The Frozen River - June CC Book Club Selection

Parent Cafe
41

In Lawhan’s Author’s Note, she mentions that her inspiration for the book came from an article in a devotional called The Midwife’s Tale. While she did acknowlege Ulrich’s book, she didn’t talk any more about this devotional. Since that was where she first heard about Martha, I would have thought she’d devote a little more time to that.

I did NOT predict who was Burgess’s murderer. So I reread the book. There were NO clues, except for the piece of lace in Sam’s pocket. Until Sam finally confesses to Martha, we didn’t even know that Burgess had raped Sam’s wife May (or was she only his fiancee at that point?), so we had no reason to suspect him. I didn’t think that was fair of the author.

And Ephraim was absolutely, positively the most perfect man whoever walked the face of the earth. No flaws whatsoever. Sure, that’s realistic. :roll_eyes:

2 Likes
42

It was definitely a challenging time and there was poverty and abuse of power—hmm sounds like a time and place I’m familiar with.

It’s pretty galling as a woman attorney & former part-time judge to think not so long ago a woman couldn’t testify unless her H or father was present.

As transporting and engaging as the book was, I am glad we have the comfort and luxuries we do now. I was able to walk to the hospital (about 2 blocks from our apartment) to deliver our son. It had all the modern medical conveniences in case there were any problems (fortunately there weren’t any).

I’m sure that having a midwife can be comforting for many. I was happy not to be bothered by anyone or anything until just before S was born. H’s job was to not have anyone touch me unless absolutely essential so I could focus on relaxing with the contractions instead of fighting them. I really didn’t care what else was going on and had no energy to scream or even talk—just focused on helping the contractions be as effective as possible.

2 Likes
43

I’m a fan of this book, and author. I liked spending time with Martha, the way she handled Brutus, ( the real Martha was often thrown by her horse as mentioned in her diary, Author said in this interview)
I like the way she handled the men in the very first chapters when she examined Joshua body.
This take charge, but kind and compassionate, blunt, direct woman was enchanting.
I liked the way she handled her children ( the author has four boys fyi ).

Was Ephraim too saintly, yes, but as Mary13 pointed out she based him on her real life husband,so saints are walking the earth.

What didn’t feel right, was the brutal ending and castration ( ala bobbitt from decades ago ).
The “ just revenge “ just seemed so contrived, and it marred my feeling about the author, but not enough to lower my Goodreads five star rating.

In this interview conducted by the Maine Library association, Ariel Lawhon mentions when her book was selected by GMA as book of month, she was! mortified of all things, because when she wrote it, during the pandemic she honestly didn’t think there would be interest in this long forgotten Midwife. She didn’t expect it to find an audience.

Some of the takeaways from this hour long interview, which was most enjoyable,

  • tempest is in the frist and last scene, ( she recounts her real life experience with a fox )
    The fox wasn’t planned in the plot it just emerged, she called it magical moment when writing

*she attempted to build world and setting for book through sight, smell, sound, touch, became challenging because setting is winter, after hundred pages difficult to find new ways to communicate the winter setting, ( I thought that was very well done )

*the emotional landscape she portrayed was of the time in Martha’s life, children were leaving home, getting married, and Martha dealt with her parenting role changing.

  • Ariel wanted to reveal injustice of women in the world during that time, the “ Law of coverage” women couldn’t testify without husband, except midwives. The ending of the book, she wanted to bring closure and satisfaction.

  • 4 out of 10 babies born out of wedlock, many people married when woman pregnant.

  • Real Dr Page, name changed, was 24 years old and he over medicated, and babies died

  • Shakespearean references it was hard to find another novelist to quote throughout the book,

At the end of thr interview the Maine librarian mentions Ballard family descendants and many events planned on honor of the book and Martha in Maine.

5 Likes
44

IMG_3537
IMG_35371281×1150 263 KB

The silver fox, not as silver as I expected morea black and white, this is from insta photo Ariel Lawhon posted

2 Likes
45

If anyone finds out why Ariel Lawhon named thr fox tempest, I’m interested.
Is it related to Shakespeares The Tempest ?

From internet
What is the main message of The Tempest?

AI Overview

The main message of “The Tempest” revolves around forgiveness and the consequences of revenge, with the play ultimately emphasizing the power of reconciliation and the importance of understanding human nature. Some Quora userssuggest that the play also explores the consequences of European settlement and the dynamics of power.

Here’s a more detailed breakdown of the main message:

  • Revenge vs. Forgiveness:

Prospero initially seeks to punish those who wronged him, but he eventually chooses to forgive, realizing that forgiveness is a more powerful and virtuous path.

  • The Nature of Power:

The play explores how power can be used to control and oppress others, as well as how it can be wielded for good or evil.

  • Human Nature:

“The Tempest” delves into the complexities of human nature, highlighting the capacity for both cruelty and compassion.

  • The Power of Words:

Language is portrayed as a powerful tool, capable of being used to both bless and curse.

  • The Importance of Understanding:

The play suggests that understanding the motivations and perspectives of others can lead to greater compassion and reconciliation.

3 Likes
46

I completely agree. It was my least favorite part of the book. Not because of the violence per se – I’ve read a lot of books where violence is woven by necessity into the story – but because it was a revenge fantasy. It was too over the top. And then I was irked by Lawhon’s justification in the Author’s Note: “I would like the record to show that when Larry McMurtry made a similar choice in Lonesome Dove, they gave him a Pulitzer.”

No, no, no. Apples and oranges.

Also, it didn’t make sense thematically, didn’t fit in with the book’s Tempest themes that @jerseysouthmomchess so eloquently laid out. It would have been a more complex story if the community had to come to terms with the fact that there are, and always will be, monsters among us. Monsters that can’t be slayed so easily.

4 Likes
47

My sister-in-law also had two homebirths with midwives. I could never have made that choice. My mind tends to go to the “What if’s” and I needed to be in a hospital just in case. And it was fine. It was the heyday of birthing suites, Lamaze classes, minimal intervention, and no meds.

Ariel Lawhon does a nice job of conveying Martha Ballard’s competence. I would have felt very comfortable with Martha at my side during labor and delivery.

2 Likes
48

Yes, I felt her character was well suited to being a midwife. She seems to have a good feel for when the woman needs support and when to step back.

Ephraim might be too good to be true, but he is pictured not always in sych with the kids.

I read Lonesome Dove with this group and I seem to have completely forgotten that scene! I didn’t really mind the revenge fantasy, especially when she sews him up instead of letting him die.

49

I didn’t like the revenge bit and think it would have been better if a wild animal did the revenging instead of Martha but sometimes adrenaline will do strange things to people.

My spouse is pretty good but honestly not a saint. He does have some saintly qualities but sometimes does make me a bit crazy.

50

I didn’t feel it was so much revenge as vigilante justice (or exceedingly fortunate self-defense.) It was clear that the system would never deliver justice to to the victims AND that Martha felt the women deserved it.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. Yes, Martha seemed politically too evolved/modern, even though the author took many opportunities to describe how different she was from most women of the day. And yes, there was an Outlander vibe!

I too was intrigued by the number of women who were pregnant when they married. I always think of folks from that time as being quite “church-y” and thought that would have dissuaded premarital sex.

Ephraim 's perfection was a bit over the top, bur again, I wondered if that was a deliberate choice only because Martha would have had none of those freedoms without her husband being fully behind her.

Period pieces like this always make me appreciate heat, my comfy bed, etc… Life was hard, especially in that kind of climate.

5 Likes
51

That’s true. He had to be present in the room for Martha to even testify, which is why Joseph North sent him off on an unnecessary surveying trip – requiring Ephraim to race back rather heroically and arrive in the nick of time.

3 Likes
52

I should have mentioned this at the start of discussion because it’s one of the things I loved most about the book: The female protagonist is 54 years old. And she is strong, smart, competent, compassionate, loving and feisty.

I know we’ve all read books where the 50 or 60 something characters are either frail grandmother types or going through some sort of last gasp mid-life crisis. But Martha Ballard is still in the thick of it.

She was still delivering babies in that rugged territory 23 years after the novel’s story ends – her last one in April 1812, shortly before her death in May at age 77.

Ephraim died nine years later at age 95. He really beat the life expectancy charts for that time (especially considering he spent a year in debtor’s prison in his late 70’s, which couldn’t have been healthy!).

7 Likes
53

The revenge scene did push Martha’s character to a level we hadn’t seen before before. Her rage was focused not only on Joseph North and Joshua Burgess, but also on her own rapist, Billy Crane. I felt that scene showed Martha possessed by her past memory. Martha’s rage allowed her to fight back now for the rape that happened to her when she was younger.

6 Likes
54

The job of surveying was quite dangerous as well, from what I saw of The Midwife’s Tale — people attacked surveyors, which was one of the reasons her husband switched from that job to tax collecting and was thrown into debtors prison when he didn’t collect enough. Must have been awful trying to collect from the very poor.

Yes, it was very unusual to read a book with a main character who was very active in her 50s, especially in that time period.

3 Likes
55

I wondered why Ephraim didn’t just pretend to do that survey again. He should have had notes or a copy.

56

Probably because it would have required a blatant lie, as well as laying low, pretending to be out of town so that North didn’t see him. He was too principled for either of those things.

4 Likes
57

I was thinking more that he’d go off and camp out, but leave early. Not sure it would be possible, not knowing what would be possible. But yes, he wouldn’t want to lie. I wonder what the real life Ephraim ended up in debtor’s prison for?

58

I believe when he was tax collector and wouldn’t collect from folks who couldn’t pay they threw him into debtor’s prison.

4 Likes
59

He really was a saint! LOL.

60

He was also poor and understood poverty and knew there was no way to force folks to pay when they had nothing. He had limited job options to supplement his mill work, and as he got older, it was hard to run alone as well. I think it’s pretty awful to imprison someone unable to collect from folks who have nothing. Talk about a tough job and being between a rock & a hard place.

3 Likes