Based on a true story, this retelling of another remarkable woman pulled from history is well worth your time and attention. We have come a long, long way. ~Sheila

It is Maine, 1789, and Martha Ballard, a Midwife, is requested to examine a body found in the icy waters of the Kennebec River. As a Midwife, she knows much about her community and what goes on behind closed doors, recording in her diary every birth, every stillborn, as well as deaths and debacles, and every detail surrounding the circumstances.
Now, as Martha examines the dead man, she recognises him to be one of two respected gentlemen that had been allegedly involved in a rape a few months back. She also sees this death as not an accidental drowning, but murder.
As Martha lives in a time when women should know their place, and their voice is not always respected, when you could instead get an opinion from a man, her battle for justice is an uphill one When her son, Cyrus, is identified as having been in a fight with this man the same night as his death, Cyrus is accused of the murder. Martha knows she has to find a way to justice, no matter what the cost.

My Book Club, The Bookies, chose this as our read for June. I had this book already downloaded and for the life of me, was under the impression I had never finished it and wasn’t sure why… turns out – I just have a poor memory- not only did I read it, I also reviewed it here, as well as on Goodreads in March of 2024 – both I discovered this morning when I went to write this review. Good grief… I think that is a new one for me.

That all said – without reading what I previously wrote – here are my 2025 thoughts (and yes while listening to this one over the past week, I did recognize that I had some knowledge of this book, so there is hope for me yet… ;P
Martha’s story is compelling – not only is the book well written, it is based on an actual person and facts (historical fiction – the author admittedly fills in blanks and takes liberty to make the story flow). The book and the struggles of women having a voice are timely. I recently finished the final season of The Handmaid’s Tale, while certainly not apples to apples – this book gave me some of that same vibe of women struggling for respect and rights.
Often I find some of the more recent books are going for the big shocking “WOW” with nothing to stand behind it but poor writing, loose ends, and a confused reader – this is not one of those books… everything flows well, every storyline comes full circle.
It’s definitely worth the hype surrounding it, and I would absolutely recommend you give this a read.

Bookies Book Club:
The Bookies enjoyed this book very much – there was much to discuss, and women’s rights were definitely part of the discussion. Overall, the rating was a solid 4.5 out of 5. One of our members even stated that when she read this last year, it was her favorite book of the year.
If you are reading this as a book discussion, here are some fun things to include:

Food suggestions – there is not a lot of food talked about in the book, but if you look at the times, here are some thoughts:
Hearty Crusty Bread
A Chowder or Stew (think things you can get from a garden or from animals you raise, like cows, chickens, pigs)
Whole chicken (I went with the rotisserie style I could get from Walmart – already cooked)
Small potatoes, Carrots, Rosemary
Salad
Fruits
And an add-on for us with the Frozen River title – I made frozen Margaritas

Topics to pull for discussion –
Women’s rights ( we had a list of when laws were passed – see below), actually frightening to see how much of this has happened in our lifetime.
Midwifery
Relationships

Rated: 4.25 out of 5
Read Author Before: well, the same book so yes 🙂
Read Author Again: I would- she has a certain style I enjoy
Where Read: Listened on audio between house, car and yard work 🙂