by this audiobook, inspired by the diary of the American midwife and healer Martha Ballard. The story weaves Ballard's journal through Lawhon's thrilling mystery of rape and murder. Jane Oppenheimer gives life to this first-person account, which includes birth, death, rape, and family, as well as the challenges of life in early America. Oppenheimer handles Martha's voice smoothly and uses tone and cadence to expertly deliver the dialogue of the other characters in the story. Complex, twisting, with flashbacks and diary entries, this clever novel is handled beautifully by Oppenheimer. Imagine "Call the Midwife" meets Maisie Dobbs, and sit back and enjoy the ride. C.F. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
    • Good Reading Magazine
      On a grey frosty night in the late 1700s, in Hallowell, Maine, by the banks of the Kennebec River, the dead body of a man named Joshua Burgess is found bobbing in the receding flow. As a trusted longstanding member of the community, a local midwife and a healer, Martha Ballard has been called to have a look at the dead body and determine the cause of death. Her conclusion is that this is not an accident but a heinous murder. A few months prior to this event, she was privy to the testimony of an alleged rape that occurred to Mrs Rebecca Foster, wife of the local priest Isaac Foster. One of Mrs Foster’s accusers responsible for this alleged rape is now the man found dead in the river. What unfolds is the intriguing and thrilling journey into solving this horrific crime. Martha’s diary becomes crucial evidence in this case, exposing Joshua’s implication in the alleged brutal rape. The court case is heard by Joseph North, a judge at the Court of General Sessions, who seems to hold strong ties in this matter.   With a blend of excitement and deep emotions, Martha’s poignant recollections of events, conveyed a strong sense of connection to her story, making you genuinely care about her and feel like you are an integral part of her family.  Her unrelenting fight for justice had me emotionally invested right to the suspenseful ending thanks to the dramatic and soulful writing in The Frozen River.  I held this story in my heart long after reading the last page.  Reviewed by Biljana Boglevska   ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ariel Lawhon is a critically acclaimed, New York Times bestselling author of historical fiction. Her novels include: THE WIFE THE MAID AND THE MISTRESS; FLIGHT OF DREAMS; I WAS ANASTASIA; CODE NAME HÉLÈNE; THE FROZEN RIVER (coming December 2023); and WHEN WE HAD WINGS (co-written with Kristina McMorris and Susan Meissner). Her books have been translated into numerous languages and have been Library Reads, One Book One County, Indie Next, Costco, Amazon Spotlight, and Book of the Month Club selections. She lives in the rolling hills outside Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband and four sons. She splits her time between the grocery store and the baseball field. Visit Ariel Lawhon's website

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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