Frozen River Novel Ariel Lawhon Reviews Summary

Character Development

Pros:

• "All the characters are fully developed and interesting."
• "Martha Ballard is a strong, compelling character who, through her journal, immerses the reader in the historically long winter of 1789-1790 in Hallowell, Maine."
• "The characters were so intriguing and the main character was strong and of good character."
• "Martha is righteous, and deeply kind and caring."
• "Martha is the best. She is someone you want on your side because she is a badass and a sweetheart."
• "The characters were real, and the storyline was pretty good."
• "Vivid characters, who you will learn to love or hate."

Cons:

• "There are too many characters to keep up with."
• "Martha was absolutely too perfect; she could solve any women's problem."
• "I couldn't care less about any of the characters, they were all the same."
• "The characters did not fit the era."
• "The only one I really got to know was the main character."
• "There were way too many characters to try to keep track of."
• "Occasionally, I was confused by so many characters."

Writing and Storytelling

Pros:

• "The story was lusciously crafted from the fictionalized viewpoint of an actual historic figure."
• "I loved this book, and recommend it unreservedly to all fans of historical fiction."
• "The Frozen River is a wildly popular book for a reason -- there's little wrong with this one, and it's a solidly constructed story from cover to cover that will have you riveted."
• "Couldn’t put it down! Beautifully written!"
• "The action never stops."
• "This book is brilliantly written and so well-researched that I could not put it down."
• "Gripping, thought provoking, atmospheric, tense and beautifully written."

Cons:

• "Some of the story was hard to read, particularly around the many rapes that seemed to happen."
• "The passion between the two main characters after 35 years of marriage, 9 pregnancies, and losing 3 children is difficult to buy into."
• "I also found it very difficult to read the diary entries. The font was just so curvy."
• "It’s the worst book I read this year."
• "The dialogue felt more modern rather than 18th century in nature."
• "This book reminded me why I don’t like fiction."
• "The storyline is interesting but it takes way too long to be told."

Historical Accuracy and Insight

Pros:

• "The story is about a midwife in mid to late 1700s with insight into the life in those days."
• "This book also highlighted how women were treated during this time."
• "Great story with strong smart women and beautiful nature descriptions."
• "The strength and resilience of women despite all odds."
• "75 percent of what happens on the pages closely follow the actual records."
• "I learned so much about this time period."
• "This is a historical fiction novel based on real-life midwife, Martha Ballard, set in Maine 1789."

Cons:

• "I did have a hard time believing that a woman during that time period could have that much respect from men & throw out whatever demands she wanted."
• "There were parts that I felt could have wrapped up quicker or been omitted without taking away from the story."
• "However, I have no idea why the author chose to write the entire book in present tense. It made it feel stiff."
• "I also had a hard time remembering that it was supposed to have taken place in the late 1700’s, the way certain things were written."
• "The author seems to think men of the 1700s are sensitive new-age guys."
• "Lawhon prides herself on following historical facts, but she does admit to compressing time in her novel as well as deleting and adding details."
• "Having these kinds of annoying anomalies popping up throughout the book is a serious distraction that greatly detracts from the storyline."