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1789: The Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice….
The Frozen River
What you need to know before your trail
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.
Travel Guide
Hallowell, Maine
The novel is set in 1789 at a time where the city of Maine was barely a few streets. It all takes place on the homesteads and along Winthrop Street which is in fact the only street in the town at the time. It is shaped by the River Kennebec which dictates life there and industry.
The story is inspired by the life of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who defied the legal system and wrote herself into history. Unusual for the time, Ballard kept a diary with hundreds of entries over nearly three decades, which has provided historians with invaluable insight into colonial frontier-women’s lives.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: The Frozen River
Destination/location: Hallowell, Maine Author/guide: Ariel Lawhon Departure Time: 1789
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