Welcome to Litsy!

This was my book club‘s pick for the month— a solid piece of historical fiction set in Maine just over a decade past the Revolutionary War. Based on the life of midwife Martha Ballard, Martha makes for a strong heroine in a time when respect for a woman is hard won and rare. She gets involved in a murder investigation while seeking justice for a friend, with flashes into her own past. Her husband‘s perfection, however, is the larger mystery! 🤣

OMG what a good story and I was pleasantly surprised to learn that‘s it‘s based on a real midwife!! 5 stars!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ one of the best reads of 2024. Historical fiction at its finest.

Can‘t wait to get into this!

There was so much buzz surrounding this title that I've been putting it off until now! Based on the life of the real colonial midwife, Martha Ballard, this historical fiction novel takes place in late 1700's Maine. When a body is fished from the icy river, Ballard is called upon for her medical expertise and journals exposing corruption and a sexual assault cover-up of its residents. Compelling read of feminism and women's health at the time.

I enjoyed this quite a lot. My current manager lives in the same town in Maine where this takes place. Otherwise this would not have been front and center on my radar. I think I liked it more than the author's previous books. Historical fiction + murder mystery. Already recommended it to my aunt.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

#WeeklyFavorites

This week favorite must be The Frozen River, very well written and engaging historical fiction.
Looking back at September, I think Water is my favorite for the month.

I had to drop my mom off at the airport for 3:30 am, so I‘m getting some much needed reading and relaxation time before the rest of my family wakes up ❤️ These last few weeks, I‘ve had no time to myself so this is a blessing 🙏🏻

From the first page I was drawn into the lives of midwife Martha, her (perfect) family and the not so perfect community of Hallowell in which she lives and works. There is murder and rape, gossip and fraud. While the winter freezes the river, Martha seeks justice for women who have traditionally been the underdog in the community. She‘s such an admirable woman and I loved spending time with her.

#WhereAreYouMonday

It‘s 1790 and I am in Hallowell, Maine, in the midst of winter. It is freezing and I am accompanying Martha, a midwife, in her quest for justice for women and mothers. It is time well spent, I am enjoying the book very much.

Thanks for the tag @Read4life and @Eggs

#wonderouswednesday

1. Knowing that I am making a difference in the lives of my students
2. Spending time with my friends and family
3. Done

@Mommamanzi @Pageturner1 @KateReadsYA

I am in love with this book and while this is a historical fiction (which I love), sometimes the super historical ones don‘t hit for me… so not the case here! Based on the life of Martha Ballard, a midwife in the 1700‘s, this book grabbed me from the first page and didn‘t let go!!

Good historical fiction book based on a diary of a midwife in the 1700s. Lots of characters, emphasis on the secrets told to the midwife. Engaging.

A package of lovely surprises today💌📦💌 from @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks and @Read4life and @TieDyeDude ❣️I really wanted to read The Photo Album!! Thanks y‘all🙏🏻

#LitsyLove 🧡🧡

A low pick for me - it was about 100 pages too long. And I, for the life of me, had the HARDEST time remembering the “J” names! I literally made a list of them 😂 But a gripping story! (37)
⭐️: 3.5/5

Gripping! Literate Midwife (Martha) delivered babies and comforts a friend, a victim of rape in the late 1700‘s. I loved Martha & Ephram‘s relationship. A novel based on a true story.

Great audiobook! I listened strait through. Captivated!

I recommend the audiobook!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Have not read a book I enjoyed such much for a while until this one. An engrossing story and beautiful written. Also, my first e book. A good sign😍😍

This novel, inspired by the real diaries of midwife Martha Ballard, is such good reading. I couldn‘t put it down.

If you enjoy historical novels with rich stories and strong character development, you definitely want to experience The Frozen River. The audiobook format enriches the already incredible story and you feel as though you are along with Hope on her journey to Silver Lake......
Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6535855813

It's been a good book year, so far. 😊 At this point, The Frozen River is my winner.

The second library stack of summer! 🩷☀️📚

Anyone else having troubles with Litsy? I had to delete the app and reinstall it because nothing was working. Now it‘s ok - thankfully!!!

I think this book is going to be a favorite historical fiction of the year. Based on a real midwife in the 1700s that never lost a mother even with attending thousand plus births. I think this will be my go to book when someone asks for a historical fiction recommendation. If you like Call the Midwife you will like this book.

May was a great reading month for me. I loved many of the books I read.
The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love 5⭐️
The Unraveling 4⭐️
The Ministry of Time 5⭐️
Prinal Mirror 4⭐️
The Frozen River 5⭐️ --> #BookSpin
Just for the Summer 5⭐️
The Five Year Lie 4⭐️
Happy Medium 3⭐️
A Feather So Black 4⭐️

I had one bingo for #BookSpinBingo!

My weekend reads - The Frozen River (historical fiction mystery) and Set Boundaries, Find Peace (everyone should read this book!)

I‘ve been locked out of my Litsy account for the past year due to the Facebook login issues. Starting over…

#historicalfiction #backonlitsy #weekendreads

Wow. This was intense and emotional and immersive. I've read this author's other books and this is far and away her best. She clearly poured her heart and soul into this book.

I loved this one. It was more historical fiction than mystery, which I'm very OK with. It takes place in late 1700s Maine and our protagonist, Martha, is a midwife. It starts when Martha is asked to examine a body found in the river. A lot happens from there both in her family and in the community. I adore Martha. And I adore her marriage with Ephraim.

Starting this one now. I'm in the perfect mood for a historical mystery.

“This is what it means to age, I think. The days are long, but the years are short.”

#River
#StorySettings

I haven‘t been walking this week at all or done much of anything because I‘ve not felt that great. My inactivity did allow me to finish both Holly (print) and The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell (ebook). Today I‘m starting The Frozen River.

An impressive find in one of my neighborhood Little Free Libraries!

"Memory is a wicked thing that warps and twists. But paper and ink receive the truth without emotion, and they read it back without partiality. That, I believe, is why so few women are taught to read and write. God only knows what they would do with the power of pen and ink at their disposal."
Plenty of #secrets in the frozen river!#SpringSkies @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

The Frozen River is a solid 5 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 in my opinion. This book is not fantasy, but her style of writing is so magical that sometimes I forget it's historical fiction. I deeply admire the love and bond between Martha and Ephraim. The book is full of rich history and well crafted characters. There is so much I could say about it, but I think you just need to read it for yourself.

Arby‘s-style poutine and a new book on a cold afternoon makes for an ideal Saturday.

The pace of this was incredibly slow. But I love when a slow burn story reads with an underlying intensity that makes the time pass quickly. Recommended to those who appreciate historical fiction from the female perspective

Guess we have ghosts 🤷🏻‍♀️

This was our April 2024 bookclub selection. The story was of a midwife who lived and worked in the 1700s. Parts of the novel were action packed. It contained a murder and a mystery. Learning about the legal system in its infancy was enlightening. People (mostly men) got away with a lot back then. I particularly enjoyed the authors note at the end. I like hearing how she developed her story. I‘m glad that my bookclub recommended this book.

#WeeklyFavorites

The Frozen River was my favorite read from March 24 - 31.

This is my first book by Lawhon. However, if her writing is this stellar in all of her books it won‘t be my last.
This was so good! I loved the mix of historical fiction and mystery. Very well done.

This book was so good. It was so much better than I could have imagined. This was a mix of historical fiction and mystery and I loved it.

I absolutely loved, loved, loved this book!!!

Up next on audio. 🎧

This is my book club‘s March pick.

#bookspinbingo

I've read so many good reviews 🤞🤞🤞

I‘m a few chapters into this book and just realized the main character is based on a real person.

It was so so good! I didn't even think I'd be into the premise but all her books are so well written and move and have such details and layered plots. Read everything from Ariel Lawhon!

Baby is sick so I'm working from home and taking a few minutes to myself as he naps.

This book is so juicy.

What? You don't hide a big bag of chocolate mini Cadbury eggs in your underwear drawer to hide it from your kids and eat at night?

Lawhon's writing is always soooo propulsive. A lot of her stories I didn't think would be my thing but her writing is just incredible. Sucks you in and makes you want to keep turning pages. Can't wait for the twist, she always has a twist.

I‘ve really enjoyed everything I‘ve read by Ariel Lawson and this was no exception. I will say that it felt a lot longer than it needed to be and not that much actually happens past the key murder mystery and the various lower court meetings dealing with a rape case, and to be honest I didn‘t really care about the murder mystery because the more you found out about the dead man the more I hated him. The writing was great, though, and I enjoyed ⬇️

Okkkk, was it a pick? Yes. Did it keep my interest? Yes. Will I remember it in a month? Yes. But there‘s something off about this book for me. I didn‘t need to two timelines, and I don‘t love a perfect protagonist nor do I need a perfect spouse for that protagonist. Really, everyone connected to her was perfect. I think this book is excellent for lots of readers, and I‘ll even recommend it to them. There, that‘s my review 🤷🏼‍♀️😏😅🥹🙏😬🤷🏼‍♀️

Historical fiction is always my favourite. I stayed up much too late, more than one night, with this one. Inspired by real life events recorded in the diary of midwife Martha Ballard, the great aunt of Clara Barton. A phenomenal, captivating tale of a family, a community, a mysterous murder, and a multitude of babies, set in a tiny town in Maine, in the 1700s. My first Ariel Lawhon, but it won‘t be my last.

Halfway through it, and sometimes I‘m so in love with this book and the story. Then the author switches to 35 years prior and a flashback to her and her husband‘s days as newlyweds and it takes me out of the story. I‘m sure it all ties together at some point, but I‘d rather just read the story of her trying to do right by the people of her town and fighting the patriarchy in the process.