Hi everyone! Today I thought I would switch it up and review a book I just finished reading.
I have been reading The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon this past week, and I could barely put it down. If you know me, you know I love a good historical fiction book and this book is the perfect historical fiction.
It follows a midwife in the 1700s in North Eastern America. The main character is named Martha Ballard, and she is as fierce and fiery as they come. I love when a book can teach me things, and this book had a lot for me to learn about midwifery, and medicinal herbs. But, it went beyond just being a book about the art of tending to women. There was mystery, there was a bit of a procedural aspect, and more than anything there was a lot to learn about life in early America.
This book was based on the diaries of the real Martha Ballard, and it includes some of the actual entries from her diaries. The author took quite a few creative liberties in writing this book, which she explains at the end, but I think they really just helped create an incredible story so I’m not mad about that.
As a woman, there are frequently times in life that things do not end up fair. I know this applies generally to being a human, but if you’re a woman, you know it extends to so much of our lives as the “fairer sex.” This book stares that in the face, and gives us plenty of righteous anger, and more than that, it gives us the pleasure of justice served. I say this without giving too much away, do not fret.
The look at the secret lives of women in early America, where we were considered less than we ever are today, is so eye opening. I often think of the women in my own family, my mother, my grandmothers, my great grandmothers. I think of all the times they had to swallow their anger, their feelings at being thrown to the wayside or ignored or even hurt. I think of the ways that life, even modern life, has been so unjust to them.
This book feels like a love letter to all the women who came before us. It looks the injustices women face in daily life squarely, and just for a moment it gives us a world in which revenge, and redemption are commonplace.
It goes beyond the incredible life of an incredible woman. It is a reminder that, somewhere, things end up ok.
I have recommended this book to everyone in my daily life. Especially the women. Suspend your disbelief, try this book on for a bit. Enjoy the world that Ariel Lawhon has so carefully and painstakingly crafted for us.
If you’ve read this, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Until next time, y’all!