The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon 🐾
Hi there, fellow book lovers! It’s Nalicia and Boots here with our first review.
This week’s book, paw-picked by Boots, was The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon, a very popular book that’s been on my to-read list for some time. Boots and I curled up together and finished the book within a week. But, was it a cat-tastic read or did it leave us hissing? Let’s find out! 😻📖
Quick Look
Genre: Historical fiction, mystery, crime
Release Date: 2023
Page Count: 415
Vibe Check: Enveloping, mysterious, and just the right amount of gothic-esque allure!
Purr Rating: 🐾🐾🐾🐾 (4/5 Paws)
The Plot sans Spoilers
A man’s frozen body is pulled from the icy Kennebec River in the heart of winter and Martha Ballard, a respected midwife and healer, is asked to examine the body. She discovers that the man is none other than Joshua Burgess, who, along with Joseph North, has been accused of **trigger warning** raping the town preacher’s wife, Rebecca Foster. Even more shocking is her discovery that Joshua did not drown - rather, he was **cue dramatic music** murdered!
However, the moment Martha makes her determination, she is immediately contradicted by Dr. Benjamin Page, a Harvard-educated physician who is on an ego trip for most of the novel. Thus begins her quest to prove that Burgess was murdered while navigating power dynamics between men and women and the wealthy and the poor (surprise, surprise) in a post-Revolutionary society.
Now it’s time for our 🐾Paws and Claws!
Paws
Lawhon does a really great job exploring the power dynamics during this time, both between men and women and between the rich and poor. It is this disparity that drives Martha to prove that her conclusion is true - Joshua Burgess was murdered. What is particularly interesting is that Martha occupies a strange space in society. She is respected because she is a midwife and is allowed unique privileges within the community as a result. Yet, she is still vulnerable to the hardships that society imposed on women and the poor despite the vital role she plays in the community. It is through her eyes that the reader sees the influence that comes with being a man and being wealthy, and the blind eye that society turns to the poor and to women.
What really stands out for me with this book is how enveloping it is! It really draws you in and takes you through every scene. Lawhon details some of the most mundane actions, like making candles from deer fat, which some readers may find tedious and banal. However, I appreciated it because it really captured the simplicity of life back then and was a great juxtaposition for the events propelling the book - a violent crime that disturbs the peace within a quiet community.
The overarching theme of winter and the cold and dullness associated with winter adds an extra layer of gothic-esque appeal **cue Brontë sisters-vibe**. While reading, I also found myself drawing parallels between this book and Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. I felt as though Rebecca is a re-imagining of Hester Prynne and Martha serves as Hester’s foil.
I liked Ephraim’s character and his devotion to Martha, and liked that he was more of a “supporting character” in a story about her life. Lawhon did well showing their interactions (which were spicy at times) and their bond but still keeping the focus on Martha and not having her share the spotlight with Ephraim.
I was HERE for the courtroom drama - I LOVE To Kill a Mockingbird and anything legal so I enjoyed the legal element of the story, even though it was infuriating at times.
Claws
Honestly, I feel like the main pitfalls that this book has are those common to historical fiction in general, the main one being how believable it is. Of course, it is historical fiction so I usually go into these books taking everything with a grain of salt.
I think my biggest “claw” is the modern feel and thinking that randomly pops up throughout - e.g., Martha and Ephraim quoting Shakespeare with each other, Martha discussing Emmeline with the shop owner, Coleman, and describing it as “gothic.” It just feels very out-of-place and forced, and makes the characters feel more modern than colonial. I think Martha shows her intelligence in so many ways throughout the book that there wasn’t really a need to highlight that she is well-read by having her quote Shakespeare or talk about “refusing traditional roles” when discussing Emmeline. It just reads as tropey with strong “I’m not like other girls” vibes and feels like a feeble attempt to give her a Lizzy Bennet-esque wit and charm. It made me roll my eyes at times because Martha read more like a 20th/21st century feminist rather than a woman in the 18th century who was probably more concerned about her and her family surviving the brutal winter than about dismantling the oppressive patriarchy.
My next claw is Joseph North as a villain - he is more annoying and inconvenient than villainous to me. Honestly, he kept reminding me of timid version of Frollo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. I wish Lawhon had dived more into the “lost his soul” aspect and made him into a colder character - it would have suited the winter theme immensely! Honestly, he would have been 1000x worse if he channeled more Frollo energy. What doesn’t really fit into the story either is the fox storyline - I had difficulty connecting it back to the storyline and seeing what the fox represents. It just felt like an arbitrary “spirit animal” trope.
My last “claw” are the anachronisms. I understand that it’s a historical fiction novel but certain ones detract from the time period the story is trying to draw the reader into. My biggest one was the references to Shakespeare the characters keep making and their use of Shakespearean insults. They really read like they had just taken a semester of Shakespeare in college and wanted to flex their Shakespeare knowledge. In all honesty, Martha and Ephraim probably would not have been as intimate with Shakespeare’s work given that the society they lived in was fairly strict and viewed plays and theater with disapproval. It just felt like another attempt at showing how “well-read” and “smart” they were because they could quote Shakespeare.
Boots’ Thoughts
My mom seemed to enjoy the book - she was rubbing my belly during most of it while we cuddled AND she gave me treats to pose with the book so it was a win-win for me.
There were some parts where she hissed and others where she made weird faces. I liked that Martha loved animals but I wish there was some cat representation. All we got was a mysterious fox, a cool falcon, and some horses. There was also mention of fish but I never tasted any so I can’t be too sure.
Final Verdict
...
Final Verdict ...
Was The Frozen River worth the catnip or did it make us want to catnap? Boots gives it 4 paws 🐾🐾🐾🐾
We recommend it to readers who like books with:
🐾 Strong female leads and historical badasses!
🐾 Gothic-esque feels (think Brontë sisters)
🐾 Courtroom drama, complete with dramatic outbursts (channeling Atticus Finch)
🐾 Fighting back against oppression!
🐾 Happy and supportive marriage vibes
Purr-spective Wrap-Up
Ready to give this book a read? Comment below with your thoughts, including if your furry friend approved or not! Remember to follow us on IG for more purr-fect recs and reviews.
Until then, stay paw-sitive and read on! ✨
🐾Boots & Nalicia
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